Roku Ultra 2020, aka 4800x, direct play, colors distorted when playing back HEVC, 1080p content on 1080p screen. Applies to both 8-bit and 10-bit packaging of 8-bit content

[alleyheidi]

I created this new thread before I saw this one. Sorry!

Color/Contrast Distortion Workaround Needed for Roku

Here is how to reproduce the problem: play any file that is HEVC-encoded using the BT.709 colorspace. Force Direct Stream. The problem also happens using Direct Play if the file was originally in an MKV container with color information in the header. Here is how to make the problem go away: If the file was in an MP4 container, force Direct Play. if it was in an MKV container, remove the color information with a tool like MKVToolNix, and then force Direct Play.

The problem is definitely a Roku bug. It happens when playing any HEVC video encoded using the BT.709 colorspace from an MKV container that has color information in the header.

Plex could provide a workaround very similar to the AAC stutter workaround by suppressing the color info in the header when the Server remuxes to MKV. You could then get around the problem by disabling Direct Play. The server would construct a new container sans color info in the header (which isn’t needed anyway).

I really wish the Plex devs would give us this workaround. Roku seems very uninterested in fixing it!