Connecting Roku to AVR Using HDMI Cable?

[Mr._Clark]

I have a Roku Streaming Stick+ that was plugged directly into an HDMI port of my Denon AVR. It was working fine, but the Roku is fairly long so it was a tight fit in the cabinet (the cabinet was built in at the time I bought the house). I tried connecting the Roku to the same HDMI port using a one foot long Monoprice High Speed HDMI Cable Certified Premium, 4K@60Hz, HDR, 18Gbps, 36AWG, YUV, 4:4:4 - Ultra Slim Series and a female-female HDMI connector. When I tried to use the Roku, all I got was a screen on the TV with the word "ROKU" on it but nothing else (i.e. not the normal Roku home screen). I was not able to get it to do anything. I finally gave up and plugged the Roku directly into the HDMI port on the AVR and it worked fine.

Any idea what the problem might be? I'm starting to wonder if it was the female-female HDMI connector.

I have a Roku Ultra on one of my other systems so I can just swap the two Rokus if need be.

 

[Trebdp83]

It's the coupler, swap ‘em.

 

[slipperybidness]

I have a Roku Streaming Stick+ that was plugged directly into an HDMI port of my Denon AVR. It was working fine, but the Roku is fairly long so it was a tight fit in the cabinet (the cabinet was built in at the time I bought the house). I tried connecting the Roku to the same HDMI port using a one foot long Monoprice High Speed HDMI Cable Certified Premium, 4K@60Hz, HDR, 18Gbps, 36AWG, YUV, 4:4:4 - Ultra Slim Series and a female-female HDMI connector. When I tried to use the Roku, all I got was a screen on the TV with the word "ROKU" on it but nothing else (i.e. not the normal Roku home screen). I was not able to get it to do anything. I finally gave up and plugged the Roku directly into the HDMI port on the AVR and it worked fine.

Any idea what the problem might be? I'm starting to wonder if it was the female-female HDMI connector.

I have a Roku Ultra on one of my other systems so I can just swap the two Rokus if need be.

If you go on the Roku site, they will send you a short HDMI male to female cable (for free) that is needed for just this type of situation. They do require the serial number of the device, to be sure people don't double dip.

 

[Mr._Clark]

If you go on the Roku site, they will send you a short HDMI male to female cable (for free) that is needed for just this type of situation. They do require the serial number of the device, to be sure people don't double dip.

Thanks! I figured there has to be solution.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Cabling is a big issue with these things. You want a Male to Female HDMI cable. Roku will get you one, there are plenty on Amazon as well. 18Gb/s HDMI is a LOT more data to push than the 3.3Gb/s a second which has been used for 1080p for years. So, couplers and other in-line adapters really screw things up.

Be aware that 4K support does not mean 18Gb/s 4K/60/HDR support. That should be listed in the specifications.
This cable, for example, is properly advertised and listed for the support you need for full 4K support...

https://www.amazon.com/Extension-JSAUX-Compatible-Chromecast-Streaming/dp/B089SXDW72/ref=sr_1_2_sspa

Monoprice also offers HDMI extension cables rated at various speeds, including a 48Gb/s rating on a short model...

HDMI EXTENSION CABLES - HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

Monoprice, Inc. (DBA. MonoPrice.com) specializes in the wholesale distribution of world class cable assemblies for home theater, PC, and high technology industries. MonoPrice.com offers a wide range of products from standard PC products, network cables, and HDMI cables to custom cable assemblies...

www.monoprice.com

 

[highfigh]

The Stick is made to be used when the 'system' is composed of only the Stick, TV and maybe a soundbar. If you're using an AVR, I would recommend buying a Premiere or one of the other models.

Just another part of the charm of HDMI.

 

[Kvn_Walker]

It's the coupler, swap ‘em.

Yup, I have a Roku Stick and a Fire Stick both plugged into my AVR using a M-F extension cable. I let them hang out the back of the cabinet so they're not in an enclosed space where they will get too warm.

I use this instead of a cable + coupler. HDMI is flaky enough as it is, and it seems like the more links you have in the chain, the less reliable it gets.

Amazon.com: UGREEN HDMI Extension Cable 4K HDMI Extender Male to Female Compatible with Nintendo Switch Xbox One S 360 PS5 PS4 Roku TV Stick Blu Ray Player Google Chromecast Wii U HDTV Laptop PC 1.5FT : Electronics

 

[Kvn_Walker]

Just another part of the charm of HDMI.

If it weren't for all the stupid DRM the industry could have gone with standard ethernet for hi-def and everything would be cheaper and simpler right now.

 

[slipperybidness]

If it weren't for all the stupid DRM the industry could have gone with standard ethernet for hi-def and everything would be cheaper and simpler right now.

Nailed it! DRM is the root of many problems for the honest consumer. The dishonest simply defeat the DRM anyway.

I am a proponent of the "Pay what you think it is worth" model.

 

[highfigh]

If it weren't for all the stupid DRM the industry could have gone with standard ethernet for hi-def and everything would be cheaper and simpler right now.

HDMI exists BECAUSE of DRM.

 

[slipperybidness]

HDMI exists BECAUSE of DRM.

Right, and we see exactly how well DRM has prevented pirating of DRM protected material

Like I say, DRM hurts the honest consumer, and is a minor delay on the pirates.

 

[highfigh]

Right, and we see exactly how well DRM has prevented pirating of DRM protected material

Like I say, DRM hurts the honest consumer, and is a minor delay on the pirates.

They stupidly thought people would make 1:1 copies- what a compete waste of time that would be!

I'm completely disappointed that the AV industry didn't set the HDMI idiots straight in the beginning- all of this BS could have been avoided.

 

[panteragstk]

They stupidly thought people would make 1:1 copies- what a compete waste of time that would be!

I'm completely disappointed that the AV industry didn't set the HDMI idiots straight in the beginning- all of this BS could have been avoided.

Just like anything else, the higher ups were 100% concerned with piracy, not functionality. The implementation guys don't' get a say.

 

[Mr._Clark]

Cabling is a big issue with these things. You want a Male to Female HDMI cable. Roku will get you one, there are plenty on Amazon as well. 18Gb/s HDMI is a LOT more data to push than the 3.3Gb/s a second which has been used for 1080p for years. So, couplers and other in-line adapters really screw things up.

Be aware that 4K support does not mean 18Gb/s 4K/60/HDR support. That should be listed in the specifications.
This cable, for example, is properly advertised and listed for the support you need for full 4K support...

https://www.amazon.com/Extension-JSAUX-Compatible-Chromecast-Streaming/dp/B089SXDW72/ref=sr_1_2_sspa

Monoprice also offers HDMI extension cables rated at various speeds, including a 48Gb/s rating on a short model...

HDMI EXTENSION CABLES - HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

Monoprice, Inc. (DBA. MonoPrice.com) specializes in the wholesale distribution of world class cable assemblies for home theater, PC, and high technology industries. MonoPrice.com offers a wide range of products from standard PC products, network cables, and HDMI cables to custom cable assemblies...

www.monoprice.com

I bought one of the short Monoprice M-F 48Gbps HDMI cables but I haven't tried it yet (In this particular case "M-F" means "Mother-F'in")(Just a joke)(sort of)

 

[Old Onkyo]

Yup, I have a Roku Stick and a Fire Stick both plugged into my AVR using a M-F extension cable. I let them hang out the back of the cabinet so they're not in an enclosed space where they will get too warm.

I use this instead of a cable + coupler. HDMI is flaky enough as it is, and it seems like the more links you have in the chain, the less reliable it gets.

Amazon.com: UGREEN HDMI Extension Cable 4K HDMI Extender Male to Female Compatible with Nintendo Switch Xbox One S 360 PS5 PS4 Roku TV Stick Blu Ray Player Google Chromecast Wii U HDTV Laptop PC 1.5FT : Electronics

I recently began having issues with green flickering coming from the Firestick. It appears there is a small screw on the back of the Denon near the media player input that imo prevents the stick from bottoming out.
I just purchased the extender cable. Flickering is gone.
Thanks.

 

[highfigh]

I recently began having issues with green flickering coming from the Firestick. It appears there is a small screw on the back of the Denon near the media player input that imo prevents the stick from bottoming out.
I just purchased the extender cable. Flickering is gone.
Thanks.

If that screw is above each HDMI port, in addition to securing the ports, those were originally intended to be used for a retainer that held the HDMI in place but when they were available, nobody used them, so the manufacturers stopped shipping them with the AVRs.

 

[Trebdp83]

I'd forgotten about those things. Don't need them on my receiver, but it does remind me to go and get the free extender from Roku for the Stick.

HDMI

 

[highfigh]

I'd forgotten about those things. Don't need them on my receiver, but it does remind me to go and get the free extender from Roku for the Stick.

HDMI

FYI- this is often called a 'port-saver'.

 

[BMXTRIX]

If it weren't for all the stupid DRM the industry could have gone with standard ethernet for hi-def and everything would be cheaper and simpler right now.

Uncompressed HDMI at 1080p runs at 3.3Gb/s. It is a technology over 10 years old. Most homes don't have a single wired network connection in their home which operates at 2.5Gb/s, let alone 3.3Gb/s. Plus, using multiple channels of uncompressed 1080p, let alone 4K with HDR, wireless, and more, the idea of 'standard ethernet' being the solution is just not realistic.

I have done Ethernet-based video distribution in commercial AV. The equipment to encode 4K/60 into a real-time high-quality stream is costly. It FULLY saturates a 1Gb/s network and requires a fully managed switch with switch setup to allow the video and audio to pass properly. It also has to have 10Gb/s uplinks when multiple switches are in use.

I suppose, if people are really willing to give up image quality, then there are certain things which can be done with high-compression video distribution, but at the end of the day, a network can't handle the raw data capacity which HDMI is delivering with both 4K/60/HDR (18Gb/s) and the 8K standard which supports 48Gb/s. This is all designed as point to point uncompressed video distribution and while DRM is a part of the HDMI standard, it isn't required on all video sources, but those video sources still need all that bandwidth.

I've also seen half a dozen or more PC to wireless solutions, and while some work very well, overall they still don't come close to a wired HDMI connection. Both frame rate and image quality significantly suffer.

 

[Kvn_Walker]

Uncompressed HDMI at 1080p runs at 3.3Gb/s. It is a technology over 10 years old. Most homes don't have a single wired network connection in their home which operates at 2.5Gb/s, let alone 3.3Gb/s. Plus, using multiple channels of uncompressed 1080p, let alone 4K with HDR, wireless, and more, the idea of 'standard ethernet' being the solution is just not realistic.

I have done Ethernet-based video distribution in commercial AV. The equipment to encode 4K/60 into a real-time high-quality stream is costly. It FULLY saturates a 1Gb/s network and requires a fully managed switch with switch setup to allow the video and audio to pass properly. It also has to have 10Gb/s uplinks when multiple switches are in use.

I suppose, if people are really willing to give up image quality, then there are certain things which can be done with high-compression video distribution, but at the end of the day, a network can't handle the raw data capacity which HDMI is delivering with both 4K/60/HDR (18Gb/s) and the 8K standard which supports 48Gb/s. This is all designed as point to point uncompressed video distribution and while DRM is a part of the HDMI standard, it isn't required on all video sources, but those video sources still need all that bandwidth.

I've also seen half a dozen or more PC to wireless solutions, and while some work very well, overall they still don't come close to a wired HDMI connection. Both frame rate and image quality significantly suffer.

That's interesting to know. So how are we able to stream with an internet connection in the megabit speed? I'm asking seriously because I don't understand the whole business.

In my home I have 100 megabit/s to the router, then whatever speed the roku connects to the router with wirelessly, then of course HDMI from roku > Marantz > TV.