Features, settings & updates

[DeannaL]

I don't have volume leveling or volume mode options on my TCL Roku tv and I can't stand the excessive volume of the commercials any longer. This is ridiculous! Do the advertisers know that people have to mute every single commercial break because of the extremely high volume. Completely defeats the purpose of advertising here. 

[demsd]

So you'll mute them? At least that's what I do.

[Ello2022]

@DeannaL  that has absolutely nothing to do with Roku. keep in mind that Roku does not make TVs. TCL made your TV. But all you have to do is enable volume leveling.. while you are streaming something simply press the * button. Once you’re there go to your sound settings and enable leveling

[Rls989]

I bought a Roku sound bar and the sound leveling on it is amazing for this. It is literally life-changing for me. I wanna buy a television from Roku because I hear they have this feature in them. But I can’t confirm and no one carries a model in stores that I can play with. Have you tried using the sound leveling function on your TV yet? If you could try it and let me know I would appreciate it thank you.

[AvsGunnar]

@Rls989 

Appears that not all the RokuTVs have this different Volume Modes like Leveling, or Night Mode.  Availability can vary between manufacturers as well as within the different models from a particular manufacturer.

Whether future firmware updates to the RokuOS can provide this functionality to all models, can't say for sure.  I would say that if you really want a RokuTV with the Leveling feature, make sure to research and verify that the particular model included this feature. (go to a physical store and play around with the settings of a demo model.)

Personally, I do not care much for the RokuTV.  I much prefer an attached Roku device and a standard TV setup.  Not only do I find the RokuTV a bit sluggish, they tend to become large paperweights if the OS is not working correctly.  Just prefer to have to swap out a Roku device than an entire TV if a failure occurs. (especially if the RokuTVs internal networking hardware is the failure point).

However, other people love their RokuTVs, so really a matter of preference.

[Ello2022]

@AvsGunnar  I own several TCL Roku TVs. I also have family members and friends who use TCL Roku TVs. All have the volume leveling feature. Just like there’s a budget Roku’s models there are budget Roku TVs. My 32 inch is slower than my 65 5 inchMy 32 inch is slower than my 65 inch. Why? Difference in hardware. But my 65 inch Roku TV is just as fast as my Roku ultra which is hooked to my Samsung TV. It’s a series 6 TCL. And Roku TVs aren’t just paperweights if the OS has issues. You can always buy a Roku stick and plug it into the TV. There’s nothing wrong with Roku TVs. Just don’t get a budget one. Just like you don’t buy bottom line Roku Express. I like the simplicity of a Roku TV. Only 1 wire to see or hide. Only 1 physical connection to make. 

[AvsGunnar]

The integrated smart TV is a lot like the old TVs that came with a built in VCR or a DVD player.  Once those features broke, you were stuck buying a new VCR or DVD player and then plugging them into the TV to regain those features again.

Is there a way to give new life to a non-working RokuTV suffering from OS or network failures?  Sure.  You can add additional Roku devices to it and often recommend this method to users that have already purchased a RokuTV encountering issues or even adding the RokuTV Streambars to older RokuTVs as an upgrade when having performance issues.

Currently, people having issues with a RokuTV have to deal with 2 issues.  They have to deal with a TV manufacturer and a Roku OS and determine which is culpable and who is in best position to deal with issue. (Of course, in the meantime, the user is stuck with a non-functional TV).  As Roku moves closer to releasing their own rumored RokuTVs, maybe this headache will ease.

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My personal preference is not to have to buy a more expensive RokuTV in order to have an audio option of Leveling out sounds.  This is a problem inherent with the RokuTvs.  On streaming devices attached to a seperate TV, even without Leveling enabled, the commercials will not blare louder than the programming.  

Once again, people have budgets.  A $50 TV with a $30 dollar Roku Express may meet a streamer's needs.  Not only did they save money, they could probably save their hearing.

[Ello2022]

@AvsGunnar  My 32” TCL Roku TV in my bedroom is a budget 4 series. It was only $159. It has volume leveling. A Roku Express only connects to the 2.4 GHz and this community is flooded with complaints. I would much rather buy a dual channel all in one Roku TV then save money and buy a bottom of the line budget Roku. To each his own. Always do your research before purchasing anything