ROKU owners were stunned by persistent “overheating” messages – and some devices even caught fire.
“Normally, I ignore it because it doesn’t happen again, but the last few nights I’ve received several messages,” wrote one user on Roku support forum in June.
“The device works fine even when overheated. I started putting a gel ice pack on the Roku to cool it down. Any ideas?”
As responses came in, it became clear that this was not an isolated incident.
“My Roku The Ultra also overheats regularly,” another user wrote.
“I keep it propped up so there’s airflow all around and underneath, but I still have to put a fan on it almost daily.”
Some Roku fans have taken desperate measures to avoid the error message, such as disassembling devices down to their essential parts.
“My 3920 that used to overheat is now just an exposed circuit board hanging from its cables. It hasn’t overheated since,” one user wrote.
To make matters worse, there have been reports of Roku devices smoke and bursting into flames.
One anonymous user posted to the Roku support forum yesterday to explain how his television suddenly caught fire.
“I had only had this TV for two weeks when I heard a loud popping and hissing noise followed by tons of smoke coming out of the bottom of it!” the user recalled. “The TV wasn’t even on.”
Although a representative insisted it was a hardware issue and therefore out of the company’s control, users have been complaining about devices overheating for years.
If you own a Roku device, you’re more likely than ever to encounter the same message during what appears to be one of the hottest summers on record.
Fortunately, there is an easy way to fix the problem.
If your device is overheating, you’ll see a tell-tale pop-up message in the corner of your TV screen.
Carefully unplug the Roku player’s power cord and allow it to cool.
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NextPlace the device in a cooler place, avoiding sunny and closed spaces.
Don’t stack it on top of other electronic components like set-top boxes or routers, which generate a fair amount of heat.
Wait for your Roku player to cool down for at least 10 minutes – and although this may seem like a while, it will prevent further damage to your device.
After 10 minutes, reconnect the power cord and wait for the Roku player to turn on.
If you still see the overheating message or your Roku player shows a solid red light, unplug the power cord and wait for it to cool down again.
What is Roku?
The company is best known as a popular provider of free, ad-supported streaming television — or SMART TV for short.
was founded in 2002 by Anthony Wood, an English businessman who moved to the United States when he was a teenager.
Wood wanted to help TV fans watch what they want, when they want, and came up with the idea of a TV operating system with access to online content.
Roku launched its first product in 2008 – a streaming box called the Roku DVP, which sold 10 million units in just six days.
The company’s hardware is compatible with any TV that has an HDMI connection. This means that virtually anyone can access the streamer’s growing body of content.
Each player comes with a Roku remote to navigate on-screen menus and control playback.
The company also licenses its operating system to television manufacturers such as Toshiba and Hisense to create Roku-branded TVs.
The streamer has been steadily expanding its portfolio on the Roku Channel.
It features free content from over 250 partners, including live news from networks like NBC, Fox, and CBS.
The ever-growing library features more than 350 live TV channels and 80,000 free movies and shows.
The company may send you new hardware if your Roku Streaming Stick is overheating.
Users can order a free HDMI extender directly from the company’s website, but be aware of the long delay as it appears many customers are experiencing the same issue.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
