Roku Addresses Issues with HDR Streaming Color Discrepancies

Recent concerns have arisen from a software update causing color issues in HDR streaming.

Amidst complaints of fading color quality in HDR streams on Disney Plus, Roku is actively investigating. According to discussions on the Roku issue tracking board, the problem isn't restricted to Disney Plus but seems to affect a broad range of applications on Roku TVs, following a recent software revision.

A post by Roku's community moderator, known as RokuEmmanuel-D, updates users on the company's ongoing inquiry. They are specifically looking into Disney Plus HDR content that appeared faded following the latest update. Users are encouraged to describe the affected content, specify their TV model, and indicate their software version.

Initial feedback primarily identified Disney Plus on TCL models as the problem, with reports of app menus displaying normal colors while HDR content appeared dull. Exhibits from the Disney Plus series Andor, viewed on two distinct televisions, illustrate how typically robust colors have become notably drab.

As the reports grew, similar issues were noted with platforms including YouTube TV, Netflix, Apple TV Plus, and Amazon Prime Video. Some users found the malfunction on Hisense Roku TVs too, not just TCL models. Intriguingly, one user reported satisfactory HDR performance using an HDMI connection from a PS5, and another saw no issues when streaming from a 4K Blu-Ray player, suggesting the glitch may be isolated to Roku's streaming and not involve broader firmware complications. Contributors indicated their televisions, comprising both Hisense and TCL models, were operating on Roku software version 14.5.

HDR content often suffers washed-out or muted colors if a TV's brightness isn't sufficient for optimal HDR visuals. This reason prompted me to disable the feature on my older, budget TCL Roku TV. Reports, however, highlight something more significant, describing Roku as rendering desaturated, almost monochrome images under HDR settings. While the extent of the issue's prevalence remains uncertain, parallel discussions have surfaced on Reddit, describing washed-out visual results, with unaffected app menu displays. The Verge has reached out to Roku for comment but has yet to receive a response.