Solving playback issues

[4944lazy]

Used Roku Media Player for a long time without a problem until recently. It will get video files from my network PC folders and suddenly will freeze when trying to get the next file at 13%. I have reset Roku Ultra and even purchased a new Roku Ultra with same results.

What happens is it will play a file normally and then either when it tries to play next video or if I select a new one, it freezes trying to get it. I always end up re-booting the pc server and it works fine  for maybe 1 or two retrievals, then it freezes again and I have to constantly reset the roku ultra and reboot the pc. This began ~ two weeks ago. Basically it is unusable. I tried Emby and Plex and neither frrezes or has trouble reading the same files or folders. I prefer the simplicity of the Roku Media Player, so I would like to find a solution. Sometimes I can play several videos normally with no problem and then it will start and I have to constantly re-boot and reset which makes it pretty unuseable. I have even gone to the extreme of rebuilding my pc, new MB, NVME with a fresh install of Windows 11. Same result happened after a couple days of normal operation. I am frustrated and cannot think of any solution, please help if you can. Thanks. 

[atc98092]

What are you using for a DLNA server, the default Windows media services? If so, it's really not a good server, as it has limited transcoding functions and you can't make any sort of profiles or adjustments to it. 

Roku Media Player has not received any updates for video playback for more than three years. It has some bugs that have not been addressed, notably with M2TS/TS files. But for other media (MP4, MKV, MOV) files, RMP still does what one expects.

There are a number of good (and free) DLNA servers. You can enable DLNA in Plex, although I think the Plex app is better to use with it, and of course Plex doesn't support playlist files. I use Serviio (disclaimer: I wrote the Roku profiles included with Serviio and am a moderator on their forum. But not paid in any way). Serviio has a free version, which has everything needed for playback on home networks, and a paid Pro version that adds a web browser interface that allows access outside your network and a few other additions. I have no issues playing media using RMP up to and including UHD movie rips (requires a good WiFi connection for that level of media bitrates). 

[4944lazy]

You are correct, I am using Windows and it does not matter which version of Windows 10 or 11. So using another DLNA server might fix the problem? I will give it a try, thanks. 

[atc98092]

If you decide to give Serviio a try, one piece of advice. I could never make Serviio select the correct profile for a specific Roku device, so you need to manually assign the profile to your Roku. Otherwise you will transcode files that don't need it. 🙂

[4944lazy · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the tip and your recommendation solved my problem! Serviio does exactly what I was looking for without all the complexity and overhead of Plex or even Emby. Used it last night and it worked well and did not have the issues I had with using Windows Libraries. I suspected it was more an issue with Windows than anything else from process of elimination. You were quite correct on that. Thanks again for your kind assistance you really solved a frustrating problem for me.

[RokuJharra-Q · Accepted solution]

Hello, valued Roku Community users,

Thank you, and welcome here in the Roku Community!

We value your posts, updates, reports, and feedback regarding issues with your Roku devices. We understand how important it is to be able to contact our support team when you need help.
Please be assured that we are fully committed to assisting you by providing effective solutions to any issues you encounter. To offer the best possible support, we may need additional information and comprehensive details from you to thoroughly investigate the matter.

For further Roku support, you can:

• Create a post here in the Roku Community
• Check out the dedicated Roku Contact Us page for device or account issues.
• Explore our comprehensive collection of help FAQs and videos. Get started here: Roku Support page

Thank you for your understanding and continued participation in our community!

Happy Streaming! 💜

Best regards,
The Roku Community Team