Solving playback issues

[HossPete]

I am using a Roku Ultra on a 70" Vizio.  When watching anything through my Roku, it randomly drops the video for 4-5 seconds.  The audio stays, but the video goes black.   I am running my Roku through a Yamaha Surround Sound Receiver.  Everything else I run through the receiver (TV antenna dish, DVD player, Amazon Fire Stick) works fine - it's JUST the Roku.

I reset it, then powered it off and it worked better for a minute, now it's back to dropping the video.  There is no prediction to the drop - sometimes it's ten seconds between drops, sometimes two minutes.  The drop is always 4-5 seconds long.  Seems to me it's some kind of synch issue.  It worked flawlessly for the last year - this new thing just started a week ago.  Was there an update with a glitch or something?

ANY HELP on this would be appreciated.  Makes my Roku unwatchable and my subscription to Sling TV for football season is useless.   Any suggestions on how to fix this?

[RokuEmmanuel-D · Accepted solution]

Welcome, and thanks for sharing it here in the Roku Community, @HossPete!

We understand that you are experiencing a video dropout issue with your Roku Ultra. Rest assured that we're here to diagnose this matter and ascertain the underlying cause of the problem.

Have you tried connecting it directly to the TV's HDMI port? If not, we suggest trying that to see where the problem could be coming from. Also, you may need to change the HDMI cable connected from your Roku Ultra to your receiver to see if that makes any difference. 

We are eager to know your thoughts. 

All the best,
Emman

[HossPete]

I did connect it straight to the TV's HDMI and it seemed to correct the issue.  I went back and traced the issue:

A) Anything plugged into my Yamaha Receiver was fine w/ no drop out EXCEPT my Roku player (connected are: DVD, Cable Antenna, Amazon Fire Stick)

B) Roku plugged directly into TV was fine w/ no drop out (tried two different HDMI cables - both were the same...fine)

C) Roku plugged into Yamaha receiver HDMI input #1  experienced drop-out constantly

Leads me to assume that the issue is with the connection to the Yamaha receiver (refresh rate? Synch?).  In a test, I unplugged the Roku from Yamaha input #1 and tried a different HDMI port (#3).  Seems to be working with no drop out.  Perhaps it is an issue with that particular HDMI port on my Yamaha receiver, or an update that is needed on the receiver itself?   Regardless, it is working for now - we'll see if it continues to work

[RokuEmmanuel-D]

Thanks for keeping us posted, @HossPete!

We're pleased to hear that you're back on track and can now stream without interruptions. If you continue to experience issues, please don't hesitate to reach out again, and we'll assist you further.

Happy Streaming!💜

All the best,
Emman