Roku Developer Program

[Schmye_Bubbula]

With June 2016's firmware update 7.2, "Enable selecting all resolutions" was abruptly removed from Platform Secret Screen > System Operations Menu. (Home 5x, FF, Play, RW, Play, FF) The capability still is in the hardware, but evidently the Roku powers-that-be are bound and determined not to reinstate user-access to it.

1) Do documented API hooks exist to "Enable selecting all resolutions" such that a simple one-trick pony channel might be dashed-off to turn it on? (I am not a programmer.)

2) Failing that, there at least used to be a way to telnet into a Roku's IP address on port 8085 to do things like sending remote control key-presses. Is there a telnet command to toggle "Enable selecting all resolutions"?

3) Failing that, is there such thing as a pre-v7.2 firmware installer, or in the form of a channel (if it even can work that way), to be side-loaded if necessary, to roll-back the firmware temporarily, just so we can set “Enable selecting all resolutions”? Of course we would promptly get auto-updated again, but we would have enough time to do the deed, and have the installer or channel on-hand if needed again.

4) Failing that, here’s an idea: Roku Support sets up a webpage to enter our Roku serial number and it pushes-out "Enable selecting all resolutions." This way, Roku retains complete control, and eliminates incentive for us to find a hack. Win-win, everybody happy!

[EnTerr]

(disclaimer: as outsider, i am not privy to Co's mysterious ways)

1) No - and not likely to be, allowing single channel to flip video signal resolution (eww)
2) Not that i know of - and very doubtful, given option was removed from the secret screens
3) No. Quite sure not going to happen, since they have been pushing forward, firmware to always be "current" - with rare exception during release cycle of short time back off to previous version
4) Laughably unlikely someone to bother with such work - esp. consider the note from (2), if they intently removed it

What's your use case - what did they break by disabling "all resolutions"?

[Schmye_Bubbula]

^ 1) (I didn't say flip video signal resolution with a channel; I said toggle the ability to see all available resolutions when using the regular Settings > Display type.)

3) I said a temporary firmware update, just to be able to change the setting that was in the System Operations Menu for years. (The firmware would be auto-updated back to current on the next phone home.)

They broke the ability to choose "4:3 standard" in Settings > Display type, for Roku owners with old TVs adding an HDMI-to-Composite converter, because they need the advanced features and speed in HDMI-only models, such as 5 GHz Wi-Fi in apartment complexes hammered by neighbors' 2.4 GHz interference.

[Komag]

Wow, that's a unique use-case! But totally reasonable!

[renojim]

It was nice to have the "Enable all resolutions" option for developing. While not a substitute for a true SDTV to ensure there's no problems, it was great to be able to pump 4:3 to my HDTV to get an idea of sizes and positioning on image canvas and roScreen. Can't understand why they got rid of the option. If they don't want to enable the option for everyone, just enable it for boxes that have enabled developer mode.

-JT

[Schmye_Bubbula]

Bumping this in hopes that a developer or Roku engineer will see it, who knows a way to turn-on "Enable selecting all resolutions." ... Or else at least some way to directly set the Display Type to "4:3 Standard."

[Schmye_Bubbula]

Bump.

[Schmye_Bubbula]

Bump.

[Schmye_Bubbula]

Bump.

[stownsend42]

Bumping this. I'm in the exact same situation as OP, except I'm still using an old Roku 2 XS. Would love to upgrade, but there exists no Roku for me to buy! Setting a newer one to 4:3 output and using an HDMI to composite converter would be a solution, if only setting it to 4:3 were possible.