Now tv Freeview box not working with Roku soundbar

[Moira]

I’ve just bought a Roku Soundbar. Connected it to the arc hdmi and now tv box to the other hdmi.

It keeps skipping from one hdmi cable to the other one. I’m finding I’m not being able to see my tv channels as it skips to the other Roku bar. 

these are the instructions from Roku

Okay then adjust Now TV remote settings: In the settings of the Now TV remote, you may have an option to disable HDMI control. This will prevent the remote from automatically switching between HDMI sources. Please refer to the user manual of the Now TV box to find out how to make this setting adjustment

i can’t find this option.

can anyone help please

thanks

[schnapps]

Hi @Moira 

Why don't you use the NOW App on the Roku Streambar and disconnect the NOW TV box (unless there is a reason why to have both connected to the same TV).

Under Settings on the NOW box and Roku it should be I believe from memory called "1 touch control".

[schnapps]

Hi @Moira 

Just read your thread again and I see you are using the NOW Freeview Smart box (I am guessing for the terrestrial TV channels on the NOW Freeview box).

[Moira]

Yes im using the Freeview now smart box and get terriestrial channels through the box

[RoyB]

@Moira 

I would plug the Now box into one of the other HDMIs on the TV, rather than on the Roku Soundbar, still leaving the Roku Soundbar connected to the ARC HDMI on the TV.

I think this will feel more natural in use, as well as avoiding the ‘HDMI Shuffle’ you are currently getting, and the audio from the Now box will still come out on the soundbar, without you having the change any of its settings at all.

[Moira]

Hi. It is plugged into the hdmi port on tv. 

[schnapps]

Hi @RoyB 

The Roku Streambar has only one HDMI connection that you can use has ARC to the ARC enabled HDMI port on a television.

You won't be able to plug the NOW Freeview Smart box directly into the Roku Streambar (there is no other HDMI inputs on the Streambar for other external HDMI devices) and I am assuming @Moira has the NOW Freeview Smart box plugged directly into their television already.

https://support.roku.com/en-gb/article/360050034473 

[RoyB]

Thanks @schnapps 

If you don’t know that (and I didn’t), it’s possible to misread what @Moira wrote (and I did 😢),

Certainly, for ARC to work, both the TV and the stream bar need to have CEC enabled - or ‘one touch control’, as it may be called. But the operation of CEC, if the Roku Smart box has this, would only be to turn the TV on, which is what you want to happen anyway.

So my next dumb idea is that this may not be a CEC problem, but a problem caused by having two Roku devices responding to one Roku remote.

I don’t think this could happen with the Voice remote supplied with the stream bar, as this will be paired only with the stream bar; but if a simple remote is in use with the Roku Smart box, as it was with the original one of these, and the stream bar will act on commands from a simple remote, which I believe it will as this is hinted at in the Roku documentation, then whatever button @Moira presses on the Smart box remote will be seen and acted upon by the stream bar as well, if the keypress is one it recognises.

(Two assumptions there that need checking, but I suspect they are valid).

@Moira, you can test this hypothesis by draping a black cloth over the magic eye on the stream bar, and then using the remote for the Roku Smart box. If the setup now behaves itself, take the black cloth away, and use the remote some more. If it then starts to misbehave again, we have found the cause of the problem.

If this is it, though, I’m not sure I know what to do. Two smart remotes, one paired with each device, would solve it, but I don’t know if you can do this with the Smart box.

If you can, then this is an answer, for £20:-

https://www.roku.com/en-gb/products/accessories/roku-voice-remote

but you should ask Now or Roku if this idea will work before laying out any dosh.

@schnapps anything known?

[schnapps]

Hi @RoyB 

I have no experience using this Roku Smart Remote in your link to be honest.

I did try has an experiment a few years back with the NOW Smart Voice remote with the NOW Freeview box and some of the buttons didn't respond and also with the NOW Freeview Smart box to bring it out of deep hibernation state you need to either click on a button on the original supplied NOW infra red remote or do a power reboot on the box to wake it up.

[Moira]

Hi I put black sock over eye and the smart box remote worked without it flitting plus sound bar worked with it. I could watch the Freeview channels

when I took sock off it turned off to Roku home page