Features, settings & updates

[Phorrest]

I plugged my USB into my Roku 3 for the first time since the update to 14.0.4 (Build 12221), and now audio does not play back.  The video is OK, just no audio.  Apparently, the October 19 update removed the ability to play AC3 (aka A52).  Movies that used to play fine now do not.  Also, exFAT-formatted drives are no longer recognized (they used to be).  NTFS is recognized, but with no audio.

Please note that I made no changes to the files or to the thumb drive itself between September 2024 (when the Roku 3 last worked) and now.  Things worked, and now they don't.

Please fix this.

Also: how can I prevent any more updates to my Roku 3, assuming you'll fix this latest hosing of the USB functionality on my old Roku 3 (it's not the first time this has happened)?  It worked before; why "update" something that isn't broken?

[AvsGunnar]

@Phorrest 

I have had a couple of my files on a USB no longer play with audio AC-3 (ATSC A/52)

If you have Volume Leveling or Night Mode enabled, try switching the Volume Mode to Off, and then back to your preferred mode.

While video is playing press the asterick (*) button on your Roku remote, and under Volume Mode, select "Off".

If I leave the Volume Mode in the Off setting, the "problem" videos will play audio fine each time the video is played.  If I switch back to leveling or night, then each time I play the video I have to first toggle to the Off position and then back to preferred mode.

[Phorrest]

Thank you for your suggestion.

However "Volume Leveling" and "Night Mode" are not available as options on the Roku 3.

I did check the Search & Options menu (i.e., the "asterisk menu") even before I posted my original comment (it was the first time I have ever gone into this menu, BTW). The only options available are: 

• Search

• Media type

• Sort

• Row Style

• OK

None of these settings have any effect on the Roku 3's new behavior of refusing to play the audio streams in videos on a USB thumb drive. 

This is not the first time Roku has broken the USB / external playback functionality with an update. Roku eventually fixed it with a followup patch after enough people complained.

[Phorrest]

PS - Invoking the "asterisk menu" during playback brings up a Captions & Audio Settings menu that merely states "audio settings not available."

[AvsGunnar]

@Phorrest 

Hmmm.  Sounds like something definitely broken. (audio settings not available seems like the RMP is having an issue determining/recognizing the audio format or unknown.

I discovered others users are having issues with different models as well with the AC-3 after responding to your post.  Seems like the Volume Mode toggle did work for some and not others, while playing around with the different Audio settings under Settings/Audio helped others (and again, not others).

https://community.roku.com/t5/Solving-playback-issues/Roku-Media-Player-won-t-play-some-audio-format...

Definitely a Roku issue, no disputing that.  RMP very rarely escapes a Roku OS update without the introduction/re-introduction of issues.  Just have to report them and wait until they fix them if a workaround doesn't help.

[Cadabra]

I too have been using an exFAT drive and suddenly exFAT was no longer detected on my 4640x. Not sure about the AC3 yet, as most of my videos are my own creations and I usually use AAC not AC3.

In my case, I moved the memory stick to the usb on my bluray player and continued my movie that I stopped half way through the previous night. I didn't "need" Roku but I preferred to use the Roku for this but that can change.

Fast forward 1.5-2 weeks later and this weekend all my apps would click then go back to the Home Screen. So I restarted the Roku (System menu Restart). And now I'm in Boot Loop **bleep** and the recovery options aren't working. In my case, I'm finding A LOT of other 4640x users complaining about the same thing... suddenly... and all recently. Clearly it's not a hardware failure caused by an aging device.

-I- have not yet contacted Roku directly, so I'll reserve the full flame until then. However, many many others report the stereotypical response of "I'm so sorry, I guess you'll have to buy a new one." Hoping to resolve the problem rather than need to fight with people though.

[Phorrest]

It's not just older models.  A lot of users with Ultras and 4K sticks are also reporting that the latest OS update broke the USB functionality.  Thus, buying a newer Roku model won't fix this problem.

Roku Media Player won't play some audio formats after OS update

This isn't the first time Roku has bricked RMP with an OS update.  In 2022, Roku fixed it by issuing a patch for the OS some weeks later after getting a bunch of complaints.  The only thing I can suggest is that if and when you're able to get your Roku out of boot-loop **bleep**, you can file a report to Roku Support with your device by clicking the Home button five times followed by clicking the Back button five times.  Your Roku should respond with a Tracker ID; record this number.  Then, come on here and add a comment that includes your device's:

• Device Model

• S/N

• Device ID

• OS Version

• GC Version

• Tracker ID

• Any other information, e.g., audio formats that won't play, file systems that aren't recognized, etc.

Doing this won't do anything immediately, but if Roku gets enough rants from its customer base, they might actually get off their collective butts and fix this thing.

[Phorrest]

That's interesting that you are (or at least were) able to play AAC audio streams on your Roku.  As a test, I just reformatted the audio stream in one of my videos to use the AAC codec, but my Roku 3 can't play it - it says the file "might be corrupted" (it's not - it plays fine on my computer and on my Android phone).

Thanks for the suggestion, though.