Roku suffering from faded 4K and HDR playback after latest update

Roku OS 14.5, the latest software update, has been rolling out widely to Roku devices recently. According to the release notes, this update fixes various bugs and improves the user experience. However, a growing number of users are now saying that this update has made 4K and HDR content almost unwatchable.

As of last Thursday, Roku announced in a community forum that it has begun investigating an issue that may be connected to OS 14.5. This announcement comes after a growing number of reports claim that movies and TV shows now appear washed out after the update.

Multiple users in the forum mention noticing the problem when watching Disney Plus in 4K and/or in HDR. They add that the issue doesn’t appear when the content is set to standard or high definition. One user also provided a comparison of what a scene from the show Andor looks like on Roku vs a non-Roku TV.

While Disney Plus seems to be a common theme, it appears the issue isn’t limited to just this app. Some users insist that they are also seeing washed out images in apps like Fandango, Netflix, Apple TV Plus, Amazon Prime Video, and Max. The issue may also be causing some discoloration, as one user says the Netflix logo looks orange and another user mentions blue text looks gray or off-white. Strangely enough, it’s said that the bug isn’t affecting the look of the menus.

It appears that performing a factory reset, power cycle, or system restart has no effect on this issue. However, there are workarounds some of these users are currently leaning on, like using a PS5 to stream the content they want to watch.

It’s unclear how long it will take for a fix to be released. Android Authority has reached out to Roku for comment, and we’ll update this article if we hear back.