Solving playback issues

[KoinFlipper]

Roku Ultra 4802X Software 11.5.0 build 4312-C2. On 5GHz WiFi band. Vizio Soundbar 2.0 connected to TV with Optical cable. Digital Output format set to Passthrough.

Audio drops out for several seconds almost every minute or two on YouTube Channel (both live and old). I notice many have posted this issue. I had the same problem with my older streaming stick so upgraded Internet speed, bought Gigabit Dual band Wi-Fi 6 Router and new Roku Ultra (I know Ultra not WiFi 6 caapable). Upgrades did not solve it. I have great WiFi signal and minimal interference on 5GHz WiFi.

Roku Ultra does NOT drop on AMAZON PRIME or ROKU. I do not have any subscription channels like Netflix so do not know if those affected.

Is there something different about YouTube for all Roku devices to have this problem? I cannot find solution. Seems to be only on YouTube.

[RokuNimfa-C]

Hi @KoinFlipper, 

Welcome to Roku Community. 

We apologize for the audio drop issue you are experiencing on the YouTube channel with your Roku Ultra. We can try to do some troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue. Have you tried to remove the channel and see if it helps? If you haven't tried it yet, you can remove the affected channel and re-install it. To ensure the process is successful, restart your device before adding the channel back in. We would recommend doing this from the Settings menu by navigating to Settings > System > System restart.

For detailed instructions, refer to this Support link: How do I resolve channel playback issues?

Keep us posted if you see any difference.


Regards,
Nimfa

[KoinFlipper]

Uninstalled YouTube channel, restarted Roku Ultra and added YouTube channel. Checked for any updates (none). Problem still exists. No success. Audio still dropping. I had this same problem with older Roku streaming stick on YouTube. Never solved it over 5 years of restarts, factory resets, etc. There something inherently wrong with how YouTube channel on Roku handles Audio.

[RokuDanny-R]

@KoinFlipper 

Thanks for the post.

It looks like your using a soundbar for audio in your current home setup. If you disconnect the soundbar and just have the audio play from the TV speakers, are you still experiencing the same issue?

Please keep us posted what you find out and we will be able to assist you further.

Thanks,
Danny

[KoinFlipper]

Not Soundbar. TV speaker drops audio with same YouTube streams through Roku. TV has 3 HDMI inputs. Same problem with Roku Ultra and older Streaming Stick on all 3 HDMI ports. I am sorry I do not have a second TV to test Roku.  I do notice that the YouTube streams that drop audio also show A/V out of sync. Not ALL YouTube streams have this problem and no other streaming channels I watch on Roku have the problem. Seems isolated to "amateur" YouTube productions. Perhaps Roku not working well with the settings they use to record? YouTube app on cell phone does not have problem with these same videos.

[RokuDanny-R]

@KoinFlipper 

Thanks for the post.

In your original post, you stated that your setup includes a Vizio Soundbar 2.0 connected to TV with Optical cable, does your setup that you are experiencing this issue include the soundbar mentioned, or is the audio playing directly from your TV?

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

Thanks,
Danny

[KoinFlipper]

I tested audio through TV speaker without soundbar. Same problem. So audio drop both with Roku streaming through TV speaker & soundbar. Just unplugged optical cable to soundbar for this test.

[RokuDanny-R]

@KoinFlipper 

Thanks for the follow up.

Have you already tried removing the channel from the Roku home screen by navigating to the channel tile, pressing the * key on your remote and choosing 'Remove channel'. Then restart your device from Settings>System>System restart. Once your player starts up again, add the channel back once more. 

Does this clear up the issue you are seeing? Please keep us posted what you find out.

Thanks,
Danny

[KoinFlipper]

Please read thread. I already tried that.

[RokuDanny-R]

@KoinFlipper 

Thanks for the update.

Have you already tried rebooting your wireless network to see if that helps the issue you are experiencing?

If you are still unable to resolve the issue, can you please provide us with a video illustrating the issue you are seeing so we can better understand the issue? In addition, can you 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)
• does this issue occur on a specific channel? if so, what channel and what version/build is the channel (this can be found be 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 and provide us with this ID)
• 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