Plex won’t make any kind of recommendation like that. Historically to date, it seems like popular platforms continue to be relatively well-supported (FireTV, Android platforms, Roku, AppleTV, Nvidia Shield, etc).
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In case it helps. My Model is a Vizio E50-C1.
I looked up my serial number on the Vizio firmware site and it appears that the TV is on the most recent firmware version and that the last update was in September 2018. So it doesn’t appear to be a firmware change on the TV itself.
Most Recent Firmware Version: 2.1.18
Current Device Firmware Version: V2.1.18
Last Firmware Update: 2018-09-14 05:34:56
Your device is up to date.
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We’re trying to figure this out. So far we’ve elminiated:
- A change to the Plex for Vizio app. There were no releases in the recent past.
- A change to the Vizio firmware. Best we can tell these are older devices that haven’t seen a firmware update in years. There’s an indication there was a Vizio firmware release 4 days ago but it’s unclear which devices were affected.
- A PMS change. Users continue to see issues after rolling back. No causation there.
We’re looking at some remaining possibilities.
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I have a Vizio M43-C1 which is working correctly. It’s been in mothballs for a while so, when I plugged it in first it updated its firmware then Plex required me to re-link the account.
Has anyone attempted a factory reset yet? I’m not suggesting it; it’s a nuclear option and not guaranteed to work. Regardless, I think it’d would be interesting debugging information.
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Thank you for looking into this despite these devices not being supported anymore; especially with so many of us still using these older TVs.
That is interesting that after all these years, they would push a firmware update.
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I just completed a factory reset with a Vizio E600i-B3. It is using a wired network connection on the same network as the Plex server. After approving the device it continued to have the same behavior, select the user and then the screen goes black.
Thanks @WarshawClan. 
Okay, we just identified it is in fact caused by a PMS change. We’re in the process of seeing if older versions of PMS are suitable.
No need for anyone else to attempt a factory reset.
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We’ve found the true cause. Long and winding road this was. I’ll update when I have a canonical problem/resolution message.
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@deactivated Glad to hear you’ve found it!
I was going to reply to the thread that Plex just got new SSL certificate in March, which may not be supported by older devices due to missing interim certificate in chain, but if you’ve found another reason already, it shouldn’t be SSL.
Awesome thanks.
Alright fellow social distancers we’ve fixed the issue affecting older devices in this thread.
With lots of kindness I would like to mention that Smart TVs age faster than dogs. Many devices from 2015/2016 are build with technology and hardware finalized a year or more before the devices entered retail. So, a 5 year old TV is really more like a 6-7 year old TV on the inside. Remember how different your mobile experience was 6-7 years ago? Yeah, same deal with Smart TVs.
My family uses a 2017 Nvidia Shield and 2018 Samsung TV. Many other families enjoy their Roku and Apple TV devices. The streaming sticks are inexpensive and work well if you’re playing modest bitrates. The forums are a good place to chat to other Plex users about the types of media you play and which device has the capabilities you’re looking for.
stay healthy.
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Can confirm it now working for me again, awesome work.
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Confirm works for me as well…bought a firestick at JBHiFi anyway so now I’m covered either way. Like the firestick more now.
Thanks for fixing.
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I can confirm that I am up and running now too!
Thank you for digging into this and solving the problem despite many of our TVs not being supported anymore. All-Star support all around.
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Thank you so much - I was dreading upcoming school holidays with no Plex for my daughter! (Oh, and we kinda sorta need it too.)
Kudos for speedy investigation and successfully diagnosing the problem. I hoped to buy an NVIDIA Shield Pro when the new version came out in Australia (just this week!) but I work in travel and will probably lose my job soon thanks to the lack of travel at the moment, so that might be a way off now. Glad to not have to buy a new device to keep using Plex!
Thanks again.
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It works! Thanks you so much!!! Kids are happy too 
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I really appreciate your team fixing the problem - send them my thanks 
Just curious what caused this to happen (in high-level), as I’m a product manager in a very big software company, I have a tendency to always know what the root cause is
Thanks @deactivated for the quick resolution, all TVs are back for use! I appreciate your team finding a resolution to keep the older tech operating.
It will really help keep some calm while kids are staying inside for the coming weeks [NYC].
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Eventually, could you clarify what types of PMS changes occur even when you haven’t updated your server recently?
Thank you for fixing this! Family movie night has been saved!
I also am curious as to what caused this considering nothing in my setup changed and my TV should have just been connecting to my local server. This now has me worried that an internet outage or something else might affect my ability to connect to a server locally.
well…mine is back to the spinning circle again. it worked this morning…wtf.
anyone else?
