Solving playback issues

[George42]

"Sticks(s)" as I have four of them exhibiting this behavior and it started at the end of April - on all four.  Family is getting really grumpy about these devices. I've had Roku for years, and suddenly they are all failing.  At first, I suspected a faulty software update, but surely if more people we experiencing the problem, they would have fixed that by now.

All of them:
- are plugged into the wall, so let's eliminate TV USB power problems;
- are Streaming Stick 4K plugged directly into HDMI;
- run for a day or so, then "freeze" - that is, they fail to respond to the remote - the screen saver may be on or not and pressing Home or Back has no effect;
- can be restarted by pressing the reset button to restore control;
- lock up after non-use - never while being actively used;
- are connected to wi-fi - in fact, the most problematic Stick is 3 feet away from the access point, so distance does not seem to be a factor;
- have the most current update because they are always connected to the Internet;
- are connected to HD TV's, except one, which is 4K;
- have fresh batteries in the remotes and the remotes are verified connected by looking at the green light under the battery cover upon reboot;

One of them started locking up every couple hours, so I replaced it with (silly me) another Streaming Stick 4K that has the same problem.  In troubleshooting this particular Streaming Stick 4K, my wife was able to perform a master reset on it, and the problem continued.

I opened a case with Roku: Roku Customer Support reference #: 7760908 which was escalated to higher support and died.  Support claims to have not received the information from the devices, despite sending them photographs of the issue ID's (D3-255-976, K0-255-975, 3C-255-973).

I cut the cable and the fam transitioned easily, but they getting grumpy.  So...what are my options?  Replace the Roku's with ... what?  Obviously not Streaming Stick as I can take one new out of the box (I had a couple spares - Amazon had a Black Friday deal and I bought several of them) and it does the same thing starting the next day.  Considering Roku's lackluster escalated support, I'll cheerfully jump ship and do something different.

[George42]

UPDATE: All Streaming Sticks are now locking up 2-3 times per day.  Decommissioning all streaming sticks.  How's Amazon Firestick?

[AvsGunnar]

@George42 

Have you tried disabling the Automatic Power Savings feature on these Sticks?

Settings/System/Power/Auto Power Savings/20-min [Disable]

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Another thing to look at is a Screensaver issue.  Try disabling the Screensaver. (Settings/Theme).  If you narrow down to a Screensaver issue, can try using a new default Roku Screensaver or Reset/Revert to default Theme.

[zombie23]

Having a similar issue with our Roku Streaming Stick 4K. It worked without issue for a year but for the past N weeks it has been locking up routinely. When it locks up, whatever streaming video was playing will just freeze. After about 10 seconds, the device apparently detects that it is frozen and initiates a reboot on its own.

After the Roku boot sequence, I can relaunch the app, start the stream again and then enjoy another lockup and reboot in another few minutes.

The device is essentially unusable with this problem.

[RokuEuniceL]

Hi @zombie23,

A warm welcome here in the Roku Community!

We're glad to assist you with your problem streaming your Roku Streaming Stick 4K. We'd like to know more about the issue that you are experiencing. Please provide us with more information.

• How are you powering your Roku Streaming Stick 4K?
• Have you tried restarting your modem and router?
• How far is your Roku Streaming Stick 4K from your network router?
• Is the issue happening on all contents or channels, or is it isolated to one content or channel? (Specify)
• Are you getting any error messages or error codes while trying to play content?

With more details, we will be able to assist you further.
Best regards,
Eunice

[zombie23]

Hello @RokuEuniceL 

To answer your questions:

• Powering via USB.
• Yes, and the wireless access point and router are working perfectly for all other devices.
• The Roku is about 30 feet from the wireless access point.
• The issue appears to be happening on many channels. Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Max, etc.
• No error messages or codes. The video will just freeze up and then after about 10 to 15 seconds, the device will automatically reboot.

Also, to reiterate, the device had been working fine for about a year.  This is a recent development.

[RokuTakashi · Accepted solution]

Hi @zombie23,

Thanks for keeping us posted and providing the additional information.

As a last option, we recommend performing a system restart to resolve the issue you're experiencing with freezing and locking up while streaming. Please be aware that factory resetting the Roku device will require you to re-activate the device and may ask for you to re-authenticate some channels.
For more information about how to perform a factory reset on a Roku device, visit our Support page here: System restart or factory reset your streaming device

Please tell us more if the issue persists after performing the steps provided above.

All the best,
Kash

[George42]

I have - no change.  

The latest round is the Roku's locking up while streaming - especially Peacock.  We get the Yellow Swirl of Death.

I've replaced the Screaming Sticks and the problem has gone away.

[Tree3685]

Yup. Software version 12 came out then.

Yup. Roku does not respond to issue reports, I have 38 them reported so far on version 12 rebooting and no useful responses from "support" or here on the forum.

[George42]

I guess the reality is when you have the best product on the market, you have a captive audience.  I would have tossed Roku to the curb, but all the reviews I read comparing Amazon and Google made sure I would buy Roku.  I can't expect the old people in my house to use their phones to watch TV (Google).