Solving playback issues

[flexible]

Last night for the first time when I switched to the Roku, the picture aspect ratio had suddenly changed so that the picture did not fit the full screen as it had previously. The image size went from 27 ½” w x 15” h to 20 1/2”w x15” h. The change affects all Roku screens and all Roku channels and their videos.

In contrast, when I watch my regular tv channels which don’t use the Roku, the images fit the screen properly. I have done:

• Soft and hard device resets
• Manually setting display to 1080p and 720p
• Updating software (I checked, already up to date)
• Powering the Samsung TV, cable box, and Roku off and on 

However, the problem remains. The Roku 1 options do not provide the ability to directly change the picture size. Everything else seems to work fine on the Roku – for example, I can stream, change channels, etc. I would appreciate any suggestions to fix this.

[RokuTannerD]

@flexible  Thanks for the note here. I took a look and no updates have been pushed out to your model of Roku device during the time period you described. A couple things to try that should help clear up the issue: 

1. Remove the HDMI cable from your Roku device and your TV. Swap the ends of the cable and reconnect it to your TV. 

2. Replace the HDMI cable that connects your device to your TV. 

3. Connect the Roku device to a different HDMI port on the TV. 

4. When the Roku device is connected, try adjusting picture options on your TV. Look for any options to adjust the picture mode, aspect ratio, or other settings. I would also recommend contacting your TV manufacturer to inquire further and see if they have any recommendations or troubleshooting to provide. 

5. As a last resort troubleshooting step, you might try performing a factory reset on the device from Settings>System>Advanced system setting>Factory reset. This will clear all data, channels, and login information from the device, and allow you to set it up again from scratch. 

Give these steps a try and let us know what you discover! 

Thanks,

Tanner

[flexible]

Thanks so much for your reply. Suggestions Nos. 1 and 2 didn't work. Regarding No. 3, the TV only has one HDMI port. Regarding No. 4, the picture is fine when I watch tv through my cable tv provider, just not  the roku which has no screen size settings. I don't want to change the screen size using the tv controls because that will mess up the picture for my regular cable tv viewing which, as indicated, is fine. No. 5, the factory reset, didn't work.  Any other suggestions? Thanks.

[RokuTannerD]

@flexible Is your cable box also connected to the TV via HDMI? If not, it could be the HDMI port on the TV experiencing an issue. I would recommend trying to see what other display settings you can adjust on the TV. If that still isn't resolving the issue, I would recommend connecting the Roku to a different TV to test it, and see if it displays normally. If it does, this may also point to an issue with the TV itself. 

Keep us posted from there! 

Thanks,

Tanner

[flexible · Accepted solution]

Tanner,

Thanks for your additional response. I was finally able to get the Roku working properly. It turns out the cable box was using an HDMI port. I switched the connections and attached the Roku to the cable box port and the cable box to the Roku port, rebooted both and both are now working properly. Do you have any idea what happened here? Thanks again so much.

Flexible

[RokuTannerD]

@flexible  No idea! But, I'm glad you were able to get the issue sorted out.

Over time, HDMI ports and cables can wear out, pins can become damaged inside the ports, dirt/dust can accumulate, etc. It's possible that this may have started to happen with that port, but I can't say for sure. 

Happy Streaming! 

Tanner

[ShoeLova]

I am having a similar issue.  I have done a factory reset on my Roku and TV, changed the HDMI ports, changed HDMI cables and unplugged it multiple times.  This just randomly happened.  When I check for system updates there are none.  Why is this randomly occurring?  The information for both my TV and Roku are below.

Roku Software Version: 9.2.1

Build: 4090

TV Model: Vizio V505-G9

Version: 2.40.21

[Jennam]

Hi! Mine is suddenly in the wrong ratio as well. I have read the steps suggested and even factory reset it, but nothing works. My TV channels are not in this ratio, it is only the Roku. I have no cable box. 

[Burdine]

I am having the same issue: it’s on two Roku devices in my house in completely different rooms with different tv’s and Roku devices. Tried unplugging and resetting. It seems super zoomed in and ratio is definitely off. 

[motonick24]

Just throwing this out there in case any of these solutions aren't solving your problem. 

I've got a Roku attached to a Vizio TV in my office. Couldn't find any settings on either the Roku or TV menu's that made a difference. My wife stumbled upon a button on the remote that actually controlled the screens zoom level (Wide, Narrow, Zoom, etc...) and that ultimately was the fix. It also made sense as to why the problem popped up in the first place because the kids were probably pushing buttons. Frustrating that there is a physical button on the remote that controls a setting, but we couldn't find the same setting in the menu... 

Hope this helps somebody.