ShowDebug Parameters Reference

Introduction

The ShowDebug parameters allow you to display diagnostic information on-screen while testing your Roku channel. These parameters are available on the ITVC Theme page and control what debugging information appears when you run your channel on a Roku device.

ShowDebug parameters are helpful during development and troubleshooting because they let you see:

  • Device identifiers (RIDA, Client ID)
  • Video playback status and ad information
  • In-Channel Purchase transaction details
  • Channel performance metrics (launch time, memory usage)
  • Version information for tracking updates
IMPORTANT: If ShowDebugIfSerialNumber is blank, all ShowDebug parameters should be set to 'no' before publishing your channel to production.

Debug information displayed on-screen can:
  • Confuse or alarm your viewers
  • Expose sensitive technical details
  • Negatively impact your channel's professional appearance
  • Violate Roku certification requirements
Alternative: Set ShowDebugIfSerialNumber to your test device's RIDA or Client ID. This restricts debug display to only those specific devices, allowing you to safely leave other ShowDebug parameters enabled in production.


Quick Reference

The following table lists all ShowDebug parameters available on the ITVC Theme page. Click the category headers below to expand detailed information about each parameter.

Parameter Name Type Default Description
Display Control
ShowDebugInfo select no Display debugging information
ShowDebugIfSerialNumber string (blank) Restrict debug display to specific device IDs
ShowDebugFontColor color #FFFF00 Color of debug text
ShowDebugBackgroundOpacity integer 50 Percent opacity of debug background (0-100)
Device Identification
ShowDebugRida select no Display RIDA (Roku ID for Advertisers)
ShowDebugClientId select no Display Client ID (unique per device/channel)
Video Debugging
ShowDebugVideoStatus select no Display video status line at top of screen
ShowDebugAdCid select no Display video ad ContentId
In-Channel Purchase Debugging
ShowDebugIcp select no Display In-Channel Purchase debugging info
ShowDebugStoreCatalog select no Display In-Channel Purchase catalog debugging
Performance & Diagnostics
ShowDebugLaunchComplete select no Display channel launch time in milliseconds
ShowDebugMemory select no Display diagnostic memory information
ShowDebugVersion select no Display version, update number, included modules, CloudFront status


Display Control Parameters(click for details)

These parameters control whether debug information is displayed and how it appears on-screen.

ShowDebugInfo

Type: select (yes/no)
Default: no
Description: Display debugging information. Should be set to 'no' for production channels.

This is the master switch for general debugging information. When set to 'yes', your channel will display diagnostic messages during operation.


Screenshot of sample channel with ShowDebugInfo enabled.

ShowDebugIfSerialNumber

Type: string
Default: (blank)
Max length: 2048 characters
Description: If blank, debugging information will be displayed on all Roku devices, including customer devices. If non-blank, debugging information will be displayed only on the Roku device with this RIDA or Client ID. Use commas to separate multiple IDs.

This is the most important ShowDebug parameter for production testing. It allows you to enable debug display on your test devices while keeping it hidden from your viewers.

How to use ShowDebugIfSerialNumber:

  1. Find your test device's RIDA or Client ID (see instructions below)
  2. Enter the ID into this parameter on the ITVC Theme page
  3. Enable other ShowDebug parameters as needed (ShowDebugInfo, ShowDebugVideoStatus, etc.)
  4. Update your channel on the Roku Developer Dashboard
  5. Debug information will appear only on the specified device(s)

Multiple devices: Separate multiple IDs with commas (no spaces):

Example: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012,87654321-4321-4321-4321-210987654321

Finding Your Device IDs:

To find your Roku device's RIDA or Client ID:

  1. Temporarily enable ShowDebugRida and/or ShowDebugClientId on the Theme page
  2. Update and launch your channel on your test device
  3. The RIDA and Client ID will be displayed on-screen
  4. Copy one of these IDs into ShowDebugIfSerialNumber
  5. Optionally disable ShowDebugRida and ShowDebugClientId after copying the ID

ShowDebugFontColor

Type: color
Default: #FFFF00 (yellow)
Description: Color of any debug text that is displayed.

Change this color if debug text is hard to read against your channel's background. Use standard hex color codes (#RRGGBB).

Common colors:

  • #FFFF00 - Yellow (default, good for dark backgrounds)
  • #00FF00 - Green
  • #FF0000 - Red
  • #FFFFFF - White
  • #000000 - Black (good for light backgrounds)

ShowDebugBackgroundOpacity

Type: integer
Default: 50
Range: 0 to 100
Description: Percent opacity of the debug background. Adjust for best visibility of scrolling debug text.

Debug text is displayed on a semi-transparent background panel. This parameter controls how opaque that background appears:

  • 0 - Completely transparent (text only, no background)
  • 50 - Semi-transparent (default, good balance)
  • 100 - Completely opaque (solid background)

Increase this value if debug text is hard to read against busy video backgrounds. Decrease it if you need to see more of the video content underneath.



Device Identification Parameters(click for details)

These parameters display unique identifiers for the Roku device running your channel.

ShowDebugRida

Type: select (yes/no)
Default: no
Description: Display RIDA (Roku ID for Advertisers). This value is unique to each device and it can be reset by the user. Should be set to 'no' for production channels.

The RIDA is a unique identifier used for advertising purposes. Key characteristics:

  • Unique per device - Each Roku device has its own RIDA, but the same RIDA works for all channels on that device
  • Can be reset by user - Users can reset this ID in their Roku privacy settings
  • May change during OS updates - RIDA has been observed to change without warning when Roku OS is automatically updated
  • Used for ad targeting - Advertising networks use this to track ad impressions
  • Privacy-sensitive - Should not be displayed in production channels

Common uses:

  • Copying the RIDA to use in ShowDebugIfSerialNumber (recommended - works for all channels on the device)
  • Troubleshooting ad delivery issues
  • Testing ad targeting on specific devices

Screenshot of sample channel with ShowDebugRida enabled.

ShowDebugClientId

Type: select (yes/no)
Default: no
Description: Display Client ID. This value is unique to each device and each channel and it cannot be reset by the user. Should be set to 'no' for production channels.

The Client ID is a persistent unique identifier. Key characteristics:

  • Unique per device AND channel - The same device has different Client IDs for different channels
  • Cannot be reset by user - This ID is supposed to be permanent and non-resettable
  • May change during OS updates - Client ID might be reset without warning when Roku OS is automatically updated (unconfirmed reports)
  • Used for analytics - Helps track unique viewers and usage patterns

Common uses:

  • Copying the Client ID to use in ShowDebugIfSerialNumber (must copy separately for each channel)
  • Troubleshooting user-specific issues
  • Tracking unique viewer counts in analytics
RIDA vs. Client ID:

RIDA is preferred for testing because it's common across all channels on the same device. Copy it once, save it in a text file, and paste it into ShowDebugIfSerialNumber for any channel you're working on. No need to copy a different 36-character ID from the screen for each channel.

Client ID is unique per channel on each device. You must copy the Client ID from the screen separately for each different channel being tested. It's supposed to be permanent and non-resettable, but it may be reset without warning when Roku OS is automatically updated (unconfirmed reports).

RIDA stability: RIDA can be reset by users in System settings, and has been observed to change without warning when Roku OS is automatically updated.

For ShowDebugIfSerialNumber: RIDA is recommended for convenience when testing multiple channels on the same device.



Video Debugging Parameters(click for details)

These parameters display information about video playback and advertising.

ShowDebugVideoStatus

Type: select (yes/no)
Default: no
Description: Display video status line at top of screen. Should be set to 'no' for production channels.

When enabled, this displays a status line at the top of the screen during video playback showing:

  • Current playback state (playing, paused, buffering)
  • Current playback position and duration
  • Video resolution and bitrate
  • Stream format information

Useful for troubleshooting:

  • Video playback issues
  • Buffering problems
  • Stream quality verification
  • Trick play behavior (fast forward, rewind)

Screenshot of sample channel with ShowDebugVideoStatus enabled.

ShowDebugAdCid

Type: select (yes/no)
Default: no
Description: Display video ad ContentId. Should be set to 'no' for production channels.

When enabled, this displays the ContentId (unique identifier) for video ads as they play.

On-Screen Display Format:

When an ad plays, the following information appears in the lower-right corner of the screen:

  • The ad's Content ID
  • A designator in the format X/Y:Z where:
    • X/Y = X ad tags of Y tags total in the current ad break
    • Each ad tag is either a single ad or an ad pod
    • Z = Number of ads in the currently playing ad pod

Example: If you see "2/3:4" displayed, it means you're viewing the 2nd ad tag out of 3 total ad tags in this ad break, and the current ad tag contains 4 ads in the pod.

This is helpful for:

  • Verifying which ads are being served
  • Troubleshooting ad delivery issues
  • Understanding ad break structure and ad pod configuration
  • Confirming ad tracking parameters
  • Testing ad rotation and targeting

See the Monetization: Placing Ads in your Roku Channel help article for more information about video advertising.



In-Channel Purchase Debugging Parameters(click for details)

These parameters display debugging information for Roku Pay (In-Channel Purchase) transactions.

Prerequisite: Your channel must have Roku Pay configured to use these parameters. See the Setting Up Roku Pay help article for configuration instructions.

ShowDebugIcp

Type: select (yes/no)
Default: no
Description: Display debugging information for In-Channel Purchases. Should be set to 'no' for production channels.

When enabled, this displays detailed information about purchase transactions:

  • Purchase flow status (initiated, authorized, completed, cancelled)
  • Product SKUs being purchased
  • Transaction IDs and timestamps
  • Purchase validation results
  • Error messages if purchases fail

Useful for troubleshooting:

  • Purchase button configuration issues
  • SKU mismatch errors
  • Purchase validation failures
  • Transaction flow problems

ShowDebugStoreCatalog

Type: select (yes/no)
Default: no
Description: Display debugging information for the In-Channel Purchase catalog. Should be set to 'no' for production channels.

When enabled, this displays information about your product catalog:

  • Products loaded from Roku Developer Account
  • SKUs and product names
  • Pricing tiers
  • Product availability status
  • Catalog loading errors

Useful for troubleshooting:

  • Products not appearing in purchase flow
  • Catalog loading failures
  • SKU configuration mismatches
  • Product availability issues


Performance & Diagnostics Parameters(click for details)

These parameters display performance metrics and diagnostic information.

ShowDebugLaunchComplete

Type: select (yes/no)
Default: no
Description: Display channel launch time in milliseconds. Should be set to 'no' for production channels.

When enabled, this displays how long it takes for your channel to fully launch and become interactive. Launch time is measured from when the user selects your channel icon to when the first screen is ready for interaction.

Roku certification requirements:

  • Channels should launch in under 3 seconds on most devices
  • Slow launch times may result in certification rejection
  • Use this parameter to optimize your channel's startup performance

Factors that affect launch time:

  • Number of images loaded on startup screen
  • Feed loading (MRSS, JSON) before first screen appears
  • Complex startup initialization code
  • Device model and available memory

ShowDebugMemory

Type: select (yes/no)
Default: no
Description: Display diagnostic memory information. Should be set to 'no' for production channels.

When enabled, this displays memory usage statistics:

  • Current memory usage
  • Available free memory
  • Memory allocation warnings
  • Texture memory usage (for images and graphics)

Roku memory limits:

  • Older devices (Roku 2, Roku 3): ~40-80 MB available
  • Newer devices (Roku Ultra, Streaming Stick+): ~250-400 MB available
  • Exceeding memory limits causes channel crashes
  • Large images and complex screens consume the most memory

Useful for troubleshooting:

  • Channel crashes or freezes
  • Out of memory errors
  • Performance degradation during use
  • Image loading failures

ShowDebugVersion

Type: select (yes/no)
Default: no
Description: Display version information including update number, included modules, and CloudFront status. Should be set to 'no' for production channels.

When enabled, this displays the following information in the lower-left corner of the screen:

Display Format:

Version:  X.Y.Z - YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss - UNNNN RSG-N.N (Modules) (CloudFront)

Components:

  • X.Y.Z - Channel version number from your Roku Developer Account (major.minor.build)
  • YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss - Package creation date and time in UTC (ISO 8601 format)
  • UNNNN - ITVC Update number (e.g., U00548)
  • RSG-N.N - SceneGraph RSG version (typically RSG-1.1 or RSG-1.2)
  • (Modules) - Included optional modules (see below)
  • (CloudFront) - CloudFront CDN status (see below)

Included Modules:

If optional modules are enabled on the Theme page, they appear in parentheses:

  • (Billing) - Roku Pay billing module is included (IncludeBilling = yes)
  • (RAF) - Roku Advertising Framework module is included (IncludeRAF = yes)
  • (Billing+RAF) - Both modules are included
  • (nothing) - Neither module is included

CloudFront Status:

If CloudFront CDN is configured on the Services page, the status appears:

  • (CloudFront) - CloudFront is enabled and active for this device
  • (CloudFront/Exempt) - CloudFront is configured but this device is exempt
  • (nothing) - CloudFront is not configured for this channel

Example Output:

Version:  3.2.1 - 2025-11-25T14:30:00 - U00548 RSG-1.2 (Billing+RAF) (CloudFront)

This example shows version 3.2.1, packaged on Nov 25 2025 at 14:30:00 UTC, Update 548, RSG version 1.2, with both Billing and RAF modules included, and CloudFront enabled.

Useful for:

  • Verifying which version is installed on test devices
  • Confirming that channel updates have been applied
  • Troubleshooting version-specific issues
  • Tracking when packages were created
  • Verifying which optional modules are included in the build
  • Confirming CloudFront CDN configuration status

Screenshot of sample channel with ShowDebugVersion enabled.


Best Practices

Development and Testing Workflow

  1. Copy your device ID - Temporarily enable ShowDebugRida or ShowDebugClientId, launch your channel, and copy the displayed ID
  2. Configure ShowDebugIfSerialNumber - Paste the device ID into ShowDebugIfSerialNumber on the ITVC Theme page
  3. Enable needed debug parameters - Turn on ShowDebugInfo, ShowDebugVideoStatus, or other parameters as needed for your testing
  4. Update your channel - Click the green SAVE button on the Theme page, then update your channel package on the Roku Developer Dashboard
  5. Test on your device - Debug information appears only on the device(s) specified in ShowDebugIfSerialNumber
  6. Test on other devices - Verify that debug information does NOT appear on devices not listed in ShowDebugIfSerialNumber
  7. Before publishing to production - Either disable all ShowDebug parameters, OR keep ShowDebugIfSerialNumber set to your test device IDs

Production Channel Options

Option A: Disable All Debug Output Set all ShowDebug parameters to 'no' and leave ShowDebugIfSerialNumber blank:
  • ShowDebugInfo = no
  • ShowDebugRida = no
  • ShowDebugClientId = no
  • ShowDebugVideoStatus = no
  • ShowDebugAdCid = no
  • ShowDebugIcp = no
  • ShowDebugStoreCatalog = no
  • ShowDebugLaunchComplete = no
  • ShowDebugMemory = no
  • ShowDebugVersion = no
  • ShowDebugIfSerialNumber = (blank)
This completely disables all debug display on all devices.
Option B: Restrict Debug Output to Test Devices Set ShowDebugIfSerialNumber to your test device's RIDA or Client ID:
  • ShowDebugIfSerialNumber = (your device ID or comma-separated list of IDs)
  • Other ShowDebug parameters = (any setting you need for testing)
Debug information will only appear on devices whose RIDA or Client ID matches a value in ShowDebugIfSerialNumber. Customer devices will never see debug information.

This is the recommended approach for ongoing production troubleshooting, as it allows you to debug issues on your test devices without affecting customers.

Production Testing Workflow

To troubleshoot issues on a published production channel:

  1. Set ShowDebugIfSerialNumber to your test device's RIDA or Client ID
  2. Enable the specific debug parameters you need (e.g., ShowDebugVideoStatus for video issues)
  3. Restart the channel on your test device.
  4. Debug information will appear only on your test device, not on customer devices
  5. After troubleshooting, optionally disable debug parameters or leave them enabled for future debugging


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