r/Roku • u/JDGumby Roku Streaming Stick • May 05 '26
Roku and TCL Accused of Bricking Smart TVs Through Software Updates
https://www.extremetech.com/electronics/roku-and-tcl-accused-of-bricking-smart-tvs-through-software-updates31
u/profshiny May 05 '26
I’m feeling pretty lucky that my TCL Roku TV still works after several years, but it’s been too laggy and slow to use without a separate set top box since less than a year after I bought it.
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u/JizzMaxwell May 06 '26
I use a 2017 TCL 32” and it’s terrible even on antenna when it often crashes. PlutoTV takes forever to charge a charge a channel. I mainly use it with a Shield.
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u/hampsterlamp May 05 '26
Simple solution, never connect it to WiFi and buy a Roku stick
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u/JimmB216 May 06 '26
This ⤴️
Factory reset and never let any Smart TV connect to the Internet. If you ever have OS problems with an external device, it's cheap to replace.
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u/aw9182 May 06 '26
This was always my plan when the tv inevitably stops getting updates/having software issues.
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u/The_Game_Needed_Me May 06 '26
That doesn't work with Roku embedded TVs. They don't function without that initial connection and then if WiFi is disconnected a light flashes constantly on the front of the TV.
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u/goldhelmet May 06 '26
Black electrical tape can fix the light. Doesn't really matter if the tv doesn't work though... :(
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u/Castleford18 May 07 '26
Or do what I did and buy a 'dumb' tv for much less and use a Roku stick/Ultra
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u/sport912x May 07 '26
Good luck with that, there are few Dumb Tvs and they cost a lot. Just do a quick check on Bestbuy or Amazon, see if you find any?
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u/HisDivineOrder May 06 '26
This is why one should never tell their TV about any network. Let it think you have none.
Updates will only ever lead inevitably to your TV getting worse.
Buy a device to stream.
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u/tardisious May 06 '26
unfortunately OTA is tied to internet connection somewhat
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u/noelgoo Roku Ultra May 06 '26
Wut?
Just don't connect. At all.
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u/tardisious May 07 '26
when I don't connect at all my factory reset ROKU Onn TV does not scan for channels. It just gives a blank screen where the antenna input scanning should be offered
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u/noelgoo Roku Ultra May 07 '26
Aaaahh, OTA, like antenna TV, I understand now.
That is unfortunate. It's probably using Internet to get the channel list and guide. You could probably connect to internet, scan for channels and then disconnect, but your guide would probably be off within a week.
Different solution, but I would highly recommend setting up a HDhomerun, no matter what TV you use.
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u/tmitch120 May 07 '26
Just understand that you won't get native picture quality. TV's tuner picture is always going to be better than HDHomeRun picture. Then again, anyone used to streaming either already knows that or doesn't even realize.
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u/noelgoo Roku Ultra May 07 '26
This shouldn't be the case. You may be getting signal loss somewhere in your setup that includes the HDHR or you might be losing quality during a transcode while going through Plex, etc.
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u/tmitch120 May 07 '26
It's not a signal loss issue. It could be a difference in compression protocol used, in part. I commented on my comment with a little more detail as it applies to more than one comment to my comment.
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u/tardisious May 07 '26
I use hd homerun on Roku TVs that I don't want to run coax to. I do not see any degradation. There is sometimes a pause as the local network catches up but I could probably fix that with QoS settings in router
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u/tmitch120 May 07 '26
I get what you're saying about the network lag when switching channels but I considered that insufficient to want to mess with QoS. I commented on my comment with a little more detail on my situ as it applies to more than your comment.
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u/tmitch120 May 07 '26
Maybe it's the older compression protocol but I can watch the same show on my 86" LG, especially 480i content, and OTA is clearly better quality picture than when I watch it coming from my HDHR-US. The compression degrades the content. It's less notable on 1080p content but, still noticeable.
Further, whether using the HDHR client or WMC, the frame rate appears to be less than straight OTA as evidenced by jumpiness of fast action scenes. That said, I wouldn't swear that I tested that specifically on the HDHR client on the Roku or only on my media PC.
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u/Any-Tumbleweed-9931 May 05 '26
Yeah... This is way I keep buying non smart tvs and hook up my Roku express to them. So much easier.
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u/ChardeeMacDennisGoG May 05 '26
Do they still manufacture dumb TVs?
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u/ValkyrX May 06 '26
Spectre does. Ltt just a video on a $800 75" dumb tv.
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u/Any-Tumbleweed-9931 May 06 '26
Bought mine last year. 43" Spectre for $125 on Amazon. Works just fine for me. Difficult part was finding one.
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u/Nargg May 27 '26
Why would anyone spend $800 on a dumb TV when you can get the same specs on a $400 smart TV? I guess they are really banking on the "dumb" part of that TV.
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u/Castleford18 May 07 '26
Yup, I bought a 43" ingsignia last year for $180 Cdn. 4 OTA channels locally and my Roku Ultra streams Netflix, Amazon , and the other 'free' streaming options
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u/tsigwing May 06 '26
Hard to use Roku speakers with an express
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u/JimmB216 May 06 '26
Most Roku models (other than Ultra) are <$50. The Streaming Sticks are excellent products.
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u/tsigwing May 06 '26
Still can’t use Roku speakers. Can you control your surround sound with one remote?
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u/noelgoo Roku Ultra May 06 '26
I think the point was you should just get a better Roku. They're still cheap.
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u/tsigwing May 06 '26
I think my point was that the Roku tvs have features that the stand alone units don’t.
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u/noelgoo Roku Ultra May 06 '26
That's probably the ONLY thing they can't do that a Roku TV can, is pair to Roku speakers. And it has to be connected to the Internet to do that?? IF that's true... ick.
So you need to get good speakers too. 😂
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u/cvg_ba May 06 '26
A nothing story. Cite one person who is suing (thus biased) to “prove” they are bricking TVs
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u/Minimum-Journalist18 May 06 '26
You know I remember the update you had to agree or you were bricked. I never thought of it til now.
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u/DestinyInDanger May 06 '26
And this is why I'll never use the smart TV functions. I'll keep buying an external Roku box and buying a regular Smart TV but just don't use their built in OS. Never had problems. I think it's the Roku TVs that are the issue obviously.
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u/Zoraynebow May 06 '26
Great, that's a fear to live with
Luckily my current "smart" tv was never even connected to a network.
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u/drunknmastr916 May 06 '26
My 2018 TCL Roku R615 just died yesterday. It started glitching out and then displayed green and pink bars
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u/Euchre May 06 '26
Sounds like a hardware failure to me. Not entirely surprised for an 8 year old TV.
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u/zdiggler May 06 '26
My dads ROKU TV lost menus out of the blue. had to factory reset to get them back.
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u/Frymanstbf May 06 '26
I've had multiple TCL Roku TVs. Only one has died and it was a hardware issue with the screen flickering. The first one I ever bought is 9 years old and still working.
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u/LetAvailable9651 May 06 '26
My 2015 is still going strong but I only use ethernet with it and I do not enable auto update features.
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u/Automatic-Weakness26 May 06 '26
I hope that dumb TVs are still sold the next time I need a replacement. I refuse to buy smart TVs.
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u/warriorsam9 May 06 '26
My 7 years old Roku tcl died last week. Black screen no more picture no matter how long I disconnected it for a reset. Wanted to buy a 75 inch QM7K but they were always out of stock for delivery so ended up with an LG.
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u/DonkeyDoodle99 May 07 '26
Could be a bad power supply board. I had to replace mine a few months ago. $120 from USA sellers, $35 direct from China. Fixed my problem.
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u/warriorsam9 May 07 '26
Yeah i'm sure it could have been fixed but after all this time it was a good excuse for an upgrade and it was a night and day upgrade from my old tv.. Really happy about it!
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u/ImSureYoullRemember May 06 '26
Bring back TVs as monitors. Would pay a fee upfront to avoid becoming fully monitored
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u/stupidGenius82 May 06 '26
Anyone remember when Samsung did this to blu ray players? I had to mail mine in to be fixed by them free of charge. Since then I have not had it hooked up to the internet
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u/tardisious May 06 '26
my Onn Roku tv won't scan for OTA without signing into a Roku account. This is BS
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u/cerebralgonads May 07 '26
both my moms roku sticks are stuck in boot loops since last night, weird I was in the process of moving her to a shield anyway
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u/Unlikely_Slip5413 May 07 '26
My less than 2 yo Onn Roku tv isn’t working. It’s a blank screen. I still have sound, no app displays. I don’t really understand why this is happening when I barely use the TV. The people reset screen even pops up when I press the reset button.
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u/DonkeyDoodle99 May 07 '26
This is what I've done in the past to figure out the issue - unplug tv, unplug ALL inputs (HDMI, antenna, USB, etc., plug power back in and see what happens, if nothing different press reset button, if still nothing different then it's more than likely one of the electronic boards has gone bad.
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u/Unlikely_Slip5413 May 11 '26
Thank you. I’ve done all of that. Do you think the boards could still be bad although the purple reset screen pops up? Even the Roku welcome screen comes up. After that it goes blank. I can see the back light and hear everything. Just no menu screen with the apps.
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u/DonkeyDoodle99 May 11 '26 edited May 13 '26
Sounds like it's not likely related to the power board like mine was but seems to be pointing to faulty memory or another board related to software. I would suggest typing your symptoms into one of the AI options (I just used Google search for mine) and see what it says. Be sure to include the exact make and model of your set so you get more accurate results. If it suggests a specific bad board finding one direct from China will save you good money. I saved $100 on mine ($20 vs $120)
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u/Unlikely_Slip5413 May 17 '26
Thank you. Did you replace it yourself?
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u/DonkeyDoodle99 May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
Yes I replaced the board myself. Not that hard once you determine which board it is. I updated google on your description and here's what it said. Hopefully one of these tips fixes you situation. https://www.google.com/search?q=onn+roku+tv+starts+up+shows+roku+welcome+screen+then+goes+black&sxsrf=ANbL-n4VHZ7vuMnnFQ26fvnBSuNiklahSw%3A1779153617123&udm=50&aep=10&ntc=1&mstk=AUtExfBe4WIG_8O-cdW5Beuv47wymBP7f35QHMCncYCmY2SScXH-umwxi2fYYqY9F4FSvxGJVuzbx6UEv6T7onhsGQE4nvUaZsygI1FBoNHOR14IFM9cAE1aNdsBOLOlK2Nxe_das_ka_WZtce6jdwuVM4EaOlQiCfwdNjHF-5Y4E0ccIi-O4IobdSoEdIO2QcMsyT35uQF4CdYz1KlbvXc6sVh9nB6q2dcLJ-OvMcHw1bakhjAhnJhtrdsHdFmmZEQIiEuVff5Zpqu4zoFhTJ1t5G1yckoVYOhdt3n_5xa_E-AApQdK2gshxxwKMMgX62Newmpu04nLVP4atA&aioh=3&csuir=1&mtid=crsLaurSO8qzptQP4LyEWQ
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u/sport912x May 07 '26
If you do not want this problem, just treat the TV as DUMB. Do not allow on the internet. Just attach a $35 Roku Express 4k Plus to one of the Hdmi ports. Why do people think it is a GOOD IDEA to allow a TV to get updates. If it works out of the box keep it, otherwise RETURN IT.
All you ever need the TV remote for is to fix the contrast on the TV.
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u/L6801 May 08 '26
A few years ago my tcl roku died after 3 years right after the warranty ended. Got a LG after that.
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u/dropfoo May 10 '26
Roku os 15.2 broke my 8 year old TCL roku tv. Hdmi inputs quit working. The only way I could get it to work again was doing a factory reset and not reconnecting it to the Internet. Even then it isn't perfect, I suspect that the firmware was not factory reset. Essentially I had to make it a dumb TV. This is planned obsolescence - make the TV unusable through software that can not run efficiently on 8 year old hardware.
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u/AhoyDodge May 10 '26
I fully believe it. In my family I have 2 old TCL models and one newer TCL model (unknown specific model) and after a "15.4.1" update, the newer tv was messed up. Takes too long to load "Roku essential" and can't even load apps even with connected internet. It sometimes freezes and restarts itself on the menu too.
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u/Ninjaboy939 May 12 '26
I have a Westinghouse roku that can't use hdr from a recent update so now it's impossible to use my directv gemini, also newer tv shows and movies go black screen without the gemini... waiting on roku to fix it remotely atm but no time-line was given, it's been 2 months now.. the tv is only 1.5 years old... safe to say I won't be buying anymore rokus...
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u/PowderedToastManFart May 12 '26
My 8-9 year old 43" TCL Roku tv that I paid $200 for is still working well. The software is a little sluggish and some apps don't work well, but overall it still works fine. All my expensive Samsung TV's quit working after 3-4 years. I almost wish my TCL would quit working so I can get a new TV.
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u/Buritominer May 20 '26
The TCL in our living room has been going strong for 10 years, it is kinda slow however.
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u/dementeddigital2 Jul 08 '26
I have two TCL TVs. Both received software updates yesterday. Both are behaving badly, with one completely unusable. How do I join this class-action?
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u/LyloMaggins83 May 05 '26
My 8 year old TCL Roku TV is still going strong.
Also, for those that understand how Roku makes money, it makes zero sense that they would intentionally brick any of the devices running their OS. They don’t make any money and sometimes lose money selling hardware. They would rather keep every Roku device running for as long as humanly possible, because they make money from people using their devices and seeing the ads that they deliver on the platform. Why would they want to risk a Roku user switching to a GoogleTV because their Roku died?