Solving playback issues

[Hiawath1]

It has been two weeks since I posted about this problem and there hasn't been an update on what is being done to correct it. Danny, can you let us know where things are at? Thanks.

[RokuDanny-R]

@schleima

Thanks for the post.

If you are still experiencing an issue, please provide us with the following information:

-Roku device model, serial number, device ID, and software OS/version (these can all be found in Settings > System > About)
-TV brand and model
-are you connecting your Roku device directly to your TV or through an AVR
-does this issue occur on a specific channel? if so, what channel and what version/build is the channel (this can be found by selecting the channel on the Home screen and pressing the * button)
-tracker ID when this issue occurs (when you see this issue occur, press the Home button 5 times, followed by the Back button 5 times)
-when did you start seeing this issue happen
-steps to reproduce the issue you are seeing

Once we have this information, we will be able to pass it along to the appropriate Roku team to investigate further.

Thanks,
Danny

[schleima]

Danny, with all due respect you've issued the stock response in several previous threads, and the only responses I've seen from you have been generic and unhelpful (e.g."update the channel" or "update the system software", both of which do nothing to fix the issue).  Neither of these suggestions are helpful as this issue has been reported to occur multiple times by different users 1) on multiple channels and 2) with the latest software updates

Rather than copy/paste this standard stock reply, why not engage the community in conversation about the issue? You've got lots and lots of examples to go on already and several people who have replied with their info and you haven't responded. (Hiawath1 is the most recent example-- they provided the info you requested weeks ago and you have yet to acknowledge this... Why not??)

Personally, I'd like to know if Roku is acknowledging that this issue is due to a flawed os update.  If so, are your engineers actively working on a fix, and when do they expect to be pushing out the next update that addresses this?

I did read on another thread that it's possible that this issue occurs when the Roku "wakes up" from the new power saver mode.  Anecdotally, I decided to turn off power saver, and so far I have not experienced this screen image reduction issue (but I am not ready to say definitively that this is the cause of the problem until I don't see the issue occur for another month or two).  But so far, things seem to be better.

So please have your software engineers look into possible connection between the power save mode and reduction of screen image when recovering from this, and report back to us on the status of this request.

If this turns out to be the definitive answer (as I suspect it is), it'd be great if you come back and report this officially to the community so that we have a definitive work around until a fixed OS is pushed out.

Thank you Danny.

[Thogek]

My symptom is slightly different from that described here, but I suspect the cause is related...

This sounds similar to a problem I've been seeing since late November in which the video player (for any app: Disney+, HBOMax, Netflix, Prime, etc.) starts playing hugely oversized, at least twice the width and height of my screen (LG 55UH8500 55" UHD TV connected via HDMI), and so mostly offscreen, and there seem to be no way to correct it other than to restart the Roku device (Roku Ultra 4800X, OS 10.5.0 build 4201-C2).

To be clear, this never occurred before roughly November 25, but happens very frequently (requiring multiple restarts a day depending on usage) since. And it's very frustrating.

[schleima]

@Thogekdid you try the solution that seems to be working for my problem (deactivating the power save/sleep mode)?  My problem is the reduced screen but I'd be curious to hear if it works for this oversized issue as well.

[schleima]

@RokuDanny-R @RokuMary-F 

It's been a week now since I deactivated the power saver/sleep and I have yet to see the screen reduction problem come back.

Can you please give the community an update as to whether this is the official solution to the problem?  Will the engineers be pushing out a fix to this display bug with the power saver?

A big part of the problem is that the power saver is on by default. So when the new OS update pushed, I had no idea that this silently activated new setting was causing these strange new behaviors in my Roku. when my device was shutting down by itself, I assumed it was a faulty HDMI cable.  It's just poor design when a new feature comes across to the end user as a bug.

The display reduction issue however does seem to be a real bug and it would be great if you could fill in the community on what Roku is doing to address this.

[Thogek]

I did finally try turning off the power-save "sleep" mode setting today, and the problem seems to have disappeared. Watched something this morning, then came back a couple times across the day to watch something else and the problem did not recur (as it has over the past month).

Based on this, I'm guessing that the video player's sense of size/resolution is getting incorrectly reset when the device reawakens from sleep mode. Not good.

So, for the moment, problem solved. Or, at least, sidestepped. (Thanks, @schleima. )

OTOH, the idea that I have to turn off "sleep" mode, using more electricity (i.e., costing more) across the day because the Roku device now does not "sleep" between uses, does not satisfy me as an acceptable fix to the problem. 

Roku, if you're listening... Is there any intention to fix this problem?

Reiterating, in case it's relevant: Roku Ultra 4800X, OS 10.5.0 build 4201-C2, connected via HDMI to an LG 55UH8500 55" UHD TV.

[schleima]

@ThogekThat's great.  I'm really glad that the power saver solution worked to fix your problem, too.

I know I'm not alone here in that the moderators @RokuDanny-R and @RokuMary-F have seen users encounter this problem repeatedly (in several similar threads) over the past several months and have done NOTHING to help the community solve this problem in any meaningful way, nor have they shared and insight into what Roku is doing to address this problem.

Over and over on several threads, I've seen @RokuDanny-R copy and paste the same scripted questions and suggestions that users reinstall their channels, or do other things that shift the cause of the problem away from their own flawed OS update.

Tech support has degraded in general these days. It's terrible that we have to crowdsource fellow amateur enthusiasts instead of getting answers from those who should know better than us (and who are being paid...)

I'm directing this rant at Roku, but it's really endemic to the current state of affairs.  As technology has grown in popularity since the 1980s, the people supporting that tech have become less and less skilled and it's wildly frustrating.

Just today I got off a chat with a Samsung tech whose solution to a software glitch on my soundbar was to send back the whole bar for a new one (which would have the same software glitch).  When I insisted on escalating this to a senior technician or supervisor who is actually familiar with the product, I was told the supervisor says that I need to send it in.

It's embarrassing how incompetent tech support has become these days.

Alright, I'm getting off my soapbox.  I doubt we will hear anything substantial from @RokuDanny-R but if he does decide to come out from behind his script to offer Roku's side of the story, I'd be happy to engage (and I bet the community would as well).

[Hiawath1]

I'm glad you were able to find a work-around. My player is older and doesn't have the option to turn on/off sleep mode. So I'm still waiting for a solution.

[RokuDanny-R]

@Hiawath1

Thanks for the post.

Can you please provide us with the information that I have requested in my previous post?

With more detailed information, we will be able to assist you further.

Thanks,
Danny