Solving playback issues

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Shersheyy
Newbie

Roku screen is black and white

My roku device is making my tv screen black and white. Netflix Hulu and YouTube are all black and white. Roku home screen is black and white. When turned to cable, the tv has color. 
how do I fix this? 

14 REPLIES 14
makaiguy
Community Streaming Expert

Re: Roku screen is black and white

I've never heard of this problem before but if it happened to me, I'd suspect the HDMI connection.  Things to try:

Unplug both ends of the HDMI cable and plug them back in, making sure they are firmly seated.

Try plugging your Roku into a different HDMI port, if your tv has more than one.

Try a different HDMI cable.

Roku Community Streaming Expert
I am not a Roku employee, only a user like you.  Please, no support questions via private message -- post them publicly to the Community where others may benefit as well.
If this post solves your problem please help others find this answer by clicking "Accept as Solution.".

Streaming Stick 4K+ 3821 | Streaming Stick+ 3810 | TCL Roku TV 43S245/C107X
deanneH
Reel Rookie

Re: Roku screen is blac am k and white

I am having the same problem with my newly installed Roku Express+ only my tv does not have HDMI. I am using composite cables.  Please advise.

darlngnik
Newbie

Re: Roku screen is black and white

I am having the same issue. I have done the factory reset and I am not using an HDMI cable. I appreciate any help! 🙂

pmyers123
Newbie

Re: Roku screen is black and white

I have a roku 3 that has also developed this problem of only displaying black and white pictures. I have used 2 different cables and 2 different ports and no matter what it stays black and white.

deanneH
Reel Rookie

Re: Roku screen is black and white

I eventually fixed the issue by unplugging used composite ports to free them up, then  moved my plugs around.

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deanneH
Reel Rookie

Re: Roku screen is black and white

I fixed issue by unplugging used composite connections to free them up then moved around connections until I got it  working. I had a friend watching the screen while I fiddled with the connections until it worked 

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Dewfasa007
Newbie

Re: Roku screen is black and white

You can also go into the settings and there is an option for "Restart", which will reboot the TV and bring it back to its normal colors on the home screen/menu etc.   This is NOT the reset to default/factory...So make sure you use the "Restart".  

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mikemcjr
Reel Rookie

Re: Roku screen is black and white

I had the same problem with a Roku Streaming Stick +. I tried multiple interventions as noted above and elsewhere
including power cycle, restart, checking TV color settings, alternative HDMI input, factory reset, etc., none of which
worked. I reported this information to Roku support and they agreed with my guess at a hardware problem. After
determining that my device was 3 months out of warranty they suggested that I purchase a new unit on Roku's website.
Obviously not what I was hoping for. After purchasing a new unit (at Best Buy on sale), I turned the old one on one
more time and low and behold it was back to normal color. I watched a whole movie without problems. My best guess
as to why is over heating. I usually had the unit powered from a wall plug, and one of the last things I had tried
was switching to TV USB power, which made no immediate difference. With TV USB power the Roku device powers off when
the TV is turned off, rather than always being on with wall power. A guess is that being off for a longer period
allowed cooling down and returning to normal function. Who knows how long it will last, but it is one more thing to
try. Note there will be some delay for Rokut Stick to power back on, but worth it if it keeps working.

RokuMary-F
Community Moderator
Community Moderator

Re: Roku screen is black and white

Hi @mikemcjr,

Thanks for reaching out.

If you were in touch with our Support team recently and still need further assistance, we would continue to reach out to them as they would best be able to assist you moving forward.
Thanks,

Mary

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