Solving playback issues

[Peaculiar]

I have searched the community and tried all applicable hints. 

My set up - Vizio TV and Roku 3700x and a new Roku Express 

I haven’t had problems, but upgraded because Roku offered me a Roku Express for cheap and my old Roku wouldn’t let me put the Peacock App on it. 

I switched out all of the wires/cables with the new ones. 

The Power is plugged into an outlet, not the TV. When I connect the Roku Express and put it on the proper input it tells me “retrieving data” before going to “no signal”. I have tried the soft reset (using just the buttons on the remote). I have tried the factory reset, and held down the reset button for over 30 seconds, unplugged everything and plugged it back in to no avail. 

However, my old Roku works when I plug it back in using the new wires. On the (new) Roku express it won’t even show me a screen so that I can get to the WiFi connection or anything. I’m starting to think this is a defective product but I am willing to try other strategies if anyone has a solution. 

[renojim]

Do you have another TV you can try it on?  Does the light on the Express come on when you connect the power?  Can you try the power adapter from the 3700 on the new Express?

[Peaculiar]

Yes! The light on the express comes on and stays on for a few seconds while the TV says “retrieving information” then the light blinks and the tv switches to “no signal”. After that the light will blink in response to me pressing the buttons on the remote but it does not impact the “no signal” problem. The light will also blink when I attempt a hard reset with the button in the back. 

I switched up all the cords, trying different combinations and nothing has worked. I’ll have to hook up another tv to test it, which I will try when I get home from work, if you think it’s a Vizio problem. 

[renojim]

The "retrieving information" message must be coming from the TV which leads me to believe it's a Vizio problem.  I seem to recall other people having issues with Vizio TV's, but I don't know if there was a solution.  I would be willing to bet it will work on another TV.  You might want to see if there's any firmware updates available for the TV.  If it does work on another TV, try forcing the display type to 720p or 1080p and not "Auto detect" before moving it back to the Vizio.

[Peaculiar]

It appears that it is my old **bleep** Vizio tv. I hooked it up to another one and was able to update it, changed the screen res and tried again but it didn’t work. I gave the new Roku to my son, bc it does work for his tv. 

Thanks for the suggestions/time! 

[renojim]

Thanks for letting us know!  I've seen a few issues with Vizio TVs over the years, but not having one I don't follow those threads very closely.

[makaiguy]

I just returned from a timeshare that was equipped with a Vizio tv.    I would see the "Retrieving data" notification when the system was powering up, no matter whether the tv was currently set to display the HDMI with my Roku or the HDMI with the provided cable box.  So the notification apparently is generated by the Vizio, not the Roku, and probably indicates the set is performing the HDMI "handshake" with the tv and the HDMI-connected device.  They exchange information about their respective capabilities so that a mutually-supported connection can be established..

Is your problem happening when you first turn on the Vizio with the Roku's HDMI port still selected from when the Vizio was shut down?  If you get the black screen on startup, try switching the Vizio to a different input then back to the one with the Roku.

[Peaculiar]

Thanks for the hint, though it doesn’t work for my old Vizio (probably bc it’s like 13/14 years old). It would attempt the handshake and timeout every time. It was frustrating. It booted up with no problem for my son, so all is not lost. Thanks for the suggestion too! I hope this helps someone else. - when I was searching the forums no one had this solution. 

[makaiguy]

My guess is the Express 4K is interpreting the handshake info from the Vizio incorrectly and is setting itself to a resolution the Vizio cannot support.  Hard to say if the Roku or the Vizio is at fault.

You said you were able to adjust resolution when connected to your son's tv.   That would have been my next suggestion - set it to the resolution of the Vizio instead of "auto detect".   Note that there are several steps in the process:

Settings > Display type

When you change the Display type to a new setting it runs you through several screens:

• A screen where you can choose from the available options on that device.
• A screen where it analyzes your choice to be sure your tv says it supports it, then gives the option of trying that choice if you wish.
• A screen with a countdown timer and two choices:
      Yes, screen looks good
      No, I will choose a different setting
  The "No" option is highlighted by default. To keep the screen resolution you're currently trying, you need to arrow up to the "Yes" option and click on it before the timer runs out.  (I overlooked this the first couple of times I tried this...)