Channels & viewing

[mesaguy]

Also experiencing this problem.  Have run through all the Roku recommended steps.
1. Removed the channel.
2. Reset the Roku Stick (In this case a 3400X).
3. Also powered off the TV, and then removed the Roku Stick, waited 10 seconds, reinserted the Roku stick, and then power the TV back on. (Could then watch the Roku stick going through its power-on process.)
4. Re-added the Channel.
5. Channel Navigation, Program Details (and still pictures), Episode review, all works.
6. BUT, Starting any episode, through any method of arriving at title launch, all fail to launch the title.
7.  Says, Says LOADING.   Then brief (250ms) black screen, then back to the launch screen, S1, E1 replaced with "Loading", then it just gives up (after a few seconds), and displays S1, E1.
8. Similar type of failure through other loading methods.

All other channels work just fine:
Crackle, Netflix, several News channels (CBS, Peacock, ABC News).
Only Roku Channnel will not load and stream titles.

Network connection is via WiFi.   WiFi connection is "Good:  6Mps to 8Mps".
Internet connection is via AT&T.   No VPN in the AT&T Uverse box, none in use in the path, unless AT&T's ISP network somehow employs some VPN (doubt it.)

Roku Account:  judith_oshea@yahoo.com
Model 3400X - Roku Stick
Serial number:  1EJ46R062751
Software Version:  9.1.0 - build 5009-05
Uptime 35 minutes   (after the power unplug / reinsert attempt.)
Roku support roku.com/support
Network Name:   <NETWORK SSID>
IP Address:          Non-routable local 192.168.1.66 address.   (Goes through NAT in the AT&T ISP box)
Wireless MAC:  B0:17:37:46:7B:23
MHL sink info:    a:2183, d:0001, v:21


This is SUPER frustrating.  The Roku Channel simply does not work on this 3400X stick.

This installation (my 80 year old mother's)  located in Silicon Valley, e.g.  Cupertino, CA.
So, Roku servers are likely sourced from that area.

You guys at Roku need to make you stuff work.  

No (ZERO) titles will load via the Roku Channel.   Neither LIVE channels, nor stored (non-live) channels will stream.

BUT, every OTHER channel that I have installed (Netflix (paid), Crackle, FilmRise, several News channels), those all work just fine.   

Obviously the problem is with the Roku channel itself, and Roku's appparently Alpha Test software foisted on customers as Beta testers.    NOT pleased. 

Used to think that ROKU rocked.  (Still happy with my Roku 2+ Player).   But this 3400X stick not so much, and that Roku channels just will not play, not so much.

The still photo, catalog, and other "non-streamed" data loads, but seems slow.   But bandwidth tests on the AT&T box show it seems to be doing just fine.

So, what is going on with Roku Channel's servers, service, and the Roku channel App on the 3400X Stick?

[Bigtoad]

It's your router, I hade same problem

[renojim]

@mesaguy, the 3400 stick hasn't been supported for years.  I suggest you look into a Black Friday deal on a new Roku device.  I can't be sure that's the problem since so many other things are still working, but as I said, it's no longer supported.

[charlesc1]

Thanks for the info. How do I fix?

[mesaguy]

Cannot reasonably be the router.   The Netflix streams just fine.   The Crackle channel streams just fine.  The ABC News channels streams just fine.  The Peacock News Channel streams just fine.  The PBS News channel streams just fine. 

Only the Roku Channel does not work, on the Roku Stick.

And the 3400X is old-ish.  I bought it new, bundled with the JVC LED TV, about 2016 I believe.
The unit is only 7 years old, is fully purchased, and now the comment is that Roku has no interest in supporting its product.

Good to know.  Definitely means that anyone stupid enough to EVER buy a ROKU TV is a dumb ass.  Will never do that.  (Didn't do that this time, I bought a Roku STICK, bundled with a TV). 

Also means, that buying ANY ROKU product is clearly a bad Idea.   My Roku 3 (which works fine in all respects), is constantly Ad-pestered by Roku for replacement with a new 4K version.  (For which I have no use.   No 4K TV.   No 4K service from my cable company, no expectation of 4K streaming support either, though the bandwidth is sufficient for that.)   e.g. 1080P is just fine for me.

I expect to be using this Roku3 for another 15 years, and I fully expect ROKU to support, like they SAID THEY WOULD, when they sold it to me.  No further BLATHER needed from Roku, about how supporting a product they sold, which works just fine, until the end of time, is not an unwarranted expectation.

I had an old (large, pretty) standard definition TV (in the age of SD) for 20 years, and it worked just fine when it was retired in favor of HD.  

If the 10 year olds that work at ROKU don't want to be treated like lying meat sacks, they will actually do the job they were PAID to do (when I bought this unit on their terms) and make it work.

Definitely just decided to never buy another Roku again.   Its been illuminating.

[dandbuilder]

Roku is literally toast. No playing. It's been on on a downhill spiral for over a month. I can't use anything unless I use the app on the phone. Whomever updated this bull**bleep**ting update on TVs needs to be fired. 

I'm heading back to Fire. At least I have channel numbers.

[renojim]

@mesaguy, you're delusional if you thing any electronic device you buy today will be supported 15 years from now.   Show us the documentation where Roku states they support their devices forever.  Good luck with whatever you find to replace your obsolete Roku stick.

[mesaguy]

Roku's actions render the entire JVC TV devoid of it's feature set.  So, not just the Roku Stick, but the really, the whole integrated TV solution.  And the TV is 7 years old.    So, apparently stupid purchase. 

Roku Channel worked on the device once.  Just not now. 

A great many applications still work, just are no longer updated for the old stick.  (I can certainly live with that.)   But breaking an application, leaving it in a broken state, and then abandoning it, like Roku has done, it is unacceptable behavior from any company.  Any company that does that, never gets another dollar from me, and that is what Roku has done.    If the last version of Roku Channel they supported on the 3400X still worked, fine.  But it doesn't.  And why not?  Because they probably don't want to support some one server continuing to run that version of the back-end, because they are cheap.

The product was sold, brand new, in 2016. 

Plenty of other products to go buy.  Amazon is rife with Firesticks, and FIre...., and Apple TV, and yes there are the Roku whatevers.

What this little adventure has tought me is: Never buy a Roku TV.  Because low volume "old" hardware will not be supported after 5 years.  (And 5 years is too short a lifetime for a TV, sorry).

So, no Roku TV's.    And frankly, no ROKU STB's either.  My Roku 3 is PLENTY powerful enough to do anything that Roku wants to do with its software.  (Dual R9's in there, plenty of MIPS.)  So, the ONLY reason Roku drops support is because they do not stand behind the product.

There is an implied warranty of merchantability and fitness that comes with ANY "hardware" item such as a Roku STB, even in CA, the state I live in.   Seems like its time to remind companies like Roku what that actually means.  CA has a plethora of underemployed sleazy mouthpieces who will jump at the chance of determining if merchantability and fitness still means anything today, perhaps not.   Perhaps one of those will take a run at Roku - they deserve it.  (And I will be happy to collect my $10, with a smile, knowing costs to Roku were $100M.  e.g. the lesson-will-be-learned by the  CEO running Roku, when that matter is finalized.  (And if its only 10M, I can live with that too, or $10.   But clearly the CEO will learn nothing if its less than 10M.) 

I'm not delusional.  I just expect more, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH MORE. 

1080P content is still 95% of content, and a Roku 3 works just fine for that.  (And so did the 3400X that was INTEGRATED into the JVC TV my mother has, which is 7 years old, until Roku broke the installed software, and then walked away from it.)

The minimum expected lifetime on Television equipment is 15 years.   Computers might be "obsolete" in 5 years.  And computer companies, and "software" companies, might (these days) have a hard time envisioning supporting anything after 7 years (or even being in business after 7 years, having sold the startup, and cashed out, and leaving a carcass for the "next guys" (making it that much harder for the next startup to ever sell at a decent valuation, investors are less stupid than they used to be). 

Delusional, is a person that buys a new TV every year, because manufacturers changed the color of the buttons, or added "ultra", "cool" or "new" to the same old tired thing.  Delusional is a company that thinks it can treat customers like fools, and then stay in business.  Delusional is the business model of Roku, selling the STB, and the "service" at $100, when in fact, what they really want is $100 a year, but the STB's simply do not go out of utility in that time.  e.g. the people that are Delusional are Roku, not me.

But have fun buying your next IMMEDIATELY out the door obsolete-at-sale product from Roku, since obviously, they have no intention of support anything past approximately a 5 year lifetime, or really any intention of support it for a product lifetime appropriate period.   I have learned my lesson now with Roku, the lesson will not be forgotten.  It simply means I will never buy another Roku product ever again, once less customer for them to worry about.

Oh, and then there is the bad word of mouth anti-marketing.  That WILL really cost them.  One extremely unhappy customer, mouthing off in every forum possible, about they true and actual BAD EXPERIENCE with a company and its products simply is NOT something that can be overcome by ANY amount of advertising.   It is the reason why sites like Yelp exist, and make decent money selling ads for their service to the world.

So, sure, I'M delusional.  NOT!.  

[dejathoris]

I just noticed this topic. During the dates back in July when it was first posted about, I was having an issue which looks like it may have been the same problem, or maybe not. I solved it on my own.

The cause of the problem turned out to be that I had our internet connection set to use Cloudflare DNS service. And they had cut us off because the Roku boxes were sending too many repetitive identical DNS requests. Because that is what Roku boxes do in normal operation, and they always expect quick answers every time, even if they send a few hundred requests per minute.  And if they don't get DNS replies fast, some channels/apps stop working (depending on how they were designed).

My solution was to switch to a different DNS service. And to set up a Raspberry Pi as a local caching Dns server, so that many of the repetitive identical DNS lookups are cached locally and only a few lookups forwarded to the outside DNS service.

It worked, the effected channels became unbroken. Of course it might not be the same problem everyone else has been having.