Solving playback issues

[Psyfun]

When are you ever going to address the audio issues that recent firmware updates have introduced. Firmware updates are supposed to improve the experience. You are regressing. I just returned a brand new Ultra because it has the same audio issues that my Streaming Stick+ has. Everyone said the newer devices didn't have the audio problems. In fact, the Stick had an older firmware version while I was using the Ultra and when I plugged it back in it worked fine. Now it has updated to the latest firmware and the audio is broken. It used to only mess up every now and then. Then it started happening more often. Now it is almost impossible to get any Roku device to startup without the audio problem. Yes, I have tried every combination of audio configuration. Also, as background, I am an embedded software engineer and have written lots of firmware and drivers for different devices and chips. So, I am not a novice when it comes to troubleshooting problems, especially device and software problems.

I loved my Roku for so long, but if you can't fix the audio problems, I am moving on to another device.

[Strega2]

I’m a software engineer too, but I find “issues” and “problems” to be a bit vague.  Perhaps if I had some audio trouble with my Roku, I would know what you mean, but I haven’t so I don’t.

Perhaps your problems are related to a specific environment?  For example, my Roku Express 4K+ feeds a Yamaha RX-V667 and I haven’t noticed any issues.

[Psyfun]

Thanks for the response. I just typed a detailed reply describing everything in great detail only to have the web site tell me I needed to login again and lost the entire contents of my reply. That does not help me feel better about the other problems. It was my own fault for not verifying my session was still active, but developers can help users out by letting them know they need to login before typing out a response in a perfectly valid looking form.

So, this version is going to be a lot shorter. I agree that it must be something in my environment. I have the Roku devices plugged into a Pioneer VSX-1024-K receiver. It has many sources plugged in without any problems including a Blu-ray player, Tivo cable box, 2 games systems and a PC.

The problem specifically is that the audio suddenly drops to a low volume and sounds like it is under water. That is the best way to describe it. It is very tinny and doesn't use all the speakers. It is almost like it has degraded to mono audio. But the receiver still thinks it is Dobly Digital. Usually, an HDMI problem can be corrected by reconnecting the HDMI cable because it is a digital rather than analog signal. But the Roku device "remembers" the audio problem. I can unplug the Roku device and plug in another source to that port and it works just fine. I can plug the Roku device into another known working port and the problem persists on the new port. And once it happens, it affects all aspects of the Roku, menus, other channels, etc. I do have an older Pioneer receiver I considered swapping for my main to test out. I also considered purchasing a new receiver as mine is getting along in years. But that is an expensive fix for a much cheaper device. 

My original Roku device has worked fine for years in this exact same environment. The only change over the years was firmware updates for the Roku. This all started about 2 years ago after a firmware update and was very intermittent. Restarting the Roku device or switching receiver channels and back would correct it. But it kept getting worse with each new firmware update. Now it is really hard to find the right combinations of things to reboot and swap to get the audio back to normal. It is the strangest thing.

[RokuJharra-Q]

Hey @Psyfun, thanks for joining the Roku community!

We appreciate you sharing the issue with your Roku Ultra. Don't worry, we're here to help! To get started, could you please provide us with the following details?

• Roku device model, serial number, device ID, and OS version. (this can all be found in Settings > System > About)
• Tracker ID (when you see this issue occur, press the Home button 5 times, followed by the Back button 5 times, and provide us with this ID)
• Channel build version (If the issue occurs in specific channels)
• The troubleshooting steps that have been attempted.

We're looking forward to hearing back from you and will continue to work on resolving this issue.

Thanks,
Jharra

[jontalk]

@PsyfunInteresting post I must admit..While I'm not a software engineer, I'm a veteran of the music, entertainment, Pro and Consumer audio industries..the phrase that comes to mind is, 'sound is as good as the source'  but in this case, an outdated AVR and possibly speakers might be the problem. I'm going to assume you have Roku Audio set for pass through, and Dolby format at auto select. My Ultra is running the latest firmware and I haven't experienced any changes to the audio quality, And while not perfect, I'm confident it has to do with the 4 year old AVR which I will be replacing along with the speakers. Am sure you know that unlike fine wines, AVR's don't get better over time, but worse, LOL. Something worth thinking about..Regardless I hope you find a solution

[Psyfun]

Hi jontalk,

Thanks for the input. Here is the thing I have been thinking about most. My AVR has worked with this device and lots of other devices for years. It has its own firmware that I don't think has ever been updated. It is designed to work with various audio specifications, protocols, codecs, etc. These audio specifications do not change much over time. So, the Dolby Digital that worked 10 years ago, should continue to work exactly the same way today. It's true that the AVR has aged and that can affect the quality of the audio over time as internal components age. But for the most part, the audio specifications we are talking about are digital specifications, not analog. So, typically, if you are getting a good connection with the proper cables, you either get the audio or you don't. If my AVR was struggling, the problem would happen with other devices too. This has not happened. I have never had any audio issues with any other devices connected to this AVR. The only devices to have ever had problems are Roku devices. That includes an older device and a brand new one. So, there is something about the latest firmwares on these devices and my AVR that do not work well together. Yes, I can upgrade my AVR and the problem will likely go away as there are many more people without problems than people with problems. But there are also lots of people that have experienced my exact problem and that seems to correlate with firmware updates.

I just went on vacation and took my Roku with me and used a TV directly. It was working fine there. I did have problems with Netflix audio where it would play previews just fine but streaming had no audio. I changed audio settings back to Auto and it started working fine. So, I know these devices work perfectly fine in most environments. If I switch to a Firestick or similar device, I think everything will work fine in my environment. That's much cheaper than dropping $500 on a new AVR.

For those of us that do have the audio problems, I would rather see Roku fix whatever the issue is. That would make for a better product and would keep people from switching to other devices. Having seen lots of other posts, I know that Roku is aware of the problem. I am going to update my post to include troubleshooting information. Not sure how much that is going to help them find the problem, but hopefully it makes a difference.

[Psyfun]

I have already explained everything I have tried and the general problem. I am attaching several issue tracker images that I took when the problem was occurring on different devices. Please let me know if this helps discover the problem.

[RokuTakashi]

Hi, @Psyfun 

Thanks for the update.

We appreciate you for providing the information as requested by my fellow Roku Moderator in this thread. One more thing we'd like to know is what brand your AVR is. Also, have you tried another AVR to see if the issue persists? Furthermore, does the issue happen with a specific channel, or is it happening throughout the Roku platform?

With more details referring to the issue, we'll be able to help you further.

Best wishes,
Kash

[Psyfun]

Hi @RokuTakashi,

One of my previous posts mentioned this information. The receiver is a Pioneer VSX-1024. I have not tried other receivers, but I have tried the Roku devices in other TVs directly and they worked fine. Once the problem happens, it happens throughout the entire platform. I have "fixed" it in the past by rebooting the Roku, but this seldom fixes the problem now. I have also "fixed" the problem by rebooting the receiver, but this also seldom fixes the problem now. The only fix that sometimes works now is to unplug the Roku device from an HDMI port and move it to a different HDMI port. But this is not always successful. I have not found a set of steps that always successfully fixes the audio problem once it starts. So, I normally unpower everything and move to a different HDMI port and then power everything back up. This usually takes multiple attempts before the problem is resolved and audio works normally for a few days.

Hope that helps.

[Psyfun]

Hi @RokuTakashi,

One of my previous posts mentioned this information. The receiver is a Pioneer VSX-1024. I have not tried other receivers, but I have tried the Roku devices in other TVs directly and they worked fine. Once the problem happens, it happens throughout the entire platform. I have "fixed" it in the past by rebooting the Roku, but this seldom fixes the problem now. I have also "fixed" the problem by rebooting the receiver, but this also seldom fixes the problem now. The only fix that sometimes works now is to unplug the Roku device from an HDMI port and move it to a different HDMI port. But this is not always successful. I have not found a set of steps that always successfully fixes the audio problem once it starts. So, I normally unpower everything and move to a different HDMI port and then power everything back up. This usually takes multiple attempts before the problem is resolved and audio works normally for a few days.

Hope that helps.