Discussions

[kletsdoit]

This is a suggestion for roku TV.

I would like to be able to switch inputs without closing the app I'm using. For example say I'm watching a show on Hulu, but I have a raspberry pi plugged into my HDMI 1 port. I'd like to be able to switch to the HDMI input briefly and then go back to Hulu without having to select my profile, find the show I was watching and resume playback. That is slow and I just want to be able to switch between inputs rapidly.

[thetick]

You can thank all the big media conglomerates that required Digital Rights Management (DRM)  in the HDMI protocol for that.  The HDMI standard requires reinitialization when source is changed.  DRM is there to prevent you from digitally copying.

[jonasmatthew]

Isn't there a way to bypass it?

[atc98092]

Nope. And it would likely require a complete overhaul of the Roku OS, as it isn't currently developed for multi-tasking. With the limited memory and processing power of Roku devices, you would likely encounter performance issues if apps could remain operating in the background. With my Shield, it does keep apps running in the background, but it can also become a significant load on the system with too many left open.

[Strega]

That's an interesting limitation.  I just popped around through a bunch of inputs on my conventional (12 year old) TV system and didn’t lose my place anywhere.  So, I continue to prefer a simple/dumb TV with devices attached. (Though I don't really change inputs with a show in-progress all that often.)

[atc98092]

But your TV isn't the one that's actually running the information on your various connected devices. They are all running independently from the TV's "brain". All the TV does in that case is switch between the various inputs, with them all running on their own. 

[Strega]

Yes that's what I'm saying - I continue to prefer a display that is just a display.