Visitor45763
Roku Guru
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Re: Favorites completely gone!
@sksR wrote: When it's actually set you stay in version 9.4 but go to dumb TV mode. That allows you to use favorites and quick channel check however the program guide is slightly different in version 9.4 compared to 9.2. I don't know as much about it as you do. All I know is that factory-reset (without internet) seems to return the tv back to what it came with. It looks much more like that than 9.4. The only thing that suggests it's 9.4 is that the version number remains displayed (in the "about" screen). Given everything else we've seen with Roku's sloppy/lazy software development, It seems reasonable to believe that's an oversight on their part. (I.e., there's not a lot of reason to believe they'd "find and fix it" when they don't expect people to even use the tv this way. They don't care about bugs that affect people using the tv the way it's expected to be used 99.9% of the time. It's hard to imagine they'd have high standards about a leftover(?) version number when it doesn't even matter.). @sksR ... it is not a solution for roku's bad software. When one views months (years!) of past customer complaints about bugs (and uninspired feature changes), there's no reason to believe Roku's going to straighten up and fly right. (I would be ecstatic if that happened. But, all signs point to this being a very dysfunctional business/customer relationship. With a long history. And, hoping for something better is delusional.) So, from that perspective, I'd say factory reset (without internet) most definitely is a solution for Roku's increasingly bad software. I'd love to be proven wrong. But, there's no evidence to expect anything different. If, as you suggest, the factory-reset (without internet) contains some part of the last update(s), IMO that's a good reason to do it sooner rather than later. Get out while the gettin's good. The way Roku treats its customers, I firmly expect them to break the "dumb tv" mode too, just to remove that option (keeping us monetized as "impressions" for ad and carriage-fee sharing, selling viewing habits, etc.). If the base (non-updated) version of software is being updated, we're just one update away from Roku breaking that too. All the more reason to protect one's tv from Roku making it worse. (I hope it's not that way for the sake of people who will be affected by future Roku updates. My advice to a new Roku TV buyer is to not connect the tv to the internet at all. Stay with what they've got, and distribute the risk across other connected devices. It's just getting worse, not better, after years of customers voicing the obvious.).3.8KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Roku recently started to over heat
There is a thread of others having that problem. You're going to get this response. Someone who followed that type of instruction replied with this. They received no further assistance. (Collusion tactics: nobody's responsible.). You could try: home>settings>system>power>restart. Especially if "fast-start" is enabled in that menu. Sometimes memory gets corrupted/stale, and never reloads fresh (even if you power off/on). Or, the so-called "cache clear:" Hit HOME 5 times. UP once. REWIND twice. FAST FORWARD twice. (Clears cache & tv reboots itself. Be patient. It takes 2-3 minutes for the tv to go black, and come back on) That does something other than restart. Nobody (including Roku) seems to know what it does. (All Roku has said is "there is no cache, [eye roll; silly customers]."). If that didn't work, I'd be looking at system>advanced>factory reset. But, during the initial setup tell it you'll connect to internet later. This uses less problematic software. Maybe the tv could be usable this way as a "dumb tv." Buy an inexpensive firestick, stream through HDMI. (Bonus: you'll protect your tv from Roku's untested updates which break tvs.). If the problem goes away without network, you can go to settings>network to create a connection & see if the problem returns (but, you'll be exposed to updates.).5.9KViews1like0CommentsRe: TCL 55" Roku TV screen is black but audio is still coming out
JennSm , I haven't done this. But, I thought shopjimmy has that info (which parts go for which tv models.). Seems like they'd know what a particular brand/model uses (or what you need to look for. A part number on an existing strip?). I would think that the hard part is determining whether the problem is one of the boards (power, tcon or motherboard). Or, if it's one of the backlight strips. I've seen videos showing how to narrow things down, but you need some tools. I've seen shopjimmy sells all the boards as a package. The idea being just replace them all for $50, and cross your fingers. If that doesn't work, then replace the strips (assuming SJ knows what you need, or how you can discover what you need). It looks like a person could have $120 USD into all of that. I think the risk would be that something is definitely happening with Roku's software updates (breaking tvs). Some kind of hardware variation Roku didn't test for. Maybe a revision to a tv model, a board in a model. Nobody knows. Something like that is definitely happening. So, if the black screen were due to that, it's possible all the new parts would be the same revision, and same problem. Nobody's trying to understand what the failure is with Roku's software. Roku blames tv makers. They blame Roku (rightfully). Another risk would be that one of these shotgun-approach boards/strips would fix the problem, and then the next untested Roku software update would break it again. IMO, the only way to safely use a Roku TV is disconnected from the internet. A "dumb tv" that you stream through an external device connected to HDMI. At that point, is it really worth putting more money into? It's the classic prisoner's dilemma. It's not fun to have such bad choices. If Roku let us disable updates, and roll back to a prior update which worked, it wouldn't be so abusive. Android does. If your tv goes black, you could go back to a prior update to see if it's black too. Then you'd have a better assurance that it really is a hardware failure. You wouldn't risk pouring money into something that the software has left behind.2.9KViews0likes0CommentsRe: How to fix Roku TCL TV that's stuck on recovery mode screen
Unfortunately, there is a very well known problem (but, still not acknowledged by Roku). Roku's going to tell you to talk to the tv maker (even though Roku's untested software updates cause the problem, and nobody can say how the tv maker caused that. I.e., "fingerpointing." They don't care.). In your case, I wonder if you have "fast start" enabled in home>settings>system>power? That's like hibernating a laptop forever. It never loads fresh software. I've seen someone say their tv was spared an untested update fate by that "fast start", and then when the tv lost power (months later)... the inevitable occurred (the loss of power caused the "hibernate/fast-start" memory to be lost; the untested update broke the tv.). It sounds like you might fall into this category. I.e., damaged by Roku months ago, but fast-start (which usually causes problems) prevented you from realizing the damage already done. You can look at home>settings>system>update to see when your tv was last updated. And, look at system>power to see if fast start is enabled. That's probably the start and end of your problem. You can look at that thread I linked to. Also, look for Roku-Danny & Mary's posts. Click on their profile to see their recent post activity. You'll see there's no help here. (Recently there was a captcha added to block bots. I noticed they stopped posting at that time. Now the captcha has been removed. They're posting again. I don't know. Just saying.). You're probably screwed now. Some people have fixed their perma-recovery by connecting to a different network (maybe a phone or laptop "hotspot", or take it to someone else's house. Make sure you tell them it's something Roku thinks is normal for their tvs). Or, just rebooting their own router. Someone else said they fixed it by unplugging the tv, and holding the power button for a minute to drain the electricity stored in the tv. Then hold the pinhole reset button on the back of the tv, plug it in, and continue to hold the pinhole button until the front light flashes or dims (about 15-20 seconds?). If you could get to the initial setup that way, you could try telling it you'll connect to the internet later (but don't), and see if that fixes it. (The network-less software is lighter, seemingly older, less problematic. You could stream through HDMI this way while protecting the tv from future untested updates.). But, for many people, none of that works. Roku won't have an honest conversation about it. So, you should prepare yourself for the likelihood you'll have to buy a new tv (unless you still have a warranty. Then, obviously, assert a claim.). I wonder where that guy is who said yesterday "don't be angry, Roku's good stuff; be patient" (loose quotes).5.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Favorites completely gone!
glend123 wrote: The only way they'll try to improve their products is if people stop buying them. I've got a feeling the tv makers could ditch Roku. Now that Android is on TV, and more makers (including Roku's first partner, TCL) are producing Android TVs. Not only that competition, but something looks very "off" about Roku's relationship with tv makers. Roku pushes the software updates out. Nobody knows who's testing updates before being pushed (or even if they're being tested. Everything looks like they aren't tested. Updates break tvs.). Then Roku blames the tv maker, saying they're responsible for everything. The collusion tactics are obvious. Roku doesn't want any clear lines of responsibility. I wouldn't be surprised if the tv makers want out of that toxic arrangement. Especially when they can contrast it to Android's mature & professional structure (between software and hardware). It looks like a no-brainer to me. Android allows turning off updates, and going back to an older version (I believe). TV makers are in control of pushing out updates. Not the scam of fielding all the complaints and blamed for something they didn't do. For me, the real key is how Roku acts like nothing's wrong. Like, if they can put on that act forever, nothing ever will be wrong. I think they're miscalculating that tremendously. The pandemic was a seeming windfall bring all these new customers. But, that's just that many more people to see the dark underbelly. It's not like any company is terrific. But, who does this? This is like Alan Arkin Catch-22 stuff. You wouldn't believe it unless you saw it yourself. There's that many more people potentially seeing it themselves. That many more people making it apparent to the tv makers ("Roku said it's your fault."). This latest "disaster" with the guide was interesting. People were acting like they were severely impacted (when you view one of twenty different guides online. I assume they could still watch channels. They just weren't getting information. Nothing was blocking their view of the channels the way it does if you don't have internet at all). If it was just loss of easily-replaced information, you'd think they'd be concerned with how UNTESTED, NON-OPTIONAL software updates can completely break their TV. And, how Roku acts like nothing's happening. "It's the tv maker who did it to you." IMO, if people get as excited as we saw yesterday about easily-replaced information & obvious system-wide outage (i.e, likely to be fixed since it affects everyone), you'd think they'd be disconnecting their tvs from the internet knowing they're just one untested software update away from being the random loser who is ignored and left behind (entirely, with no help or partial functionality). Someone remarked "why so angry?" I agree. Look at the real stuff to be angry about. Imagine how you'd feel if a NON-OPTIONAL, IRREVERSIBLE, UNTESTED software update broke your tv, and the abuser's only help is to blame the tv maker. If they're angry about a 2-day glitch, imagine how they'd feel with smiling Enzyte Bob giving them the canned send-off. TCL, Onn, et. al., must be seeing this stuff too. It seems to me they'd ditch Roku at the first opportunity.4.2KViews1like0CommentsRe: channel guide stopped working
Altpsych1 wrote: Would have been so easy to post a notice on this site so many would have not pulled out their hair in the search. We've been told already that Roku doesn't have the money for that (even though they're having a record earnings year.). BTW: CEO Wood sold over $160 million in Roku stock this month alone. But, nobody could call the help desk to inform them there was an outage affecting customers, and to expect calls. Instead, just let customers endure the torture of (mandatory, unyielding) scripted "now reboot your tv... We have to do this. I can't escalate to Level 2 until..." The customer always comes last.3.3KViews1like8CommentsRe: Favorites completely gone!
purrfectpatty , someone else posted that they called Roku phone support about the guide outage, and they weren't even aware of it. They wanted to do scripted troubleshooting steps. It's like Roku's not even trying. They didn't even inform the helpdesk "hey guys, we're having a guide outage. You may get some calls." Maybe the helpdesk was doing what every does. Just act like nothing's happening. "Thank you, we've passed it along." I've got a feeling that's a toxic place to work. It sounds like Hans Christian Andersen's "King wears no clothes." I bet people have to maintain a straight face and act like all this is normal, and productive, and cultivating goodwill among customers. Nothing wrong. It's free danish day in the cafeteria.3.7KViews0likes4CommentsRe: channel guide stopped working
DMB-44130 , there was probably no reason to talk to Roku phone support. It's a system issue. They can't do anything. But, your experience shows what anyone would assume/conclude from this forum. The phone support people apparently weren't even aware of a massive outage. That's confirmation of what this forum would suggest to anyone about support (and how serious Roku's effort is.). It's like they're not even serious. Wouldn't the phone support be the first people you'd tell? Being hung up on when deviating from the script is already reported by others. That's the robotic nature of Roku's "put you off till you can't take it anymore" style of support (which we see in the forum too). So, like other advice (about just being patient and wait for the problem to go away), you could probably have saved yourself aggravation by not contacting Roku's phone support. Whenever the guide comes back, you'd continue to be fat-dumb-happy (just one problem away from the very troubling reality that does exist.). I keep thinking of all the people whose tvs were broken by obviously untested updates. I bet they wish they'd had a potentially "pointless aggravation" with Roku's phone support (before their return window was closed.). Tell them they shouldn't be angry.3.3KViews0likes2CommentsRe: Roku TV can’t stay connected to Internet
@rose12251970 wrote: All were purchased in 12/2020. Everything was fine and all of a sudden, this week (Feb 21-27). It almost makes a person wonder if there's some "smart-tv" working against you (breaking your tv when it's not returnable anymore). I've seen more than one person speculate that this is happening at the 1-year mark.This is one of the reasons I disconnected my two Roku TVs from the internet, and stream through a $22 Firestick Lite connected to HDMI. I've seen enough of Roku's lack of care for customers to know that it's entirely possible they're engaging in "planned obsolescence." That's enough for me to protect my tvs. (Remember: Apple was found guilty and had to pay a hefty sum for doing this same thing. It's not paranoid to wonder if Roku's doing it.). The way Roku doesn't let us opt out of reckless software updates, nor roll back to a prior update that worked for us, this starts to look like "bait and switch." There's people who can't use their tvs at all anymore after an update. All Roku has to say is "I've passed it along." People bought Roku for Airplay. They can't use it (for months!).6.8KViews1like0Comments