Remotes

[tony2022]

I purchased a Roku stick so we could get our local channels on a Vizio TV.  We can't use the pause function on the remote if we're watching the locals. However, watching streaming such as Prime, etc. works fine.  Any help would be appreciated.

[makaiguy]

Live streams send the same unstoppable streams to everyone watching them the same time.  The only way for an individual to pause a live stream is to record what comes in while it is paused so that it can be played back when it is resumed.  Roku streaming devices have no provisions for recording anything so all you can do is watch what is coming in at the moment. 

You CAN pause programs you view on demand because they are streamed directly to the you, not broadcast non-stop to everyone.  The Roku tells the channel's server to stop sending, and it waits until the Roku tells it to start again -- nothing needs to be stored locally.

If you want to pause live streams, you need to be viewing them via a streaming service that carries that stream and also provides the ability to record and play back on the service's own servers.

[atc98092]

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@tony2022 wrote:

I purchased a Roku stick so we could get our local channels on a Vizio TV.  We can't use the pause function on the remote if we're watching the locals. 

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You're likely not using the Roku in any way to watch local OTA stations. Unless you're using a channel/app developed by your TV provider (cable or satellite), a Roku player has no way to show OTA stations. That requires an ATSC 1.0 tuner and a connection to an external antenna (usually outdoors). 

If you are using a channel for your TV provider, any ability to pause a live playback is built into the channel, not the Roku player. And no Roku player has sufficient memory space to allow storing a paused stream, so the channel would need to use some sort of cloud storage for that. 

Now, if you had a Roku TV, you could plug a USB stick into the jack on the TV and pause live TV. However, it's limited how long you can pause before running out of storage space, and if you change the channel you'll lose whatever paused video you have stored. There is no Roku device (player or TV) that has the ability to record a broadcast and play it at a later time.