Solving playback issues

[Apesbrain]

I recently upgraded to an Ultra connected to my Samsung HDTV via HDMI.  When I switch the HDTV input from cable to Roku I find that Roku is in the middle of playing a movie - always the same movie!  How do I disable this?  I want to switch to Roku and go to its home page.  Thanks.

[DBDukes]

@Apesbrain 

A couple of things could be going on.

First, a Roku device doesn't really care if the HDMI port to which it's connected is active. That means you can change the input on the TV to another input and the Roku will keep streaming, if it was already streaming. So, when you're done watching Roku, it's always -- always, I repeat -- a good idea to exit to the Home screen via the Home button. Simply changing the input, or turning off the TV doesn't stop the Roku from streaming.

Note: Depending on the CEC settings and capabilities of the TV plus the Roku device settings, turning off the TV can stop the Roku from streaming. This is not always default behavior, depending on the TV.

The power button on a Roku remote is NOT for the Roku. Roku devices don't actually power off. The power button on a Roku remote is for the TV and only for the TV.

Might what I've provided give you enough information?

[Apesbrain]

^Thanks, I have disabled CEC on the Roku because it caused a conflict with the Verizon FiOS remote.  Will try to remember to exit to home screen before switching out of Roku.

[Apesbrain]

I still see this happening quite often.  I'll have been watching Netflix via Roku, then turned off my Samsung TV.  Next day, I turn on TV and watch cable for a while.  If I then switch to Roku, it is in the middle of playing a movie from my Plex server.  Typically, it will be whatever last movie I added to my Plex library.

I've disabled CEC on the Samsung TV.  I don't see that Roku has an option to "auto-play" and I don't see Plex having a setting for "auto-play" either.

Any idea how I can turn this off?  Thanks.

[RokuDanny-R]

@Apesbrain

Thanks for the post.

When you are done using your Roku device, are you making sure to return to the Home screen before turning off your TV, or are you simply turning off your TV?

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

Thanks,
Danny

[Apesbrain]

@RokuDanny-R , thanks for your response.  Typically, I have been watching Netflix the previous evening and, without returning to Roku home, have switched input to cable TV, then later turned TV off.  I understand the suggestion to always return to Roku home, but it's odd that when I return to Roku the next day it's not still on Netflix, but instead has switched to Plex.  Also, the position in the movie that is playing corresponds very closely with when I turned my TV on to watch cable some number of minutes earlier.

It's as if Roku, a few minutes after I started watching cable, decided by itself to start playing, selected the first app (Plex), and played the first movie in queue.

I just tried turning my TV on and immediately switching to Roku.  It was at the home page.

[RokuDanny-R]

@Apesbrain
Thanks for the post.

Are you still experiencing the same issue when you return to the Roku Home screen when you are done streaming content?

Please keep us posted what you find out.

Thanks,
Danny

[Apesbrain]

Yes, I am still experiencing the same issue, but not every time.  I am starting to wonder if it might be associated with using Google Assistant to turn on the TV.  Saying "Hey Google, turn on the Bedroom TV" could possibly be turning on both the TV and the Roku.  I am going to try changing the name of my Roku to see if that makes a difference.

It would be interesting to know if turned on via voice command without any further instruction, does the Roku just start playing the first thing it sees, e.g. last watched program on first installed app?

[renojim]

@Apesbrain, Rokus don't turn off, so there's nothing to turn on.  If it keeps happening try taking the batteries out of the remote when you're finished using it to see if the next time you turn on the TV it's in the middle of something.

[Apesbrain]

Something I just noticed that may be related to this behavior: when watching cable on my 2021 Samsung 4KTV, some (not all) of the Samsung remote commands also cause the light on the front of my Roku Ultra to blink.  If Samsung and Roku share some IR commands, that might explain why Roku is in the middle of playing something when I switch to its input.

As you might expect, the same is true when using the Verizon cable TV remote.  The "channel up/down" buttons get a blink from the Roku; the "volume up/down" do not.