If you’ve recently fired up your Roku TV and thought your favorite show looked oddly gray or flat, you’re not imagining things. Roku’s latest software update—OS 14.5—has caused a strange bug that’s messing up HDR playback for a lot of users. Instead of the bright and colorful picture HDR is supposed to deliver, many people are seeing washed-out, lifeless images.
It all started a week ago when Roku began rolling out an automatic update to its smart TVs. The goal was to improve performance, security, and a few extra features. But something went sideways. Soon after the update landed, users began posting to Roku’s community forums saying their HDR content suddenly looked dull and drained of color—almost like it had been run through a black-and-white filter.
At first, the complaints focused on Disney+. One user called “Squinky” even shared before-and-after screenshots of Andor showing just how washed-out the show looked post-update. But it quickly became clear that this wasn’t limited to one app. Others chimed in saying the same thing was happening with Netflix, Apple TV+, Max, Prime Video, YouTube TV, and more.
The weirdest part? The problem only seems to affect HDR content streaming directly from Roku apps. If you’re watching something in regular HD or using a connected device, like a PS5 or Blu-ray player, the picture looks just fine. Some users even plugged a Roku streaming stick into their Roku TV and found that the bug didn’t show up at all.
That suggests the issue is tied specifically to how Roku’s built-in software is handling HDR video.
Most of the reports involve TCL Roku TVs, though there are also mentions of models from Hisense and Sharp. Roku hasn’t published a list of which TVs are impacted, but it sounds like this is affecting a decent number of devices running OS 14.5. That update, by the way, went out to pretty much every Roku TV model released since 2014, with a few exceptions, and it installed automatically. No way to pause it. No way to roll it back.
And while some users have tried all the usual tricks—restarting the TV, factory resets, changing video settings—none of it seems to help. One person even said they were told by Roku support to just buy a new TV. Yikes.
Another user, called "GJT0124" posted his example yesterday and said:
"Top shot is Apple+ show 'the studio' on a Hisense Roku TV, the bottom shot is on a TCL Roku TV. It's been this was since at least this weekend, no amount of resets or modifications to setting will fix this, there is clearly a bigger issue. All navigation windows seem fine and correctly colored, but as soon as a video stream starts it's a washed out mess. What a disappointment. Maybe there should be some more QC before updates are pushed out"
After about a week of complaints piling up, Roku posted an official note on its forums on May 6. The company confirmed that it had identified the problem and is working on a fix. “We have identified an issue impacting HDR on a small subset of TVs,” the message reads, and they’ve marked the thread as “Solved – Pending Release.”
In other words, a solution is on the way. But it might take a few days for the update to reach everyone.
Leading up to that announcement, Roku had been asking users to share which models they were using, what apps were affected, and whether anything they tried helped. That’s probably helped Roku diagnose the issue faster, but some users were frustrated by how long it took for the company to confirm the bug and start working on a fix.
HDR is a major selling point for many of these TVs and streaming platforms. It’s supposed to make your shows and movies look more vivid and realistic. But when it breaks, it can actually make things look worse than standard HD.
This issue is also a reminder that automatic updates aren’t always smooth sailing. Because there was no option to delay or skip the OS 14.5 update, users had no choice but to take the hit, and now many are stuck with degraded image quality until Roku’s fix rolls out.
If your Roku TV is acting up after the update, here are a few things you can try while waiting for the fix:
Until that fix arrives, though, it might be worth saving your next HDR movie night for a non-Roku device—or at least sticking to shows that don’t rely on eye-popping visuals to make an impact.
