Sideloaded Emby on Roku 2 (Rebranded Telstra TV) invalid login creds

[ScottyP 0]

Hi everyone, devs,

Just as the title states, I'm in Australia and I have 3 Roku v2 units, all rebranded as Telstra TV's. The emby app is not available from the app store here in Aus, at least not on these units, and the only way to get it working is by sideloading the code onto the devices. All working fine for years up until just recently, where I am now being asked to authenticate to my server (4.7.6.0) and keep getting Invalid Username or Password errors on all 3 devices. emby server logs state the following :

2022-08-26 10:53:09.066 Info UserManager: Authentication request for SP4 has been denied.

2022-08-26 10:53:09.068 Warn Server: AUTH-ERROR: 10.0.0.12 - Invalid username or password entered.

2022-08-26 10:53:09.068 Error Server: Invalid username or password entered.

I am 100% using correct credentials so I am not really sure what's going on, and starting to think there's been a server update and the client is not supported any further. Can anyone confirm this please and what exactly is the issue? And if this is the case, is there a workaround to this? I am hoping there is an updated version to the following code ...

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Emby.Roku

If not, then does anyone else have any suggestions to get me up and running on current set up? Am I able to downgrade server version possibly? 

Thanks in advance.

ScottyP

[Happy2Play 8296]

There is currently no side loadable version of Roku app.  The really old version became obsolete a while ago and not compatible with current server versions to my knowledge.

I also thought Roku firmware changes made these versions obsolete also but devs will have to comment more.

[ScottyP 0]

3 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

The really old version became obsolete a while ago and not compatible with current server versions to my knowledge

Unfortunate if that's the case. Hopefully I am able to downgrade to a previous server version as I really don't know what else I can do seeing as we can't access the Roku channel in Aus.

 

3 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

I also thought Roku firmware changes made these versions obsolete also but devs will have to comment more.

I've disabled firmware updates on my devices for this very reason, so it doesn't blow away the sideloaded code.

  

[ebr 14927]

11 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

I also thought Roku firmware changes made these versions obsolete also but devs will have to comment more

They have but his device may not be on the latest Roku firmware.

@ScottyP Perhaps an inexpensive Roku Stick can solve the issue...?

[ScottyP 0]

On 27/08/2022 at 01:10, ebr said:

On 26/08/2022 at 13:16, Happy2Play said:

I also thought Roku firmware changes made these versions obsolete also but devs will have to comment more

They have but his device may not be on the latest Roku firmware.

Hmmm, I just checked one of my boxes and it looks like it IS running current firmware - 11.0.03 build 6052-21. Can't remember what I did back in the day to disable firmware updates, but clearly that's been over-ridden. What does "made these versions obsolete" mean exactly? 

 

On 27/08/2022 at 01:10, ebr said:

Perhaps an inexpensive Roku Stick can solve the issue...?

Thanks, but i'm happy with current hardware for now as it suits needs, and i'd need to purchase x3. There's a few options available to me but I would need to transition across to different platforms, and I don't really want to do this. 

[Happy2Play 8296]

It was so long ago but sideloadable Emby Roku client installs went away when the app was rewritten.  The old versions out there would no longer be compatible with new server releases also from my understanding.

Not sure how old of a server version you would have to install to make them work.

[ScottyP 0]

Yep, ok. Understandable. As I said, I don't mind rolling back to a previous compatible server version. I did a quick search the other day on emby site and couldn't see anything. Are these available anywhere?

[Happy2Play 8296]

6 minutes ago, ScottyP said:

Yep, ok. Understandable. As I said, I don't mind rolling back to a previous compatible server version. I did a quick search the other day on emby site and couldn't see anything. Are these available anywhere?

On GitHub.

Releases · MediaBrowser/Emby.Releases (github.com)

[ScottyP 0]

Oh, I didn't even think to check GitHub. Thank you H2P. I'll have a play when I get some free time and go from there.

Edit: It was working up until a month ago. Do any of the Dev's know which version i'd need that's still compatible with the old code up on GitHub?

Edited August 28, 2022 by ScottyP

[ebr 14927]

11 hours ago, ScottyP said:

Do any of the Dev's know which version i'd need that's still compatible

Sorry, I'm not sure but that old app has been defunct for a number of years now.  Like Happy, I thought that Roku disabled that whole style of app as well so that all the internal APIs used by the app would no longer work.

[ScottyP 0]

Meaning it's possible anything I sideload on to the boxes might not work? If so then that's no good for me. The number of available apps on the Roku here in Aus are just pitiful, at least on these models I have.

FYI, I installed the version of emby server that I initially loaded a few years back (known working) and still getting user and password error, so it may be the Roku after all. Haven't tried sideloading a different client yet. Sigh. I'll have a look around and see if that is what the case is here with Roku locking down their units, see if it's possible to roll back the firmware. Maybe that i AM up for new hardware.

I'll post back if have any success. Thanks for everyone's input and suggestions.

[Gilgamesh_48 944]

44 minutes ago, ScottyP said:

Meaning it's possible anything I sideload on to the boxes might not work? If so then that's no good for me. The number of available apps on the Roku here in Aus are just pitiful, at least on these models I have.

FYI, I installed the version of emby server that I initially loaded a few years back (known working) and still getting user and password error, so it may be the Roku after all. Haven't tried sideloading a different client yet. Sigh. I'll have a look around and see if that is what the case is here with Roku locking down their units, see if it's possible to roll back the firmware. Maybe that i AM up for new hardware.

I'll post back if have any success. Thanks for everyone's input and suggestions.

Roku's firmware no longer allows "sideloading" or even private channels except on a quite limited basis. I firmly believe that if you live in an area, like Australia that does not have the full channel store, I would abandon all ideas of owning a Roku. A Fire device or an Android device would be better.
In fact a Roku that is not some bastardized version would be a much better choice. 

[ScottyP 0]

1 hour ago, Gilgamesh_48 said:

Roku's firmware no longer allows "sideloading" or even private channels except on a quite limited basis.

Right. Do you know if it's at all possible then to roll back the Roku firmware? I guess the issue here is even if I manage to find a way to do this, how do I stop auto updates to new firmware? This sounds like what's occurred here. Just strange that i've been operational until this last few weeks ...

[Gilgamesh_48 944]

1 hour ago, ScottyP said:

Right. Do you know if it's at all possible then to roll back the Roku firmware? I guess the issue here is even if I manage to find a way to do this, how do I stop auto updates to new firmware? This sounds like what's occurred here. Just strange that i've been operational until this last few weeks ...

I "think" that the fact that some "sideloaded" channels continued to work was due primarily to the fact that it is a third party branded box. All my "private" channels disappeared some time ago and I cannot find a way to get them back.

As far as I know Roku has made it totally impossible to roll back their software and, since so much app operation depends on calls into the operating system it would not be a good idea at all. Roku's OS is not like Android and applications get tied tighter to the OS than there and the apps get modified to fit changes.

All in all Roku asserts very strong control over what is on their boxes and nothing not approved by them is allowed at all and they give users no control at all over updates.

I do not know if Roku is still allowing third parties to have privately branded Rokus as I no longer participate in Roku's forums or their beta tests. If the did not sell the best streaming box on the market I would not deal with Roku at all. They decided, some time ago, to embrace all the same kind of stupid things that Plex has done and they are no longer friendly at all to their users.

[Happy2Play 8296]

But if the app is sideloading and getting Authentication error suggests server is newer then app with its authentication changes that have happened over time, but still just a guess.  But I think we are talking 2018-2019 time frame.

[ebr 14927]

12 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

But I think we are talking 2018-2019 time frame.

The last update to the old app (which was to direct people to the new one) was in Jan of 2017.

Also, we're not just talking about private channels here but that this app is written in their old, now deprecated, API.  Its a completely different code base.

[ScottyP 0]

On 29/08/2022 at 11:18, Gilgamesh_48 said:

I "think" that the fact that some "sideloaded" channels continued to work was due primarily to the fact that it is a third party branded box

Exactly this. My 3 are all rebranded Telstra TV's )Telstra = telco) with their own overlay.

Just an update. Tried installing various versions back down to 4.0.0.2 however still receiving auth error. Tried 3.5.3.0, again no luck. Thought i'd not waste any more time and skip to the first available up on GH, i.e. 3.2.31, and now have successful authentication. That version was published 22/3/18 FYI. So if I get some time will test upwards from there, and see how I go. UI is a bit rough around the edges! At least it's working. 

I was beginning to think the issue was Roku, however the thing I don't understand here is that i've definitely had the later versions of server installed (auto update on) and working with no issues until a month ago. No changes in client app on the Roku's.  I can't be certain which versions, but the fact i've had auto update on, i'm assuming it's been updating when new releases are available...