Discussions

[locutisofborg]

I have a Roku 40S305 TV.  Last night it started flashing black screen every 5 seconds.  This does not happen if I'm connected to my cable box via HDMI, but if I'm on the home page or any streaming app/channel it happens constantly.  

I've reset the machine.  Unplugged it.  Waited 20 mins.  I've done everything and this still happens.  Every time, constantly with no relief.

Please help.  I have 5 Roku TVs, love the product, but this is unacceptable.  It's only 2 years old and should last more than that.

[jeffrok]

Sometimes electronics break. It sounds like one of yours is broken.

You have 5 TV's, and one of them broke long before it probably should have. If you think TV should work longer than twice its warranty period, you should buy an extended warranty for your TV's, to cover them for 3 or 4 years.

Look at it this way- TV's in the 70s and 80s were CRAP. They sometimes took a minute to warm up, sometimes you had to hit the side of them to get the picture to appear.. And they cost a MINT. Why did they cost a mint? Because they wer built like tanks. And they cost a mint and lasted a long time, too.

Be thankful your Roku tv doesn't cost $2500. If it lasted 10 or 15 years like the TVs of the 70s and 80s, that $2500 investment would've been worth it.

Instead you can keep up with the latest tech for cheap, with fragile technology.

[locutisofborg]

I appreciate you taking time to respond, Yes, I understand that things break.  I'm looking to see if anyone has any thoughts other than, "I guess it broke" or "you get what you pay for".  For example, if this is a common occurrence, I can still take back 4 of my TV's and purchase something different because they are all still within the appropriate time frames.  Personally I don't find 2 years, regardless of price, acceptable for consumer electronics.

[Tonya_G]

I'm still using a Sharp HD TV that I purchased in May 2008 and it's still works well. It does only have the 720p and 1080i HD resolutions, so when I get a new one, it will be because I want a 1080p and 4K capable TV. I don't think mine will ever tear up!!!

The reason I got this 2008 one is because my regular 32" TV in my living room was destroyed from a lightning strike that also took out my air conditioner, small TV in bedroom, and stereo - it also blew up my outdoor swing in my backyard that was next to a tree that got struck by lightning - the swing caught on fire! And, it also destroyed the telephone box on the side of my house and the telephone company had to come out to replace it. My insurance paid for all the elecronics I lost. I now have my TV and other electronics plugged into surge protectors.

I also had 2 other TVs, in the last 20 years that stopped working before the one in 2008 (in the same house) that I believe were struck by lightning, but the strike wasn't as massive though - I also lost 2 other air conditioners as well in this house. (I think some TVs just last and last until they're damaged by lightning.)

[ghb51]

"locutisofborg" wrote:
I appreciate you taking time to respond, Yes, I understand that things break.  I'm looking to see if anyone has any thoughts other than, "I guess it broke" or "you get what you pay for".  For example, if this is a common occurrence, I can still take back 4 of my TV's and purchase something different because they are all still within the appropriate time frames.  Personally I don't find 2 years, regardless of price, acceptable for consumer electronics.

I don't think it's something that would require taking all your tv's back, if it's working fine with the cable box there's a chance the hardware is fine (although you might want to check all the hdmi ports and any other connections just to make sure) and the problem is in the software, you've done all you can at home so you might try going to roku.com and contacting support there, maybe it's something an update from Roku will be able to fix.

[RokuTannerD · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the note.

We'd recommend contacting the TV manufacturer to report the issue you're running into, and request additional support. They may have additional options or repair services that can help. 

You can reach TCL here: https://support.tclusa.com/contact-us?contact_query=Please%20enter%20your%20question

If other troubleshooting steps don't help clear up the issue, you might also try performing a factory reset on the TV.

Thanks,
Tanner

[wiplash]

My Roku tv is also two years old and is doing the black flashing thing also. It starts after being on for about two or three minutes. It cost 500 bucks - not cheap to me. It does it on all channels, inputs, and modes.vFrom my research it is a common problem with these tvs.

[atc98092]

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@wiplash wrote:
My Roku tv is also two years old and is doing the black flashing thing also. It starts after being on for about two or three minutes. It cost 500 bucks - not cheap to me. It does it on all channels, inputs, and modes.vFrom my research it is a common problem with these tvs.

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What brand Roku TV? Roku only supplies the operating system, you have to contact the TV manufacturer for hardware issues. 

[RokuDanny-R · Accepted solution]

@wiplash 

Thanks for letting us know about the issue that you are experiencing.

As @atc98092 mentioned, we would recommend contacting the TV manufacturer to report the issue you're running into, and request additional support.

A list of the contact information for TV manufacturers can be found in this post: Contacting Support for Your RokuTV

If other troubleshooting steps don't help clear up the issue, you might also try performing a factory reset on the TV.


Thanks,
Danny

[bdeggett]

I have found that this issue is commonly caused by the Flash Drive. In the past, I have experienced the same problem. When I removed the USB Flash drive from my TV, the problem resolved. For some reason, TCL Roku TV's are very picky with which USB Flash Drive you use. Before you throw your TV away, or pay for expensive repairs, remove your Flash Drive and see if this fixes the problem.