Solving playback issues

[AnnetteTom]

My new Roku express seems to take over my cable remote.  Say, I  watch a Roku subscription channel, like amazon prime, then change the tv input to cable. The cable comes up, but any key on the cable remote now changes the input back to Roku.  I have to sign out/exit the Roku channel in order for my cable remote to work so I can watch cable.  Then, of course, I have to go thru the sign in/connect device process to watch the Roku channel again. My old Roku device did not do this. I could change from Roku to cable and back again without having to “exit” a channel.  Help!!!!

[DBDukes]

@AnnetteTom 

First, it's a good idea to always return to the home screen (press the HOME button) when you're not watching the Roku, such as turning off the TV or switching to a different input. Are you doing this? If not, and you start doing this, does your issue remain?

[AnnetteTom]

We tried that (going to home before changing to cable).  Does not work. Have to sign out of the channel/app.  Never had to do either with our previous Roku device. 

[DBDukes]

@AnnetteTom 

Perhaps I'm not understanding something. If you're on the home screen, it doesn't matter if you're logged in to an app or not, the app isn't running. It won't do anything.

Now, the exception to this is a screen saver. Those can cause issues, since they do run in the background, unlike standard apps. Special screen savers, such as weather or news related ones are notorious for causing issues. Ensure you're using a standard Roku screen saver (clock, Roku logo) and see if the issue remains.

But, there is no circumstance that should cause it to matter if you're logged in to an app or not, if you're on the home screen, the main menu screen, of your Roku.

So, confirm each of these things.

1. You exit your app by hitting the HOME button on your Roku remote.

2. You see the Roku main menu, consisting of the text items on the left (Home, Featured Free, My Feed, etc) and the app grid (three across, four visible down) on the right.

3. With that showing, you change the input on your TV from the Roku's HDMI port to a different HDMI port. You are doing this using the cable box remote, not a universal or other programmed third party remote.

4. You hit a button on the cable box remote, and the input switches to your Roku HDMI, showing the main menu.

Let me know which of these are incorrect, if any.

[AnnetteTom]

All correct, except we change input using the original TV remote, then use the cable remote to navigate cable channels. 

We only got the Roku Express because Amazon plans to stop supporting its channelbon our previous Roku device. We never had this problem with that device.  Btw we have a Panasonic viera plasma tv and Spectrum cable.  

[AnnetteTom]

All correct, except we change input using the original TV remote, then use the cable remote to navigate cable channels.

We only got the Roku Express because Amazon plans to stop supporting its channelbon our previous Roku device. We never had this problem with that device.  Btw we have a Panasonic viera plasma tv and Spectrum cable.  

[DBDukes]

@AnnetteTom 

So I'm close enough to have a grasp on what's happening.

This is now a troubleshooting challenge. A lot of things I and others may suggest aren't necessarily fixes, but rather pokes and prods to see what happens. Something very unusual is going on.

Before we go any farther down this road, what is your old device? You said Amazon isn't supporting it come November, but I don't see where you gave the actual model number of the older device. What is the model number, and Roku software version? Settings > System > About

[AnnetteTom]

I don't see the relevance of my prior device, but it is a 2720X, and was up to date.  No longer connected.  We got this email from Amazon:

"Dear Customer,

Amazon will no longer be supporting the Prime Video app on your Roku device (The specific models no longer supported are: 3500X, 2710X, 2720X, 2700X, 3050X, 3100X, 2400X, 3000X, 2500X, 2450X, 3400X, and 3420X) as of 1st November, 2021. We are continually upgrading our service and this occasionally means we can no longer support certain device models.

To help you to continue streaming your favorite content, customers may purchase a new Roku device at a discount. Log in with your Roku account to see the offer: https://my.roku.com/upgrade/prime-exclusive-upgrade/details.

A complete list of compatible devices where you can continue to watch Prime Video can be found here: https://www.primevideo.com/help/?nodeId=GXMWDGNCPX2JLPFH.

Thanks for watching with us.

Sincerely,

Prime Video"

So, I bought the offered Roku Express (the cheap one Amazon offered).  I installed it, and connected it with my existing Roku account.  I then had to sign in/connect various subscription apps.  We used it as we used our previous Roku, changing input HDMI at the end of a program (without going to home screen), and found our cable remote was acting crazy:  pushing any arrow button to, eg, change channels or look ahead when in the guide, sent the TV back to HDMI 3, where the Roku is.  After some experimentation, , we realized we had to "exit" the Roku channel we were watching prior to changing input.  At first, we thought it was just the Disney + channel.  Then we found it was any channel.  We tried going to Roku Home before changing input to the cable HDMI, but that didn't change the behavior of the cable remote control.  Only signing out/exiting the Roku channel we were in fixed it.  That is a big problem, because when we want to watch the Roku channel again we have to go thru the whole process of logging into a website and entering a code to reconnect that channel with our subscription. 

I am ready to return the **bleep** thing.  Maybe buy a new fancier Roku so we can wire it to our router for better wifi (which the Roku Express doesn't offer).   BUT now I'm worried we'll have the same issue with another new Roku.  Will it have that problem??? I'm the IT person in my house (my husband doesn't have the patience), but am a senior and sick of these f-ing complications with products that offer no customer support.  thanks for any support YOU can give.

[DBDukes]

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@AnnetteTom wrote:

I don't see the relevance of my prior device, but it is a 2720X, and was up to date.  No longer connected.  ...

---

Here's why. If you look over the posts that have been made, many people have concluded a variety of things, from a small specific selection of older devices will no longer work (that's correct), to no Roku device will work, to some thinking their device won't work but will.

As a part of troubleshooting, it's a good idea to confirm any assumptions or statements made. You said your old device would not be supported, and that is correct. I wanted to ensure that you weren't in the group that assumed an older device wouldn't work, when in fact it will. Another model that was released at the same time as your Roku 2 model 2720 will continue to work. And, a later version of the Roku 2, model 4210, will work. As you never specified, I wanted to ensure that you were truly dealing with a device that will lose Amazon support. I hope you realize that I'm simply trying to ensure that no troubleshooting step was skipped, and that includes verifying the information. Thanks for checking and verifying.

To the issue...

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@AnnetteTom wrote:

So, I bought the offered Roku Express (the cheap one Amazon offered).  I installed it, and connected it with my existing Roku account.  I then had to sign in/connect various subscription apps.  We used it as we used our previous Roku, changing input HDMI at the end of a program (without going to home screen), and found our cable remote was acting crazy:  pushing any arrow button to, eg, change channels or look ahead when in the guide, sent the TV back to HDMI 3, where the Roku is.  After some experimentation, , we realized we had to "exit" the Roku channel we were watching prior to changing input.  At first, we thought it was just the Disney + channel.  Then we found it was any channel.  We tried going to Roku Home before changing input to the cable HDMI, but that didn't change the behavior of the cable remote control.  Only signing out/exiting the Roku channel we were in fixed it.  That is a big problem, because when we want to watch the Roku channel again we have to go thru the whole process of logging into a website and entering a code to reconnect that channel with our subscription.

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Again, being signed in to an app should not make any difference. Why it seems to make a difference is a very unusual thing. I've never seen such behavior.

It may be that the particular Roku device has an issue, and replacing it may resolve the issue, but I don't have a good feeling about it. That off behavior of only glitching when an app is signed in, even when exited and the Roku is on the main menu, is giving me pause.

I know I'm hanging up on that particular point, but this is so unusual. And I know I've tested your patience, but ...

What if you're watching content on your Roku and pick up and use the cable remote? I know you aren't watching cable, but what happens if you use the cable remote while watching Roku? Does it cause the Roku to react in any way?

What about if you exit the Roku app (don't log out, just exit using HOME) then use the cable remote?

I'm trying to determine what, if any, behavior from the cable remote may impact the Roku while it's playing or when idle, but with the TV showing the Roku screen.

[AnnetteTom]

Got it.  I've been rightfully lumped into the "dumb user" group on occasion.  This time I don't think that is the issue - there must be a bug of some sort.  We are busy prepping for our granddaughter's birthday party tonight, so can't test the "what does cable remote do when TV iusing Roku's input port (port? is that the right term for the HDMI place it is plugged into?)" today.  Appreciate your conscientiousness and will be back with more testing tomorrow.  The solution is clearly to return the bleeping thing and buy another one.  We get poor wifi in our living room anyway, and want to wire the Roku to our router, so we'd benefit from a fancier one.  But now I'm worried the new one will do this too!  You seem like a smart person - which Roku device do YOU recommend?  We don't game, but we like a good quality picture (hence the plasma tv).  I'd like to have Apple Play capability if that lets me mirror videos from online sites (I watch screenings from American Cinematique, and public radio via links they send (on my computer or ipad) - will Apple Play let me show those on the TV?  Apologies for exploiting you.