Forum Discussion

Dean3's avatar
Dean3
Channel Surfer
9 months ago

Roku Streaming player TV screen is black with sound

when the episode/program would first start up, do you get the purple time line at the bottom, and the episode info at the top? I did. there was also a "captions and audio track" label on the lower left, for a brief time. Try as I might, including scrolling thru ALL the settings, AND unplugging, plugging, I couldn't find a way to change that setting. Finally found under "Display type" that Roku couldn't detect the resolution for my tv and was set on automatic (720p); so what the heck, I clicked on Manual Settings and checked 720p TV - it worked! let's hope it holds! By the way, on initial setup the same couldn't detect came up, but there was a prompt for use 720p anyway..........

app playback

13 Replies

  • DanieWild's avatar
    DanieWild
    Reel Rookie
    2 years ago

    Everything else like channel guide etc is showing up fine, so I'm thinking it's not the TV 

    • Dean3's avatar
      Dean3
      Channel Surfer
      9 months ago

      thanks for your suggestions. It seems to have not been a connector or tv problem, and so far is resolved, i posted a more complete description in my reply to

       
       

       

       

      Mal4romcal sorry I don't have how to reply to several people at once.
  • PTWallace's avatar
    PTWallace
    Channel Surfer
    9 months ago

    This is obviously a software or firmware fault in the Roku device - nothing to do with the TV, which displays normal behavior on all the other HDMI settings that can be selected.

    Playing a YouTube video, showing a completely black screen (but with sound), pressing the Back button brings up the YouTube page with everything visible as normal, except for black in the one I'm trying to view.

    A system reset has always (so far) fixed the problem for another 24-48 hours, but is a nuisance. And why has it only just started to happen?

    • Dean3's avatar
      Dean3
      Channel Surfer
      9 months ago

      i upgraded my old streaming stick to a Roku Express 3960RW and the incompatibility started on day one. Please refer to my reply to Mal4romcal for the whats and how it's now fixed!

    • PTWallace's avatar
      PTWallace
      Channel Surfer
      9 months ago

      p.s.  I should have been clearer. I have a Roku Express streaming device, not a Roku smart TV. I am having the problem with what the Roku box is sending to my (vintage Pioneer plasma) TV via HDMI.

      • Gbrock's avatar
        Gbrock
        Channel Surfer
        9 months ago

        Have you tried the Roku on another tv? Also try another device on the HDMI port to make sure that the port isn't the issue. If the Roku doesn't work on other TVs either then try to use a different HDMI cord. Try all of these things and let me know how it goes. 

  • Dean3's avatar
    Dean3
    Channel Surfer
    9 months ago

    Hi, my problem was with the Roku Express 3960RW streaming player, don't have a Roku TV. Please refer to my reply to Mal4romcal elsewhere in my post for the description. It seemed to reset itself after 3 days of having to redo the display settings

  • Sgooter1's avatar
    Sgooter1
    Newbie
    8 months ago

    Add me to the list: Starting about 2 weeks ago, both of my Express 4K+ players have frequently exhibited the "black screen with sound" problem. This happens both at the start of using the Roku and also after the Roku has been in use for 30 minutes or more. My two Rokus devices are about 2-3 months old. My temporary solution has been to restart the Rokus, then re-connect with my WiFi signal.

    I've been happily using Roku's since 2017 with no issues until now.

    We need a fix for this problem or Roku should issue a recall of these Express 4K+ players.

    • RokuEmmanuel-D's avatar
      RokuEmmanuel-D
      Community Moderator
      8 months ago

      Thanks for reporting this issue here in the Roku Community, Sgooter1!

      We acknowledge that you're encountering issues with your Roku devices and want to help you resolve them.

      To effectively address your concern, we kindly ask you to provide us with more detailed information regarding your problems. This will help us better understand your situation and offer you the most appropriate support.

      Let us know...

      • When did you first notice this issue? 
      • Are you encountering this while playing a channel? Is it across all channels or only to a specific channel?
      • Did you receive any updates recently? If so, can you please provide the latest version of your Roku? It can be found in Settings > System > About. 
      • Have you tested it on another TV to see if it behaves the same way?
      • Have you tried changing the HDMI Cable on your TV? 
      • A short video of the incident showing the exact behavior of this issue. 

      We are anticipating your prompt response. 

      All the best,
      Emman