Channels & viewing

[StevenCee]

@RokuTakashi  What do you not understand about this issue? It is NOT about a particular channel, that we can simply delete, then add back again, it's THE ROKU CHANNEL, period, that is the problem. And trying to play any of the suggested movies or tv shows may work for awhile, so we can view some trailers before selecting a movie to watch, and watch it. But eventually, when we try to view a trailer, or the show itself, all we get is the spinning 99%, and can do nothing until we do a system restart.

One of the users above laid out a very logical, technical prognosis of this very frustrating behavior, did you not read that? And for another Roku employee to come back with the same automatic script, asking for all certain specific details, "so they can be relayed to the team", and then we'll be notified of any updates, is at this point, like a slap in the face, treating everyone like children, as if we don't see this as an avoidance tactic, since no one EVER gets back with updates! And issues linger for many months, a year, or two years longer.

This issue has been quite clearly and fully explained already, and if non-IT savvy users, as myself, can understand it, surely the Roku IT "whiz kids" can.

[pipi]

@StevenCee Thank you. Your response hits the nail on the head. I see that @RokuJohnB addressed the Roku app situation in this thread as far back as February 2024. My research also uncovered a thread on regarding this same issue back in 2022, where @RokuKarla stated to delete the channel and reinstall it.

After other thread complaints, @RokuKariza-D responded with the template response that Roku needed more details to address their concern. At this date, I find no evidence that the Roku Wizards have chosen to address this tech issue, or have not escalated their users' concerns here, and rather just tossed out hardware workarounds for us rather than having Roku coders or their network architects create an update fix for us, so we who purchased TV's with Roku or even Roku's stick can utilize the channel

Clearly, this long-term known issue causes problems for their users. By ignoring it, many users like myself cannot use the Roku Channel option without continually having to reset their TV with a manual workaround fix. It's frustrating to utilize my personal time and energy on this matter and even take the bandwidth to research this issue and write this entry, it's not my job it's those who are paid at Roku to do. More details, the option of resetting the software via the app doesn't even work in my case.

I find Roku not officially addressing this issue frustrating. It's difficult to imagine if every time one watched a preview of a HBO, Hulu, or Netflix show and then selected the corresponding show, the 99% pinwheel of death appeared their coders wouldn't fix the issue.  

Mostly, I'm disappointed I didn't get a receive any response from @RokuTakashi or another Moderator's response on this issue, when I asked for assistance.

I've been a ROKU user since its beginning when I received a complimentary unit. My most recent purchased this year was a TCL 65" Class - R635 Series. I received the very last Roku TV available at Costco available. I mean I went so far to locate their very last physical TV in their entire inventory. Call me a fan.

I also found a previous Roku community thread from 11-1-2023 where @renojim shares the TCL 65" Class - R635 model needed not a weekly hard reboot and states "Sometimes Roku devices, like pretty much any computer, need to be rebooted.  You can try getting rid of apps you don't need, but I don't know if that will help.  Another thing that may or may not make a difference is "Fast TV start" under Settings->System->Power.  Try it both ways.  Finally, do you really have to unplug the power?  A "System restart" under Settings->System->Power should do the same thing." 

You can use the TV but I suggest not utilizing the Roku channel for shows if other options are available.

What are the best actions for me to take forward or just resign myself and give up?  

To anyone like myself who finds this tread - I'll just sum it up to you, just keep unplugging your TV and then plug it in again to watch or just accept the Roku channel doesn't work (they sell it to you, but you can't access it) so give up and best off don't click on a show there, or your other channels won't work as well.  

[StevenCee]

@pipi You're right, we shouldn't have to reboot the TV so very often, just to be able to watch a preview, or the movie or show itself. I wondered if this is an issue of cache buildup, and asked if there's a method of emptying the cache, but as usual, received no answer back... I mean come on, it's a simple question.  So, it ends up causing me to think twice, or three times, before browsing movies & shows, especially since it also ends up impacting our use of Netflix or Prime, which also end up doing the spinning 99% and nothing...

[pipi]

@StevenCee Thanks for another thoughtful response. I don't know about the cache issue, as I don't have this issue elsewhere, and I had only watched Roku twice after purchasing my TV in January/February. There was a British comedy I wanted to view, and they offered it for free.

Anyway, the whole endless spinning on 99% gives me PTSD from my many years of watching the pinwheel of death appear on many a PC or Mac. 🙂  

Honestly, this is my first time on the community page, and I don't want to clear my cache and lose all my viewing profiles. I just want what I paid for to work as promised and to actually get a response like someone actually cares.  

[bradtvx]

It just comes down to "guess what kind of TV my next one will NOT be?"

[Hendrix]

My connectivity is glitching when trying to connect to wifi for a Internet connection, I need help with this issue?

[StevenCee]

@pipiYes, it's really pitiful, knowing there are employees monitoring this forum, yet simply not responding, especially when an issue has brought forward a long-time customer as yourself. Loyalty to a product should engender a timely response, and higher level of support. Classy companies are those who care about retaining their customer base, especially longtime ones, while those that aren't, reveal their true colors when an issue pops up. I've stuck with companies who understand what customer service means, & left those that didn't, which is one of the underlying reasons we see more & more consolidation within various industries, since removing viable options, leaves people little choice in who they purchase their products and services from... 

This particular issue, having to reboot so often, just for shows to even play, is quite a fundamental feature of any streaming service, and that they seem unconcerned with addressing it, is both puzzling and pretty pathetic...

[RokuERey]

Greetings Community users,

Sorry for the hassle and thanks for telling us about the playback issue. We want to look into this further, as it seems we've already tried the basic fixes. Give the channel another shot, but this time use a different network like a mobile hotspot, and see if that helps.

We'll also need the information below once you're able to reproduce the issue once more.

• Roku device model, serial number, device ID, and software OS/version (these can all be found in Settings > System > About).
• Tracker ID when this issue occurs (when you see this issue occur, press the Home button 5 times, followed by the Back button 5 times, and provide us with this ID).
• If possible, a video clip showing the issue.

We'll be looking forward to your update.

Thanks,
Rey