Channels & viewing

[Poop1137]

What I have seen so far as a short test is when watching movies on HBO Max that are in HD only no issues at all. As soon as I attempt to watch 4K UHD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos movie, is when I get the pop up on my screen saying Roku device is overheating etc. Watched 4k UHD HDR movies on other channels such as Netfix and Disney no issues as others have said. Using the 4K Roku Streaming + with HDR. So, it appears there is something with HBO Max and movies that are streamed in Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.

[DrunkMonkey]

The HBO Max app is one of the most poorly designed streaming services I’ve encountered. This has absolutely nothing to do with the Roku or your home setup, it comes down to how the app is programmed. Because they have no clue what they’re doing, the app is running extremely inefficiently, using more processing power than needed, and in turn overheating. That’s why it only happens with this app. All of the employee answers are useless because there is no solution and they have to say something, when in reality the answer is the app doesn’t work and needs to be overhauled. Sadly, pulling it off of their platform, which is what should happen, is way beyond their pay grade. If you have a smart tv, stream HBO directly through it, I bet it’ll still run way too hot but it’s a large enough device with ventilation built in, and you won’t notice. 

[atc98092]

And yet I've been binge watching Westworld again for the past week. Watching 2-3 episodes at a time. No issues with my Ultra 4800. I can't watch HBO at all on my '19 Nvidia Shield, as it locks the player up. And that player has far more power than the Ultra. Cost almost double, too. 

But I agree that HBO has some terrible app programmers. As you said, it's not well written, and the UI us a but clunky to use. 

[bcray]

Every movie or show on HBO Max makes my device over heat as well. Just HBO Max no other apps do that. It happens 10 to 15 minutes into what ever is playing on HBO max. I can stream all day on different apps and I will not happen. Just HBO max

[atc98092]

@bcray you need to specify what model Roku device you have. 

[LCLOWEJD]

I have a Model 3810X Roku Streaming Stick+. Similar to other posters, my Roku Stick overheats only when playing a movie on HBO Max - NOT when viewing other content on HBO Max, and NOT when viewing movies on other apps (e.g., Apple TV+ or Netflix). I also have an Amazon Fire Stick, and it does not overheat when I play the same HBO Max movies. I have an HDMI extender, and I have removed the HBO Max app and re-installed it per your instructions.

I do not think it is an HBO Max problem, as their movies play fine on other streaming devices without causing overheating.

My suspicion is that the Roku Stock overheats because it has trouble decoding the signal from HBO Max movies; perhaps it is from decoding the Dolby Atmos content, or some other type of coding that HBO Max uses for movies (and not for other content) and which no other channel uses for its movies.

Whatever the issue, I really think it is Roku’s problem to fix. Maybe ask your software engineers to study the issue and troubleshoot what it is in HBO Max’s encoding of movies that causes your Stick to overheat.

It’s a shame that I have to use another device when streaming HBO Max movies, because Roku has the best user interface and is my “go to” streaming device. I hope that you seriously address the issue and not simply respond with canned responses or blaming others. 

[atc98092]

@LCLOWEJD you can't compare the same app on different devices because it's not really the same app. Roku uses a programming language different from any other streaming platform, so even if the apps "look" the same, they are completely different under the hood. Yes. it's something HBO has to resolve. 

[Ello2022]

@LCLOWEJD  I have a 3810 and watched 10 hours straight of GoT in 4K on HBO Max with zero issues. 

[Wonderjewels]

We also have this issue.  We just bought a new TV and it happens all the time with HBO movies.

We suspect it is HBO Max becuase certain movies like WW84 and The Batman have a disclaimer on the movie description, "HBO Max will play the the highest quality audio and video available for your device."  We never had this issue on our 7 year old Vizio smart TV, but just upgraded to a Samsung QLED.  There are no settings in HBO Max to turn this off, so we will try viewing from the TV app.

[RokuKariza-D]

Hi @Wonderjewels

We're sorry to hear about the issue you're experiencing.

Please be advised that channels on Roku are developed and maintained by the channel developer themselves. We suggest reaching out to HBO Max's customer support team to see if they have any additional settings or options within their app that may allow the functionality you are looking for. 

You can contact them here: HBO Max Help Center

All the best,
Kariza