There is a workaround to this issue available in the latest Tablo app for Roku. Get the details here.
Since Roku's 12.5 firmware update, a subset of Roku devices have started running out of memory during playback of live TV causing the 4th generation Tablo app to crash.
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Why This Is Happening
This bug manifests only on playback of broadcast TV video (MPEG-2) which is why it's not present on streaming TV apps like Netflix.
Testing at Tablo HQ revealed that when the Roku player software processes the closed captioning track on MPEG-2 video, it causes affected Roku models to run out of active memory. This leads to the eventual shutdown of the entire app.
Processing of the closed captioning track is done by the Roku player software whether or not the viewer had closed captioning enabled during playback.
The affected Roku models manage memory consumption differently, which is why some Roku models have not been affected.
We have notified Roku of these findings and hope they can provide a Roku firmware update to fully resolve this so all Roku users can enjoy the benefits of closed captioning without encountering this bug.
What We've Done
We have developed a work around. It will enable you to disable the Roku Tablo app's closed captions, should this issue crop up. You can find details here.
The true resolution of this issue, which will allow MPEG-2 playback, with closed captioning, on the affected Roku Models, will be provided by a future Roku firmware update. Unfortunately, we do not have an ETA for this update.
Affected Roku Device Models
The Roku models most affected by this problem are:
- 2021 Roku Express 4K+ (model 3941X and model 3941RW2)
- 2021 Roku Streaming Stick 4K (model 3820R2)
- 2021 Roku Streaming Stick 4K (model 3820X)
- 2021 Roku Ultra LT (model 4801RW, model 4802RW, and model 4802X)
- 2019 Roku Express (model 3930X)
- 2017 Roku Ultra (model 4660X)