TCL, Roku Accused Of Intentionally 'Bricking' TVs Through Software Updates

A proposed class action lawsuit claims that software updates from Roku and TCL are causing TVs to glitch or stop working altogether. The suit alleges that the two companies are 'bricking' their own television by "failing to ensure that the software updates are actually free of defects both in testing stages and at scale". The suit specifically lists Roku Select Series, Roku Plus Series and TCL 3, 4, 5 and 6-Series models that run on Roku OS.

The complaint filed in a federal court based in southern California stated that the companies knowingly sold and continue to sell tens of thousands of products that have software defects which corrupt user experience to the point of inoperability, including screen blackouts, loss of video, the screen flashing on and off, or otherwise malfunctioning.

"Roku's software updates are repetitively defective, materially impairing the functionality of Roku Products, rendering many consumers' televisions either entirely unusable (“bricked”), blacked out, or otherwise substantially degraded in terms of device performance," the lawsuit stated.

"Despite consumers' persistent complaints of repeated system failures, often leaving their TVs completely inoperable, Defendants offer no recourse. This is inconsistent with representations made in express warranties, which promise to repair, correct, or otherwise remediate the software defect."

According to the complaint, more than 90 million US households have at least one Roku device. That accounts for "almost half of broadband households in the United States."

Also Read | CIA Shares 'Brick' From Abbottabad Compound Where Osama Bin Laden Was Killed

'Disconnect Smart TVs'

Reacting to the news, social media users urged customers to disconnect their 'smart TVs' from the internet to fix the majority of performance issues.

"Bring. Back. Dumb. TVs. Or at least don't connect "smart" TVs to the internet. If you can find a smart TV that works fine without the internet," said one user, while another added: "Factory reset Roku TCL tv and don't ever connect it to the internet. That will fix performance issues."

A third commented: "I disconnected all my smart TVs from the internet years ago. They run so much better. Factory reset yours if you can and never reconnect anything but your dedicated streaming device. It'll run better, almost certainl."

A fourth said: "There should be a law or tax incentive where all TVs have a basic mode that can be selected at any point, that disables the smart features and turns the tv into a basic set."