Roku app feedback thread

@rorie I think the issue for people that have the app crash on startup (myself included) is that they have been IP banned. I got it from this post:

https://www.giantbomb.com/forums/bug-reporting-33/giant-bomb-roku-app-1784003/?page=8#js-message-8614497

For example, I tried the Video Buddy on my home connection and it would not connect, but on my mobile connection it would. Is there anything you can do about this?

If you're IP banned on the site, I would email ipbans@gamespot.com with your home IP address and see if they can reverse it for you!

@rorie: Thanks, I'll try that. Just to be clear though I can get on the site just fine, but any Giant Bomb app, I can't.

This is weird. My Roku TV was working fine until 2 nights ago (using the Beta app). However, now it starts to load up, and immediately crashes. The regular app still doesn't work. In addition to this, since the whole IP ban kerfuffle, the Xbox One app will boot up but no videos appear. Meanwhile, the site is working fine for me. So I am just kind of left perplexed if this is all connected or what. I understand the Roku app isn't really your forte, same with the Xbox One app, so I don't really expect any kind of bending over backwards (especially since the site still works for me) but I am confused as to what is going on and if anyone has any fixes it would be much appreciated. I got kind of used to winding down to GB while getting ready for bed in the evening!

FYI, I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling both apps several times.

I'm not seeing any IP bans on the last IP you used to access the site, but it's possible that there might be something else going on with the apps. Let me see if there's anything I can do on my end.

For me, only the beta app works. And it seems like if I even look at the other older app sideways, the beta app stops loading. I wait a few days and then it works again. I guess I hurt its feelings or something.

I just deleted the old one and will use the beta until it's no longer viable.

Just curious what the build versions are supposed to be on the old app and the beta and if the old version is actually working for anyone.

Since there isn't a way to easily vote for features, I wanted to make it known that I would really like for the "Resume" feature to make it back into the new version of the Roku app. I've been using the Beta a lot recently and I really miss being able to pick back up videos from where I left off. I've been watching some very long videos (Mario Party Party series) and I like to watch about a half hour to an hour at a time and I'm forced to memorize or take a picture of the timestamp before closing the app. This is really inconvenient, suboptimal, and doesn't mirror functionality of watching videos on the website. The old version of the Roku app had this functionality already so I'm not sure why you guys decided to exclude it in this new version. Anyway I hope this feedback helps.

It would be nice of the order of the different video series made more sense. Quick looks are 21st in the list and freakin' "Betting The Farmville" is 4th.

An update:

I was not able to access any Giant Bomb apps on my home connection recently (Roku App, Video Buddy, Windows App) but I tried today and it worked. I didn't do anything different on my end. I did send an email to ipbans@gamespot.com asking if I was IP banned, but I heard nothing back

So, yeah.

Relatively new subscriber here. This may have been answered previously: is there any chance of getting the live streams in the app?

Also, count me as another vote for the resume feature.

My Roku can only play certain videos. I select play and it makes the noise->flashes to the loading bar->sends me back to the "play video" screen. Really frustrating because there's no rhyme or reason to which do and don't.

@bigcat8: Yes this is high on my list too. Whilst I can watch non premium live streams on YouTube on Roku, I miss the others. It should be possible as I have seen it on other Roku channels. If they take a look at *cough* IGN's Roku Channel it supports live streams.

@bobafeet: I had this. Try hitting the * key on your remote and link your account. Then quit and restart your Roku (cut power). It should then work.

same, just got my Roku and was looking forward to the ease of watching but the Giant Bomb channel crashes on startup every time :P

Not sure if anyone else is seeing this behavior, but ever since the Roku app was updated with the new UI, I've been having a weird issue with buffering. I'm on a Roku Ultra (4640X), and after watching a long video for about an hour (time varies), it will overrun the buffer and stop to load. This wouldn't normally be a big deal, but it appears that the app won't ever properly refill the buffer before playing again. The loading bar slowly fills to about half, then immediately jumps to full (I'm guessing this just means it gave up on buffering more?), the video plays for about 10-30 seconds, and then repeats the buffering process over and over.

I've noticed that if I tap rewind or fast-forward, then play, it will spend longer buffering and then continue playing for a much longer time (sometimes through the rest of the video). Perhaps this triggers a different buffering routine? I don't know how much the Roku SDK allows you to control buffering, but I will say neither the Youtube, Netflix, nor the old Giant Bomb apps have had this issue on my internet connection.

This app still crashes on startup for me, has there been any word on why this happens or if it will be fixed?

@nick: seems like they had a hidden beta channel but people were potentially being IP banned while using it (according to the other thread)

I have the roku 2 XD and the channel is failing to launch for over a month now. I have repeatedly deleted the channel then added the channel along with unplugging and plugging in the roku 2 but the channel fails to launch. I never have had this problem with any other roku 2 channels, including CBS affiliated roku 2 channels. Is it time to get CBS interactive IT involved or should I say farewell to GB forever? C'MON MAN!!!

Roku app crashes before a proper load now. My first forum post about the roku app was over a year ago and since that time it hasn't properly worked for more than a month at a time before a new issue pops up.

What kind of Roku are you using?

@rorie: Roku 3 4200x

The official app is broken like it has been for months, and the updated (beta) one hasn't been officially published on the Roku store.

But it sounds like the beta is partially broken too and causing IP bans for people, so now they're two busted Roku channels instead of one.

I am using a roku stick and it was working but now when I try to start up the app nothing is happening. just takes me back to the home screen!

Everything on Roku is still not working for me. Just canceled my premium, why pay for videos I can't watch? This whole situation has really gotten out of hand. Huge issue after issue, it's really turned me off to this site. I know you guys are a small team and all, but this is pretty ludicrous. Your primary form of content is VIDEO! How do you not make sure that everything dealing with video is good? I just don't understand. I've been a member of GB from the beginning, and a premium member since you guys introduced it. This is the only time I've felt like GB has crossed the line. Fan's of this site have overlooked so many issues that still plague the site, but come on. Enough is enough.

Am I being unfair here?

I am using the beta version of the Roku app on the 2014 Roku stick. I previously had the IP ban issue but after emailing support, I have no longer had the issue. A few notes.

1. As noted, the official Roku app is still the old, broken one. I understand Roku is being slow, but I wonder if you have spoken or contacted to them about getting the new one published. This affects me less because I am on the beta version, but I imagine it could be bothersome to others.

2. New (beta) app is slick and nice, but certain functionality no longer works. There's no longer a "resume playing" option for videos. They just play from the start each time. It used to do a very good job (like the website) of saving your spot in the video.

3. On the main screen, after you click a video (and have the option of hitting play), you can no longer hit left or right on the remote to go to the next or previous video. It could only be done from the main screen. Small quality of life quirk I wanted to note.

The IP ban stuff is pretty unacceptable but consider that some of these issues might be outside of their control for now

Just as a small update, I took home a Roku from the office and switched it on at home before E3; it looked like it did let me log into the beta channel and get in there without crashing. That at least would seem to clear out the IP ban stuff from being the cause of the crashing. This was a more recent Roku (4XXX model, if I recall correctly).

Sorry for the delay on news about this; E3 has been ruling everyone's life lately, but I know an engineer is poking around on this this week. We think that the new app might be calling the site too often at boot-up, which is probably causing some Rokus to error out. We haven't had much luck with getting Roku to approve the beta app lately, so we're going to take another look at it and see if we can reduce the amount of stress it's placing on Rokus when it boots up.

If you put in bug reports in this thread, it will help us if you can include the model number! We have a few Rokus in the office but if a specific generation or model of Roku are having more problems than others, that will help us narrow down the issues. And make sure you're on the beta app as that is the "real" one at this point.

Sorry again for the delays in getting this shipshape.

Putting in another vote here to have the resume watching feature added ASAP. Consuming my favorite content (GB) is very painful without it, thanks!

Roku hasn't been working for me for months. I've deleted, rebooted, then installed again, it just crashes at startup. It's a Roku 4. I'm lucky enough to have a PC hooked up to my setup but the Roku would be so much nicer.

Sometimes the Roku beta app will start working for me again, not sure what the trick is though. I've tried cycling power on the Roku, reinstalling the channel, jumping into other channels to try to clear any kind of caching going on. Now and then, the beta channel just works instead of kicking me back to the home screen.

I just got a new Roku Premiere+ and downloaded the GB App. Crashes immediately any time i try to open it. I've deleted and redownloaded a couple times but no luck. Any suggestions?

@excessdebris: Make sure you are downloading the beta app and not the one in the Roku App Store.

Downloaded the Beta, that seems to be working. Doesn't seem like there's nearly as many videos on the app though, and I did link my premium account.

@antihero: How do you get the Beta App for roku?

@excessdebris: https://www.giantbomb.com/forums/bug-reporting-33/roku-app-not-working-use-the-beta-version-1808125/

That should be all you need.

I'll be honest, the new app is pretty rough, seems to be a step back from the previous. Pretty slow initially load. Resume option for videos is a must. Categories order is all out of whack, was difficult to find E3 content since it put Events way down at the bottom and the recent category would get full with trailers. I rarely watch on my Roku now and instead prefer to use the awesome Android TV app that was made by a fan. https://www.giantbomb.com/forums/general-discussion-30/amazon-fire-tv-android-tv-the-giant-bomb-enthusias-1805547/

The Roku app is working fine on my old stick, but the content is limited no hitman, no upf archive, and only 26 episodes of the Persona 5 endurance run. Still all the new stuff is getting on there regularly.

Another vote for the resume feature...

Yeah, the resume feature is definitely needed. It's really frustrating considering the length of the videos.

Just checking in if there's been any progress on a resume feature. It's absence has really made the app less usable.

Looks like they pushed a beta update today that adds resume.

The new channel is uglier though since the thumbnails they're pulling are too low res for that spotlight row, and there's still no rhyme or reason to the category layout.

My smart TV hasn't been able to start the app for months. I've updated, reinstalled and nothing seems to get it to start up anymore. All other roku apps work, just not Giant Bomb.

The beta app use to work for me, but it just had me relink my account, and now it's not working. When I put the code in, the website accepts it, but the app still says it's not linked.

The non-beta app just crashes immediately for me. I haven't been using the roku app for very long (maybe a few months), but I've see it have all sorts of problems. Is this pretty much the norm with the Roku app?

Load time on the new updated (beta) app is a bit rough, but navigation seems quicker, and I'm also happy to have resume back. Not sure why they're loading in so many sub-series (Betting the Farmville, Vinnyvania) every time the app loads. On top of that things like the Persona 4 endurance run only show 24 videos, so it's really not going to be of any use if someone is looking to watch anything past that.

Really I'd be happy with the most recent 20 videos and a search bar.

Glad to see work is still being done though, thank you!

Got the new beta app yesterday and tried out the resume feature on the latest Beast in the East, seems to work well.

I did have the video glitch out and give me a green screen twice. Rewinding a minute or so and restarting fixed the issue, this is with a Roku Streaming Stick, the newest revision

Thanks for the feedback. As someone mentioned above, an update to the beta app was released recently. The front facing additions are the layout change of the landing page and the addition of the resume functionality. We're waiting on Roku to approve the app before it goes out to the audience at large.

We will be working on fixing the bugs reported in regards to the site linking and video glitch. Also a layout change to the front door to improve performance is also in the works. Keep the suggestions coming.

Breaking Brad doesn't show up as a video category (unless I am missing it somehow in the massive list of lists).

Neither app will open for me today on my Sharp Roku TV. Tried re-downloading and restarting the system, but nothing works.

I've been running the beta app, it works well, but does it have a search function? i didn't see it but i may have just missed it.