Community discussions

[themole]

The media player sound issue has been there since the V10 upgrade. There are dozens of posts asking for a resolution and there has been ZERO. help. Roku trashed themselves with their new “support” system.

So if they stopped ignoring support requests and offered help or even “we acknowledge the problem and are working on it” there would be no trashing. Until that happens frustration will fuel more trashing.

[StreamerUser]

@themole 
Nearly all the criticisms over the lack of control of the firmware/app update process and the quality of firmware updates themselves are completely valid and legitimate.

However, the "support system" isnt new, aside from ending & restarting (limited) phone support over the last year or so.

Yes, Roku could and should be much more forthcoming with issue/problem acknowledgement (especially with major firmware version releases), along with issue fixing acknowledgement (e.g. changelogs/version documentation).

They seem to have abandoned public-facing RMP support (including their own RMP beta program), and instead issue RMP component/library updates from time to time to attempt to address (unknown) issues.

(No idea what the state of the firmware beta program is, so I can't comment on that, but its results seem ineffective at best, considering the quality of the 9.3, 9.4 and 10.0 versions upon release - they've been bad, and that's being charitable)

Overall, their user-engagement communication is very poor, to say the least.

[teddyfroop]

Actually the sound issues have been there for a while.  AAC, for one has only worked sporadically for two years now.

As for tech support - useless.  HDCP issues.  Call support. "Its your HDMI cable,  here spend more money on this product and it should work"

A. It worked fine last week

B. I'm using the supplied HDMI cable that came with my roku.

C Customer support disappears.

Choices then are: wait for them to fix it (which they did months later)  Come here so I can have someone suggest I can fix my surround problems by setting output to stereo?????

Little wonder I spend more time with my WDTV Live lately.  Despite the fact its ancient and buggy it can perform the basic function of playing video and passing through audio.

[Gary-94080]

https://community.roku.com/t5/Roku-Device-Features-Settings-Updates/who-broke-roku-media-player-and-...

as far as I can tell Roku only does enough to take care of enough issues to satisfy most of the users.  the rest find other work-a-rounds or just give up.  here I am mostly thinking about RMP.

Roku's OS guidelines and communications with developers must be very poor because every time they issue OS updates you can bet on there being third party apps crashing.  I can understand this happening with smaller companies, but these crashes happen with major companies as well.

[boogernose]

I've long since known that even this forum is very poorly managed.

I dont think the MODS know what theyre doing.

I'm on several Tech forums and this one is silly.

Goodbye.

[Iona-D]

Using a syreaming device-or any other tech wonder-is not just a relating to nuts, bolts, and mother boards.  It is the imperfect humans operating it.  This is something that the tech types or any company's R&D, not just Roku's, seem to have miss.  

All you have to observe is the Covid Vaccine rollout.  All of  this crazy way of superstitious avoidance intended to  protecting/saving one's and other's lives.  It does not make any  rational sense.  The technology behind it is perfectly fine with millions of already takers.  The human mind is something else entirely with it's screwy thinking processes when it comes to making good choices.

Farewell BN.  I am sure when you reach my age, you will see beyond forums and empty banter.  Basic human do not change with technology.

[StreamerUser]

@Iona-D 

Yes, flawed people limited by the Human Condition are at the heart of all our systems, be they scientific, economic, medical, military, political, statistical, or even created and implemented by Roku.

However, since you brought up "All of this crazy way of superstitious avoidance intended to protecting/saving one's and other's lives": that best describes "6/3 foot social distancing" (non-science based) or mask recommendations/mandates (non-science based).

Since when were we here in the US advocates of the government acting as "organized religion" and promoting belief and superstition such as masks and social distancing as effective at preventing the spread of a highly communicable viral-based disease?  I think there's even something referred to as "The Establishment Clause" that is supposed to prevent/preclude that...

Even the vaccines themselves arent perfectly effective (94% in ideal conditions) and even less so against recent strains (76% Moderna and 42% Pfizer in a recent study) hence the high percentages of breakthrough cases, or the "re-masking" guidance/mandates, and have known side effects/adverse outcomes, therefore "It does not make any rational sense" to mandate them or make them anything other than voluntary.

If technology is applied science, and if science is a human system, and all human systems are flawed, then there is going to be plenty of flawed technology, contrary to the claim that "The technology behind it is perfectly fine with millions of already takers".

After all, that "imperfect technology" explains the breakthrough cases and adverse outcomes for  individuals in the vaccine rollout - or for the rollout of any more recent version of RokuOS with apps unable to load, or crashing to Home upon opening, or loss of remote functionality/control, etc.

So while "The human mind is something else entirely with it's screwy thinking processes when it comes to making good choices", that applies to all human endeavors, including formulating pandemic policy and Roku's business decisions.

"Basic human do not change with technology" whether its vaccine-related or streaming-related, but it does have the imperfect non-universal ability to improve life - all the more reason to let individuals decide for themselves whether they want to get and use it, be it the Moderna COVID19 vaccine or the Roku Ultra 4800.

[Iona-D]

Thank you for your observations and elaborations of your own on the human part of the high tech equasion.  I think that attacking Roku for something like human imperfection is inaccurate and off.   Choices and use is up to us all users when the devices  arrives at our doorsteps.

I was not trying to  promoting vaccine choice or not.  I felt it was a good choice as an illustration to see the process in action that involves all of us sooner or later.  And that is where high tech is at it's weakest point.  Which leads to "Roku Basing"-or any other scientific option.

All here should keep this in mind before bashing or refusing newly developed or simply a newly purchased not-to-familiar important tech.

[themole]

Huh??

How is the fact that a ROKU that was working suddenly stops playing videos correctly after a firmware update related to the user? I bought something that initially worked fine and ROKU broke it with an update. They have not indicated if, how or when they will fix it.

Message boards are not an acceptable means of support, especially when it is the ONLY means of support.

And THAT’S what leads to bashing. You should expect it to continue until their so-called “support” improves.

[GoHawks]

And THAT’S what leads to bashing. You should expect it to continue until their so-called “support” improves.

I hear you and believe me totally understand your frustration but I suggest you give it up as you'll just really stress yourself completely out over this trying to get assistance from Roku or the irritating fanboys on here who consistently claim it isn't ever Roku's fault on anything and do nothing but point the finger at app developers or anybody else really (except of course Roku).

When enough of us see how we are treated by Roku and then act accordingly by taking our money elsewhere only then is when they might change. But I doubt it even then.