Solving playback issues

[CableBoy]

Hello All,

i have been using my Roku 4230x - Roku 3 for several years without any problems. 

That said, my system has developed a problem that I could use some help/suggestions to resolve its problem.

Description of the problem: After watching a couple of hours of YouTube videos, my screen starts jittering and then turns gray. At the same time, the sound starts making random clicking noises. The only way out is to restart my Roku 3. Then everything is great again for another hour. And then it starts all over again.

Things I tried: I cleared cache and deleted 1/2 my channels. I currently have 36 defined. Restarting my Roku 3 does temporarily solve the problem, only to have it return in a hour or so.

Equipment/software: Roku 4230X - Roku 3, Samsung 40” dumb tv, Verizon Fios 5 Mbps internet. Software version 12.0.0 build 4184~04. Only the Roku software has changed. The rest of the environment has not changed in years. Roku is Ethernet wired. Not WiFi. Roku network status is “Good (4 Mbps)”. MicroSD card 12% used.

is my system just old and tired or did the new Roku software destroy my system? Or could this be a YouTube issue? Anybody else have the same problem?

Thanks for any help.

[RokuEuniceL]

Hi @CableBoy,

Thanks for posting here in the Roku Community!

We appreciate you providing all of the details about the problems with your Roku 3. We'd be glad to assist you with that. Is the issue happening on all contents or channels, or is this isolated to YouTube only? Are you getting error messages or error codes when playing content? Suppose the issue persists on one channel after attempting the troubleshooting steps, and videos from other channels play fine. We highly suggest you contact the channel provider's customer support team to report the issue and get help. The channel developers themselves maintain channels on Roku. In this case, an issue within that specific channel likely needs to be addressed with an update from them.
Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help you.
All the best,
Eunice

[CableBoy]

Eunice,

I ran some more tests.  I took my Roku 3 to another house. There they had Comcast/Xfinity 400 Mbps internet. The Roku 3 had the same problem. So its not internet net or speed that is causing the problem.

I also have a Roku Ultra and it works great. No problems at all.

The last time I had the problem, I tried several other channels like Pluto, and others. They all experienced the same problem.

The only thing that clears the problem is to restart Roku. So I am guessing it is some sort of buffering or storage problem. The problem started when my system was upgraded to release 12.

I wonder if any other people are experiencing the same problem?

[CableBoy]

I mostly use YouTube, so that is where I experience the problem, but I did experience it on other channels also. Just not as often.   The screen goes gray or the picture get jittery and the sound goes to intermittent static. Its a bit different each time, but similar.

I guess I could capture on my phone so you could actually see it.

[CableBoy]

No error codes or messages...

[RokuERey]

Hi @CableBoy,

Thanks for getting back to us. Please try to check for a manual update by navigating to Settings>>System>>System Update, and the check now. If there's available one, take it and then try to access your device right after that, and let us know if you see the same issue occur.

Regards,

Rey

[CableBoy]

No updates... It says "All software is up to date."

[CableBoy]

It also says:

Software version: 12.0.0

Build: 4184

[RokuEuniceL · Accepted solution]

Hi @CableBoy,

Thanks for providing all these details here in the Roku Community!

Kindly send us a photo or video of the running issue that you are experiencing when streaming YouTube. You can also check out this support article on how to solve the channel playback issue.

We hope this helps, and we'll be waiting for your response.

Kind regards,

Eunice

[CableBoy]

I tried a few other  things without any success. 

1. I removed the micro SD card on my Roku 3. No change. I don't think I needed the card as I only have 27 apps installed.
2. I did a Factory Reset of my Roku 3. This actually made things worse. Now all the buttons on the remote are now delayed. Especially if I try to backup or forward a video.
3. I tried my Roku 3 on a different TV. Same issues.  

Forcing a reboot makes everything OK for a while, but then the gray screen, clicking noise, freezing comes back again.  The other day it got so bad, I could not even get to the menu to do a reboot. I had to unplug the unit.

I saw somewhere there  was a delete cashe command and that did help it for a while, but came back again. 

I hear Roku has a new software release coming soon, so maybe that will fix the issues. Maybe not.

I am beginning to believe there is just something wrong with my unit and I don't hear of anyone else having issues. I do have a much newer unit on another TV and that is problem free.