Channels & viewing

[PSGfan]

I was wondering if anybody else is experiencing this issue?

I have a Roku-ULTRA with Paramount+ streaming service. I also have Netflix, Amazon Prime, EPIX streaming apps loaded. These latter three services work fine. But with Paramount+, the main menu interface is very slow and cumbersome. If I move the program selector to a different program, there is generally a 3-to-10-second black screen lag before the new selected program is highlighted and the interface screen is redisplayed. Sometimes there is a 'No Signal' screen displayed for about one-second (NOTE: The 'No Signal' is generated by the LG -TV itself). The slowness and screen blackout is quite annoying and frustrating to work with. As I mentioned, the other streaming apps work fine. This slow response is only with  Paramount+. Note that I did go into Paramount+ setting and turned off Video and Audio Previews. My internet speed is 150Mbps which normally is sufficient for streaming from the other streaming services.

As a check, I did load the Paramount+ app directly on my LG-TV. This slowness issue does not occur when running Paramount+ directly from the LG-TV app. I also tested it with a different TV using a Firestick and there were none of the slowness issues. 

I have all my external devices (e.g., Roku, Sony BluRay-player, PS3, etc.) connected to a Denon-AVR and then HDMI connected from the Denon-AVR to the LG-TV via ARC.

Why would this only be an issue when the Paramount+ channel is played from the Roku-ULTRA? Note that I did delete and reload the Paramount+ app on the ROKU.

[makaiguy]

@PSGfan-

Sorry about coming late to your question...

After removing a channel, best practice is to restart your Roku to clear its memory cache before reinstalling the channel. Without the restart you may not get a clean reinstall.

Depending on your Roku model and Roku version number you'll find the System restart option under either Settings > System > Power or under Settings > System.

[PSGfan]

Thank you for responding. I confirmed and reset-reloaded the Roku Ultra as you indicated. However that did not resolve the issue I am seeing. I believe I now know the issue better because of a lot of tests I performed, but don’t have an exact resolution for it.

I have a 4K LG-OLED that supports ‘Dolby Vision’. If I am on the Roku-Paramount+ main screen at the ‘Home’ menu, I get a screen display showing icons of shows I have been watching, trending movies, recommended movies, etc. When I scroll through, stop on, and highlight one of these show icons, it automatically starts a video preview clip in the top-half of the screen.

It is when this video clip is acquired that the black screen appears and ‘no signal’ is detected from the LG-TV. This occurs during the ROKU retrieving and prepping this video preview for display. After the video preview has been acquired and processed for display, it displays on the screen and it indicates ‘Dolby Vision’. 

I have tested the RoKU on other TV sets in the house. The LG-OLED is the only one supporting Dolby-Vision. The black screen I experience for 3-10-seconds only occurs on the LG-OLED.

Another thing I notice is that these video previews do not automatically display on all TVs tested. I haven’t found a way to turn that off. If I could find a way to turn the video preview off, it would eliminate this display slowness issue on the LG.-OLED.

I should note my internet speed as indicated by the ROKU is around 230-Mbps. 

My conclusion is that 230-Mbps Internet speed either isn’t fast enough when retrieving higher bandwidth video. Or, the ROKU-Ultra itself isn’t fast enough to process the ‘Dolby Video’ data stream quickly and smoothly. I should add that once a video preview is loaded, it works fine. It is just during the menu video preview processing where it slows down and become annoying. If I could turn off the video previews, it would be acceptable to me.

[makaiguy · Accepted solution]

My guess, and that's all it is, is that these video previews, and then their programs, are in a different resolution, frame rate, Dolby setting, or something that differs from what Paramount is using for their basic user interface, causing the TV to have to adjust its display settings.

On your Roku, under "Settings > System > Advanced system Settings > Advanced display settings" Roku devices have an "Auto-adjust display refresh rate" item. 

If this is enabled, the Roku circuitry sends the signal output at the refresh rate (frame rate) used by the original source material, which can range from 24 fps (frames per second), to 60 fps. Every time the source frame rate changes, the TV must adjust its display to accommodate the new frame rate, which on many sets results in a short blackout, some sets longer than others.

This can happen when starting/stopping new programs if the frame rate differs from what the channel uses on its user interface, and when going in/out of commercial breaks that have a different native frame rate than the programs they are inserted into.

If the Roku's "Auto-adjust display refresh rate" is set OFF, a frame rate of 60 fps is used for everything and the TV doesn't have to adjust on the fly.  Depending on how well the TV handles this, this can affect perceived motion smoothness, so see what your tolerance is and decide whether eliminating the short blackouts is a good tradeoff.

[PSGfan · Accepted solution]

Nicely done (and a good guess😀)!

Changed that auto-refresh rate as you indicated and now the interface works as I would expect….shows the video preview and without any black screen delays. Hopefully everything else will function to my satisfaction as I watch more on P+.

A really big thanks to you for helping!

…Ken