Easy Roku setting mistake is killing your picture quality – but four tweaks instantly upgrade movies, shows and games

DON’T let simple mistakes ruin your Roku TV picture that you’ve paid good money for.

It’s surprisingly easy to miss out on the very best visuals from your movies and TV shows.

YouTube/Roku

So here are four things you must check to ensure you’re getting top-notch picture quality on Roku .

First is the Picture Modes setting, which lets you quickly and easily adjust the appearance of your TV screen.

It’s perfect because it requires almost no technical knowledge – but it’s very easy to miss.

Roku explains: “Your Roku TV system has multiple preset picture modes that adjust the appearance of the image to suit your preferences and viewing environment.

“Changing the picture mode can provide enhancements, especially given the wide range of input signal types from devices like cable and satellite boxes, Blu-ray players or game consoles and the quality of those signals.”

To choose one, just hit the Star button on your Roku remote and then go to Picture Settings > Picture Mode.

Here’s how Roku describes its Picture Modes:

• Auto (recommended): Automatically adjust your TV settings for what you’re watching
• Low Power : Optimized to save energy. This is the default “out of box” setting
• Standard : Good for everyday viewing in moderate to bright rooms.
• Vivid : Intense and brilliant picture for use in rooms with a lot of light
• Sports : Optimized for sports viewing where camera panning, and action shots are common
• Movie : Ideal for darker rooms to view the movie as the director intended

Make sure you’re using the correct Picture Mode for your viewing situation.

Not using Movie mode might be a big mistake, and the same is true for Sports.

GAMING MODE MUST-TRY

You might also see a Gaming option on Picture Modes.

This means that your Roku TV supports THX Certified Game Mode, which gives you specific tweaks for gaming.

Roku says you’ll see games as their creators intended, with “vivid colors, crisp details, and better contrast”.

However, this only works on select game consoles.

It’s available on:

• Nintendo Switch
• PlayStation 3
• PlayStation 4
• PlayStation 5
• Xbox One
• Xbox Series X

Ensure you’ve got Gaming Mode active when you’re using a console on your Roku TV – or you’ll be missing out on better image quality.

Roku

4K HDR CABLE MISTAKE

There’s an easy cable mistake that might be stopping you from getting the best 4K and HDR picture your system offers.

A 4K picture means the image has four times the number of pixels versus Full HD – allowing for more detail.

And HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, giving you greater contrast and a wider range of colors.

But on Roku, getting them depends on HDCP 2.2, an anti-piracy technology .

HDCP stands for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection.

It’s meant to stop you from being able to record copyrighted material – like movies illegally.

“HDCP is the copy and content protection standard used by the movie and TV industry,” Roku explains.

“Copy protection/content protection has been around for a long time, and in its early stages was what prevented you from copying commercial VHS tapes.

What is 4K, Ultra HD and UHD?

Here's an easy guide to what 4K means...

• 4K, Ultra HD and UHD are all different names for the same type of TV screen. 4K refers to the number of pixels on your TV screen – or the “image resolution”
• The pixels are the tiny dots of colour that make up the image you see on your telly. A pixellated image is one where the pixels are really obvious, because there aren’t many. But images with lots of pixels – like a 4K movie – generally look sharper and clearer
• A true 4K screen has 4096 x 2160 pixels. That means on your TV screen there are 3840 pixels across, and 2160 pixels vertically. That’s roughly 8.3 million pixels on the display in total
• 4K gets it’s name because it’s got four times the number of pixels as a standard Full HD TV
• Full HD (or 1080p) screens have 1920 pixels across, and 1080 pixels going upwards – for around two million pixels in total. So 4K just means your TV has many more pixels on the screen compared to a more common Full HD display
• Ultra HD, or UHD, is basically the same as 4K. If you buy a UHD telly in a shop, you’ll be able to watch 4K content on it with no bother
• But there is a small difference. Almost every TV you ever buy has an aspect ratio of 16:9. That means for every 16 pixels horizontally, there are 9 vertically
• True 4K footage doesn’t quite fit in with that ratio, so you won’t often find TVs with 4096 x 2160 pixels. Instead, to fit with the 16:9 ratio, most 4K TVs will have 3840 x 2160 pixels instead
• If it doesn’t make sense, grab a calculator and divide 2160 by 9. Then multiply it by 16, and you’ll get 3840. That’s the aspect ratio working its magic. So when you see an Ultra HD TV, it just means it’s a 4K image with slightly fewer vertical pixels
• If you try watching a 4K video on a non-4K TV, the video will still play – but it won’t be in 4K quality. To watch a 4K video in 4K quality, you’ll need to fork out for a 4K TV. Similarly, if you’re watching standard or HD footage on a 4K TV, it won’t magically become 4K quality
• Some TVs promise “4K upscaling”, which converts your standard or HD footage to near-4K quality. This works by using software to guess what colours would fill the extra empty pixels missing in HD footage, and then filling them in. This creates a 4K-like effect, but it’s not true 4K

“The latest copy protection technology is called HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection).

“And is used on HDMI connections for digital devices like Blu-ray players, cable boxes and Roku streaming devices.

“HDCP 2.2 is specifically designed for 4K Ultra HD (4K) content, as well as movies and TV shows available with High Dynamic Range (4K HDR).”

It matters because all parts of your TV set-up need to support it.

Roku

So if one part of your system doesn’t, you won’t be able to watch in 4K and HDR.

Instead it’ll be reduced to a lower resolution like HD 720p or Full HD 1080p.

Roku might warn you about a HDCP issue when you first set up your device, or when changing your settings.

First, make sure you’re not using a poor-quality HDMI cable.

What is HDR? TV tech explained

HDR stands for high dynamic range, and is on most mid- to high-end tellys these days.

In a nutshell, it can bump up the pixel quality on your 4K TV, resulting in better, more accurate colours and better contrast.

First thing’s first – HDR is not an alternative to 4K Ultra HD (UHD), but rather a complementary TV tech that allows you to watch HDR content on compatible sets.

The amount of HDR entertainment out there is growing all the time, and encompasses games, downloadable films and 4K UHD Blu-rays, and streaming shows.

You’ve probably spotted HDR on your smartphone’s camera, but it’s slightly different on video.

While 4K references the amount of pixels in your telly, HDR is all about the quality of those pixels over quantity.

Not only does it improve the TVs brightness, but it also adds more detail to the picture quality.

As a result, 4K HDR TVs boast darker blacks (or what’s known as “true blacks”) and brighter whites (and more contrast in-between) as compared to non-HDR 4K TVs.

“Be sure to use Premium High Speed HDMI Cables for each link in the chain,” Roku explained.

“Using a subpar cable for even one link may cause an HDCP 2.2 failure.”

You must also ensure that your cable is plugged into a HDMI port that supports HDCP 2.2.

Normally it will be labelled as such on the back of your TV.

Roku

If you’re unsure, your best bet is to try the first HDMI port.

The same situation is true if you’re routing your cable through another device, like a sound bar.

You can go into Settings > Display Type to ensure you’re set up properly for the best quality footage.

DON’T IGNORE EXPERT MODE

If you’re a real TV whiz, you won’t want to leave your settings to chance.

YouTube/Roku

So if you know exactly how you want your picture, you can try out the Expert Picture Settings.

Roku explains: “If you have a 4K Roku TV system, you can select Expert settings from the Customize picture menu to fine-tune key picture quality settings.

“Expert Picture Settings is designed for expert AV enthusiasts and professional TV calibrators who are comfortable with, and knowledgeable about, advanced picture quality concepts.”

To find them, just press Star on your Roku remote, then choose Picture Settings > Customize Picture Mode > Expert Settings.

This will let you adjust gamma correction, noise reduction, color temperature, and local dimming.

Importantly, it also lets you tweak action smoothing, a feature designed to adjust blur reduction that many TV experts dislike.