LPWs are annoying me should I replace the Roku?

So I have a 4 tuner Tablo running the 2.2.7 beta 4 release which is equivalent to the 2.2.8 release. It definitely fixed the slow load times of the guide and recordings and REDUCED but not eliminate the loading please wait messages. I understand this is a problem on the Roku 3 side. My Roku 3 is old generation not the new gen (it doesn’t have the voice capability). Roku claims that the new Roku 3 is much faster than the previous ones so I am guessing faster cpu/ethernet/etc. My question is, is anyone using the latest generation Roku 3 with the latest firmware update and still getting LPWs? I still have to try the wireless but I can’t remember if the old roku 3s support ac wireless protocol or only n. Does anyone know? I do like to run the 1080 8MB recording option. If the new roku 3s are experiencing the problem any suggestions on a replacement for the roku with it’s functionality?
Many thanks.
Greg

Many forum members (myself included) are able to run 10mbps qualify settings without LPW on Android TV devices like the Nexus Player (currently around $50) and Shield TV (on sale for $150 for black friday). Android TV boxes also have great performance in other entertainment apps as well.

Android TV doesn’t (currently) have Amazon Prime Video or a native WatchESPN app, so you may miss some content, but similar to the Chromecast, it allows you to “cast” video from your phone to the Android TV device from hundreds of apps (WatchESPN included). However, almost all other major video providers have an app on the platform, and new apps are being added all the time.

Folks on the FireTV side also seem to have good luck with the Tablo app.

Is your Roku running hard wired or wireless?

I’m transitioning from my living room Roku to the Nexus Player… the Roku 3500X has given me major problems. After fast forwarding through a number of commercials on recorded content… the Roku locks up and reboots before the show is finished. I can’t tell whether it was the Roku update to V7.0 software, but there’s no way to go back. Roku support suggested contacting the Tablo folks.

So at any rate, I bought the Nexus player at Best Buy for $50, and I have to say that the Tablo app is significantly improved from what the Roku Tablo app has to offer, both in terms of features, as well as performance. It’s a lot slicker than what I was used to on Roku. Features wise, it appears to have just about everything everything that that the wep app has, and performance wise, I’ve not had a bit of trouble with reboots, LPWs, or any other issue. In fact, fast forwarding through commercials is significantly faster.

Another benefit of the Nexus Player is that it can easily play mp4 files I have stored on mt NAS drive. In instances where I have to do a factory restore on my Tablo, I try to save recorded content, as much as I can, with Tablo Ripper, which downloads them to my computer in mp4 format. I save these to my NAS drive, and play them through the nexus player with some free apps that I downloaded from the Google Play store.

The Nexus Player doesn’t do everything that the Roku does, so I can see the two coexisting on my living room TV for a while, but where there is overlap, the Nexus Player is superior in that it’s faster in accessing content than the Roku, and is much more responsive, for example, on the Youtube player.

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I’m currently running wired. I’m going to give wireless a try tonight as that supposedly works better.

Wired or wireless doesn’t matter still get LPWs going to try dropping the signal on the tablo to 1080 8 I think it is time to replace the roku 3 or supplement it at least. Family arriving in 2 hours and I’m going to give them a bad user experience, watching Thanksgiving football. Not Good.

@TabloTV @TabloSupport I know you have been able to recreate the lpw syndrome on older Roku 3s do you know if the problem exists on the new Roku 3s or 4s since the firmware update?

@gprzybyl - Yes, it does exist on all Roku 3s. It’s different from the one that affects Roku 4 but 2.2.8 does have a fix to counteract this.

That being said, streaming at high bandwidth is pushing the limits of what Roku was designed for. If your network isn’t 100% solid, you can still run into buffering issues.

If you are planning on replacing it, there are tons of great deals on the Nexus Player, Nvidia Shield, and Fire TV today through this weekend.

Thanks @TabloTV and @getcashmoney I believe I will get a shield and see how it goes.That seems to be the best out there right now though I will miss some of the channels vs the roku.

What channels would you miss most? There are some alternatives in some cases, except for Amazon prime and Watch ESPN particularly.

Actually in looking over the list Amazon is probably the only one we would miss though I don’t see Disney’s JR channel which just came out on Roku for Free. I might go Roku 4 I’m combing the Tablo forum now to see how they are working with Tablo then over to Roku’s forum to see what they say over there.

@gprzybyl I don’t currently own one, but judging by recent forum posts it seems like the Roku 4 performs similarly to the Roku 3 for the Tablo app. For some reason, the Roku 4 seems to perform almost identically to the Roku 3 even despite it’s much improved processor. Everyone on Android TV (that I have seen on the forums) is able to stream 1080p 10mbps quality without issue, which is relatively rare for the Roku platform. Even if/when the LPW are resolved on Roku, it will never be fully functioning like the Android TV/Fire TV/Web app due to the Roku platform limitations.

You also might consider using a receiver or HDMI switch and hooking up both a Shield and your old Roku, and switch to the Roku for any missing channels like Amazon Prime, and using the Shield regularly. Anyways, let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck!

@getcashmoney Maybe it’s because we share the same initial but I was thinking that exact thing myself. Wasn’t really inspired from what I’ve been reading on the Roku 4 here on the forums so might be that exact hybrid shield + existing roku 3. I think my receiver has 2 hdmi inputs I’m checking when I get home tonight. Have a good weekend and thanks for the thoughts!

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@gprzybyl - I have both the Roku 3 (last years version, not current model) and Roku 4 - and would agree that the Tablo app performs similarly on both. In fact, I don’t see any Roku UI improvement with Roku 4 over Roku 3 (not withstanding the Roku 4 interface is 1080p instead of 480p - so it looks a little prettier, but speed is really very similar).
However, the 4K streams from Amazon do look really good on the Roku 4…but that amounts to about 5 programs…so really not worth it at this time.

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Thanks all for the advice much appreciated!

I own one and wish I never got it. Nexus Player is better. Limitations is Brightscriptl and Roku. Android is more open and works better. I doubt we’ll see anything officially on Androidtv with the Amazon / Google streaming battle.