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ftballpack
Streaming Star

Re: I think I may have this mystery solved

Considering how long this has been hanging out here unfixed, does anyone think there's a possibility it might be a hardware/chipset bug? I've seen similar behavior from Onkyo when they dragged their feet over HDMI issues before finally admitting it was an (unpatchable) hardware chip problem.

This issue is 100% fixable. It's a simple fix. When playing back HEVC in an mkv, ignore any container color flags that come from the mkv container itself. The Roku only needs the color flags for the actual video itself inside the container. done.

The reason why this problem has been pending so long is that Netflix, Amazon, etc, do not put 8-bit content inside of HEVC containers. If they did, Roku would have fixed this issue within one week of product release.

jbe44
Channel Surfer

Re: I think I may have this mystery solved

Don't have anything to contribute here, but I have to say I'm completely stunned that this issue hasn't been fixed.

I've now read (both here and on the Plex forums) two of the most well-documented and thorough threads I've ever seen in any place on the internet. The issue has been completely broken down, isolated, and identified. Workarounds have been written and implemented, and the necessary fix is, at this point, obvious. 

As a software engineer, if every task was this clean, my job would be a layup.

Maybe the solution is currently being implemented and will be pushed out soon. If that's the case, why haven't we been informed at all? Users are mass editing their entire media collections (minimally, to be fair) just to make them compatible.

Either way, terrible handling of this issue from start to finish.

Going to have to return my new Roku in the meantime. Don't think I'll be buying another Roku product any time soon...

Re: I think I may have this mystery solved

As a software engineer I can tell you the reason as to why it hasn’t been fixed yet has to do with prioritization. I’m sure this issue is on someone’s radar, but there is likely many more things that are a higher priority than this one issue on one app on one player. Even if the fix is already known it just many not be important enough to justify switching from what ever else it is they have going on. Plus, since it’s such a narrowly affected market segment there is an underlying question, why only this one app on this one player? There is likely a broader issue causing this that would have to be resolved. Adding a targeted bandaid fix for just one player is bad design at best and a slippery slope to unmaintainable code at worse. Implementing this fix correctly may be way more complicated than you or I realize. 

Also don’t discount management. Even if the fix is easy, if management doesn’t want developers spending their time on it, they won’t. 

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ftballpack
Streaming Star

Re: I think I may have this mystery solved

Even if the fix is already known it just many not be important enough to justify switching from what ever else it is they have going on. Plus, since it’s such a narrowly affected market segment there is an underlying question, why only this one app on this one player? There is likely a broader issue causing this that would have to be resolved. Adding a targeted bandaid fix for just one player is bad design at best and a slippery slope to unmaintainable code at worse. Implementing this fix correctly may be way more complicated than you or I realize.

You may want to read about the issue and the known cause before commenting.

For example, the issue does not affect just "one app on this one player," it literally affects every app attempting to playback HEVC in an mkv container with color flags in the container itself, on the 4800x, the latest "Roku Ultra" at the time of posting this comment.

No bandaid fix is needed, all that Roku needs to do is set the 4800x to ignore all color flags in mkv containers, as opposed to what it currently does, which is default to 12-bit color.

None of what you said is applicable to this particular issue. The fix is the equivalent of an "if/else" statement. Not the correct programming language, but the logical equivalent, "If" color flags are found in an HEVC mkv container, use the color flags found in the video file itself. "Else," proceed as usual. This is a ridiculously easy fix at this point.

But unfortunately, the devs do not look at the forums because of comments that are inapplicable, like the prior comment, which wastes their time. I have already submitted multiple tickets about this issue, along with the main Plex-Roku dev. The issue, at this point, falls entirely on the Roku staff and the fact that they will not fix a known issue with a known solution.

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x86intel
Newbie

Re: I think I may have this mystery solved

Dear @RokuDanny-R 

I created a forum account to let you know that I am having the same problem as other users described in this thread. I recently purchased a Roku Ultra (upgraded from a Roku 3) and I get this weird red saturation when playing back HVEC video from Plex.

Please escalate this issue to Engineering. These issues reflect poorly on your newer devices. I will be more open to migration away from Roku devices (including my recommendations about Roku) in the future if this issue does not get fixed soon.

My Roku 3 does not have this problem.

The repro steps outlined in this thread (please read it thoroughly) should be easy for the engineering team to reproduce and fix. In fact, users on this thread seem to know the exact root cause. It would only be a matter of confirming the issue on your end.

Thank you,
Concerned customer.

jbe44
Channel Surfer

Re: I think I may have this mystery solved

That's the real kicker. I spend 90% of my time diagnosing a problem and finding a possible solution. And that's already been done. It's been done right here! In this thread!

Immensely frustrating.

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discodave87
Reel Rookie

Re: I think I may have this mystery solved

just got the 10.5 update on my 2020 Ultra and this issue still hasn't been resolved...

what a joke.

something did change as non-hdr x265 doesn't trigger HDR on my TV anymore but the over saturation is still there...

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alphil
Reel Rookie

Re: I think I may have this mystery solved

It’s pretty nuts this isn’t solved yet or even directly address ( that I have seen). It’s been many months. This is one my primary uses of the device. 
I really don’t want to do a new device over something as dumb as this. I also really want to reenable HEVC. 

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Re: I think I may have this mystery solved

I submitted a ticket to Roku for help, and was hopeful when I received an engaged response. 

The basic steps provided didn't change anything, but it did get my testing out some playback that may help continue to determine this issue. Once I provided this they suggested that I download other streaming channels to help root out the issue - very unhelpful.Smiley Frustrated

HEVC content can play correctly as in the first example and its color space is listed 'bt709'

Screen Shot 2021-10-19 at 19.25.55.png

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ftballpack
Streaming Star

Re: I think I may have this mystery solved

HEVC content can play correctly as in the first example and its color space is listed 'bt709'

The cause of the issue and the solution to the problem is well known at this point. The issue entirely revolves around the fact that the Roku applies BT.2020 color to mkv video whenever the mkv container for the video contains any color flags, including BT.709. The solution is that Roku needs to implement the programming equivalent of an if/else statement that tells the Roku to ignore the container color flags of the mkv container when HEVC video is found inside of the container and to simply use the color flags of the video itself.

These two prior posts in this thread spell out the problem.

https://community.roku.com/t5/Channel-Issues-Questions/Severe-color-contrast-distortion-while-Plex-s...

https://community.roku.com/t5/Channel-Issues-Questions/Severe-color-contrast-distortion-while-Plex-s...

On the plex forums, a few guys even put together scripts that will strip the color flags, if they exist, from mkv files. Given if a person is playing back an mkv or mp4 video with multichannel AAC audio using Plex, it still does not solve the problem as the Plex Server transcodes multichannel AAC audio, to AC3 to prevent the Roku itself from converting the multichannel audio to dual channel. When the Plex Server remuxes the video/audio it outputs the new file in an mkv container that containers color flags and thus reintroduces this whole issue over again.

In any event, here are the scripts to strip the color flags. It's a decent workaround for stereo and multichannel AC3 audio with HEVC.

https://forums.plex.tv/t/roku-ultra-2020-aka-4800x-direct-play-colors-distorted-when-playing-back-he...

https://forums.plex.tv/t/roku-ultra-2020-aka-4800x-direct-play-colors-distorted-when-playing-back-he...

As stated on the first page of this thread, from back on January 20, 2021, this issue occurs no matter what source is playing back the video. Plex, Emby, Jellyfin, or the built-in Roku player itself. Testing with other streaming channels is a waste of time, the issue lies in the Roku firmware itself and the fact that Roku has still not fixed this problem despite many tickets having been opened, including multiple tickets by myself and a ticket from the lead Roku dev for Plex.