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mikeM247
Channel Surfer

Roku Ultra with an older HD plasma TV with 1080i resolution

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Hello. I don't see my issue but if it was previously addressed my apologies. I have a 16 yr old Pioneer plasma which came bundled with a Media Receiver that has an extra input for HDMI. My TV displays in 1080i and 720P only. Will the Roku Ultra work with, or be compatible with, my TV/Media Receiver combo?  Thanks in advance.  

[personal information removed]

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mikeM247
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku Ultra with an older HD plasma TV with 1080i resolution

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UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!  I got it to WORK!  The Pioneer tech guy emailed me back, skeptical that this device would NOT work on my old plasma..and he was/is/ ultimately right!  I had to ENABLE Input 1 on my Media Receiver.  Never realized that, by DEFAULT it was DISABLED.  I enabled, plugged in the Roku Ultra, and it's working!  i have the screen now!  

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26 REPLIES 26
bjtalbot1
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku Ultra with an older HD plasma TV with 1080i resolution

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I have a similar issue. My 2007 Pioneer plasma TV (PDP 505CMX) has no HDMI inputs at all. I got an HDMI-to-component converter for it and connected it to the Roku Express + (2018). It works almost well enough to be acceptable—nice picture and sound—but several times an hour or so the playback goes haywire for a second or two—crazy multicolored geometric video and interrupted audio. I'm wondering if it's because my TV accepts only 1080i input, and this Roku outputs only 420p and 1080p. Does anyone have any other ideas or suggestions for a solution? Is there another Roku device (or a streaming player of any brand!) that outputs 1080i video? (And I'm not even sure I've pinpointed that as the real issue.) Thanks for any help.

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mikeM247
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku Ultra with an older HD plasma TV with 1080i resolution

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FWIW, I have ordered the Roku ULTRA, and am hoping for the best...if it doesn't "cooperate" with my old HD plasma, i'll return it.  

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bjtalbot1
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku Ultra with an older HD plasma TV with 1080i resolution

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Mike, I'd love to hear how it goes with the Roku Ultra — good luck!

mikeM247
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku Ultra with an older HD plasma TV with 1080i resolution

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THANK you!  I'll let you know when it arrives and i hook it up. 

swolpp
Reel Rookie

Roku Express +, older TV and BroadwayHD

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As a non-tech person I am trying to get access to BroadwayHD for my Mom, also a non-tech person. She has a 10-year old Sony TV with those red, white and yellow connectors and it has a an HDMI connection for red and white connectors. Does not seem to have the newer HDMI ports. BroadwayHD says we need Roku version 5.5 or later. Help! Is Roku Express + the right device, will it work with this older Sony and does it run Roku version 5.5. Apologies for this inartful, nontechnical presentation of the question. 

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RokuDanny-R
Retired Moderator

Re: Roku Ultra with an older HD plasma TV with 1080i resolution

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@bjtalbot1 @swolpp 

Thanks for the post.

Please be aware that the Express+ 3710 and 3910 both have the composite port so you can use that as an alternative to HDMI.


Thanks,
Danny

Danny R.
Roku Community Moderator
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bjtalbot1
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku Ultra with an older HD plasma TV with 1080i resolution

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Thanks for the info, Danny — do you happen to know if those models support 1080i video?

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mikeM247
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku Ultra with an older HD plasma TV with 1080i resolution

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UPDATE:  OK, my Roku Ultra arrived TODAY...carefully hooked it up to my Pioneer MEDIA RECEIVER which DOES have an available Input 1 for an HDMI cable...but to my dismay, and NOT all that surprising, when i turned on the TV and selected Input 1...NOTHING but a blank screen...it would NOT work with my Pioneer plasma, which only goes up to a 1080i resolution. So i'm packing it up, and back to Amazon it's going to go. O well, thought it was worth a shot. 😞 

bjtalbot1
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku Ultra with an older HD plasma TV with 1080i resolution

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Thanks for the update! Sorry it didn't work out for you. This week I'm going to try a different HDMI-to-component scaler/converter that's supposed to be able to output to 1080i. Fingers crossed.

Also, Roku tech support confirmed to me that NONE of their devices support 1080i output:

ME:  I think my new Roku streaming player might be incompatible with my TV, but if you can help me fix the problem, I’d love to keep the device! My 2007 Pioneer plasma TV (PDP 505CMX) has no HDMI inputs at all. I got an HDMI-to-component converter for it and connected it with an HDMI cable to the Roku Express + (2018) that I purchased a couple of days ago. It works almost well enough to be acceptable—nice picture and sound—but several times an hour or so the playback goes haywire for a second or two—crazy multicolored geometric video and interrupted audio. I'm wondering if it's because my TV accepts only 1080i input, and this Roku outputs only 420p and 1080p. If that’s indeed the issue, is there another Roku streaming player that outputs 1080i that perhaps I could exchange for the one I have? Or is the issue something else, and if so, is there any solution you can suggest? Thanks for your help!

ROKU:  Thank you for contacting Roku! We understand that you are reporting video issues with the Roku player. It is possible that the Roku player is not compatible with the TV. Having said, there a no Roku devices that output 1080i picture quality. We do not have any suggestions to try as this not a recommended setup. We can help returning this Roku player of a refund. Let us know how to proceed.