2015 Bravia Android TV Issues

[NickCo1979]

I thought I'd create a generic thread to cover off the issues being encountered on the 2015 Bravia Android TVs. I've listed my issues below with fixes / workarounds and responses from support. All comments and solutions welcome!

1) Hot Swap HDMI doesn't work - manifested by no input on HDMI channels 2, 3 and 4 on the KD-49X8305C. Workaround - reset the TV, either by holding down the remote power button for 5 seconds or by switching the TV off at the wall and then back on again. Further details on this thread: https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/televisions/kd-49x8305c-hdmi-2-3-4-inputs-not-working/td-p/1944435

2) HDD Recording doesn't work - error message states a system update is required but none is available when checking. Hopefully this will be fixed soon by a firmware update.

3) Netflix App doesn't work - this seems like the app has been deliberately disabled. So far a support case has only recommended that a factory reset be performed (took two days to get to that cracking piece of advice.....), with no improvement as a result. A temporary (albeit for advanced users only) workaround is provided by MikeLothian on this thread - https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/televisions/netflix-support-for-kd55x8509c-android-tv/td-p/1945360 

4) Sound lag and performance issues after the TV (KD-49X8305C) has been on standby for a while - manifested for me as stuttering and sound / picture sync issues in all apps (youtube, amazon instant video etc) and HDMI sources (PS4, seperate YouView box etc). Hopefully this will be fixed in a firmware update, at the moment workarounds involve either changing channels to get the sync to work or in my case having to turn the TV off and then on again at the socket.

As stated previously, all comments welcome. Personally I'm willing to give Sony a couple of weeks to fix this, but if it's not done soon I'll be sending my new TV back for a refund as it's not really fit for purpose.

[CeltaniC]

Well lucky you

The latest FW update v3.155 is a ***** joke! what the ***** hell is sony doing!?

my 43809C had the same issues as everyone else before the update. But after this update the experience is just beyond acceptable.

1. some apps just got defaulted after update (not all).
2. menyoptions on sound and picture is not even working! i can't even enter to change settings. i click and nothing happends..
3. some apps (like twitch) will not even function properly.

i could go on.....

and nothing changed after a hard reset.

where can i download the pre v3.155 system version? i can't use my tv as of right now. this is the worst tv experience i've had EVER.

/regards Cel 

[adrianusvipus]

NO it does work HDD Recording and Sony has promised that by the end of 2015 this problem will be solved , but did not.

I bought this TV specifically for this function not working.

[Shalendran]

@nik-007

I have a bose Acoustimas 10 connected through a Denon Amplifier via HDMI. I do not have any such problem. 

The only problem is a 30sec ON delay. No off delay though. 

My TV is W85C android TV.

[Shalendran]

Hi all,

After much thought I finallay decided to update my TV with the latest version of software with the last two updates. The following problem still persists.

No HDD recording yet - my main concern.

Flickering of the screen when switching channels.

Not much improvement in speed of operation but not as bad as it was.

Picture is great.

[royabrown]

@noelc63

A,very good point 🙂

So, @kevfarme, no All4 on the Opera browser then, which is revealed not to know what OS it is running on, another nail in the coffin of the beknighted software on this TV,

And perhaps no ITV Player either, if that also needs an unavailable Flash 😞

I'm anyway going to guess that you would only be able to record broadcast TV anyway, and not anything else.

Certainly, this is all you can record on a retail YouView box, though the 'extra channels' provided over the Internet form BT and TT can also be recorded. But catchup, Netflix, etc. cannot be recorded at all.

[kevfarme]

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@royabrown wrote:

@noelc63

A,very good point 🙂

So, @kevfarme, no All4 on the Opera browser then, which is revealed not to know what OS it is running on, another nail in the coffin of the beknighted software on this TV,

And perhaps no ITV Player either, if that also needs an unavailable Flash 😞

I'm anyway going to guess that you would only be able to record broadcast TV anyway, and not anything else.

Certainly, this is all you can record on a retail YouView box, though the 'extra channels' provided over the Internet form BT and TT can also be recorded. But catchup, Netflix, etc. cannot be recorded at all.

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I'll be kind to Sony, not letting them off the hook still though, and say that they appear to be offering a greatly hobbled version of the Opera browser.  I believe this practise carries over to other manufacturers too having now tried to go into the system of my Firefox browser on my new Panasonic set.  I can't, just as I couldn't with the Opera browser on the Sony which I took back.  As I have said earlier I have used the Opera browser since it first came out back in the late 1990's.  It is better than the awful one offered as an app with the Sony sets.  I have found the Firefox browser app to be just as hobbled unfortunately.  As in no way of accessing the settings (as such).  I can't even get anywhere by typing about:config in the address bar which normally allows you to change a few preferences.  

It is certainly possible to directly record any of the online catch up channels on a standard computer.  It's not always easy and straightforward but if you have a stream coming in then there is always a way of capturing it.  If the browser was not so hobbled then it may be possible to do it on the Sony (and any other tv) sets.  However, to qualify that I would say that it may need extra software adding via an app or otherwise.  This is where it goes way beyond my knowledge as I do not have any experience of hacking a tv operating system.

[Alpay_TR]

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@CeltaniC wrote:

Well lucky you

The latest FW update v3.155 is a ***** joke! what the ***** hell is sony doing!?

my 43809C had the same issues as everyone else before the update. But after this update the experience is just beyond acceptable.

1. some apps just got defaulted after update (not all).
2. menyoptions on sound and picture is not even working! i can't even enter to change settings. i click and nothing happends..
3. some apps (like twitch) will not even function properly.

i could go on.....

and nothing changed after a hard reset.

where can i download the pre v3.155 system version? i can't use my tv as of right now. this is the worst tv experience i've had EVER.

/regards Cel 

---

Yes,the similar problems are same here on my 50W805C

Can't change many of picture settings. For example Film mode settings can't change anymore.Otherwise some Motion Flow settings are not available now. 

I try to set my custom pic settings but can't set Film Mode or some Motion Flow settings(smooth,clear etc.)

And Sony did not give us this 3.155 update from OTA . I did this from usb stick.What is this? Maybe a Beta software??? How can i downgrade previous version?

[Shodney]

Well, Sony have had their CES press conference and announced new TVs for 2016. The fact that they announced TVs at all is a benefit I suppose, as it was widely thought that Sony were aiming to pull out of the TV market altogether (which would explain a few things).

The new models are evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, so there are no huge surprises for the most part.

Key points to take away for those of us still stuck with broken 2015 models:

1. They still use Android TV. At least this means Sony will continue to develop it, and hopefully bring those improvements to us. I would guess (hope) that the new TVs release with Android 6, which may improve perfomance on the back end if it ever gets to us.
2. They still use the X1 processor. I don't think this has much bearing on us - as far as I'm aware the X1 only refers to the processor used for upscaling, rather than the entire system, meaning that they can still go with a different processor for general tasks (i.e. the CPU).
3. On the CPU - nothing announced (as expected, it's not usually the sort of thing they announce). *IF* they go for a wildly different CPU, this means a lesser chance any improvements to the OS will be ported to our models. Judging by Sonys appaling history of updates, I would say there's a good chance we wouldn't see any updates at all if they change to a different chipset.
4. The 2016 models have an upgraded HDR spec. For those that don't know, a new standard for HDR has been announced over the last week, meaning that most HDR models from last year (i.e. ours) are now not up to official spec. I don't know whether this means our TVs will be completely incompatiable with future HDR releases (and thus refuse to playback in HDR at all, only playing in standard range), or if there will be some kind of compatibilty scaling (so they will still play at whatever HDR capability our TV has, just not in true HDR).
5. Release "early 2016" - the 2015 models were delayed by a few months, meaning that these will have been on sale (and in an unfit state) for less than a year.
6. No mention of YouView in the press release? CES is a US focussed event, so they might have missed this out on purpose for that audience (as it's a UK only service). It may mean they've decided to drop it, but we'll have to wait and see on that.
7. New Sony streaming service. Nobody cares.

Most of the other tech (Truluminos, X-tended Dynamic blah blah...) remains the same. The other major improvements are a much denser local dimming (to get the full HDR) on the top end model, and an upgrade to Google Cast 2 (faster app startup times - don't know if this can be brought to us via software updates).

All in all it looks like Sony seem to be happy improving the system they started in 2015, rather than dumping it entirely for something else. This *should* be good news for us in terms of getting updates, but it entirely hinges on what CPU they go with (assuming the X1 branding only refers to the upscaling processor, not the entire system). If they change to a vastly different CPU, the chances of us getting updates are slim to none. My guess is that they'll try and 'brute force' their way past the issues by putting in a beefier processor and more RAM, which would mean we're up **** creek.

The takeaway is that despite inferring whatever positives we can from the above, we're still putting a *lot* of faith in Sony to fix the **** they gave us last year. They've proven time and time again that they can't meet update schedules, and then even fix the things the promise to fix when we do eventually get them. This is concerning.

If you've bought a 2015 Sony TV and can still take it back - do so, now. No question. Even if you have faith Sony will eventually fix these, the 2016 releases will drive down the prices of last years even further than they have already. You'll be able to pick up a 2015 model in a few months time that is basically the same as a 2016 one and save yourself a few hundred quid in the meantime.

[darrenj11]

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@Mekerz wrote:

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@darrenj11 wrote:

you presume, and thats why ive been following this thread. Yes the TV doesnt have HDD recording but I dont care, Yes its slow on Android but I hold out for updates, and yes the HD channels used to have voice sync issues but that has resolved since update.

The screen is stunning and the audio is great, so pending the sluggish Android TV, im overall very satisfied, and presume therefore that this does not impact X93 range.

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I'm confused because you've contradicted yourself. You say the issues in this thread do not impact the X93 range, but you've also stated you've experienced lack of HDD recording, lipsync issues and sluggish performance on your X93.

The X93 is a Bravia 2015 model running Android 2015, therefore will have the exact same software issues as every other Bravia 2015 model.

I'm glad you're happy with your product, but others here are quite rightly frustrated they've paid for a TV from what they thought was a quality brand, only to receive a product that's full of defects.

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Because im reading the thread like you guys think its the end of the world. EVERY product has some kind of issues but how this reads out makes it sound far worse, HDD recording is not an issue as I dont plan to use it, and Sony have promised to deliver it to you, so wheres the issue? 

Youve even just stated "full of defects" again, I was after clarification as the X93 is not full of defects, however the thread title is 2015 bravia android tv issues, its clearly limited to either a certain model or a faulty set. youve got 400 pages mislabled.

I signed up to the thread to read about android 2015 issues, but it just doesnt apply to x93.

[Mekerz]

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@darrenj11 wrote:

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@Mekerz wrote:

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@darrenj11 wrote:

you presume, and thats why ive been following this thread. Yes the TV doesnt have HDD recording but I dont care, Yes its slow on Android but I hold out for updates, and yes the HD channels used to have voice sync issues but that has resolved since update.

The screen is stunning and the audio is great, so pending the sluggish Android TV, im overall very satisfied, and presume therefore that this does not impact X93 range.

---

I'm confused because you've contradicted yourself. You say the issues in this thread do not impact the X93 range, but you've also stated you've experienced lack of HDD recording, lipsync issues and sluggish performance on your X93.

The X93 is a Bravia 2015 model running Android 2015, therefore will have the exact same software issues as every other Bravia 2015 model.

I'm glad you're happy with your product, but others here are quite rightly frustrated they've paid for a TV from what they thought was a quality brand, only to receive a product that's full of defects.

---

Because im reading the thread like you guys think its the end of the world. EVERY product has some kind of issues but how this reads out makes it sound far worse, HDD recording is not an issue as I dont plan to use it, and Sony have promised to deliver it to you, so wheres the issue? 

Youve even just stated "full of defects" again, I was after clarification as the X93 is not full of defects, however the thread title is 2015 bravia android tv issues, its clearly limited to either a certain model or a faulty set. youve got 400 pages mislabled.

I signed up to the thread to read about android 2015 issues, but it just doesnt apply to x93.

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Listen Darren, I'm glad you're happy with your TV and you're willing to wait out software updates to improve lip sync and you don't care much for HDD recording. That's your choice.

Everyone else is quite entitled to complain about the device they bought not performing to their expectations, expectations set by the performance of similarly priced models from other brands. Maybe your X93 doesn't suffer from these issues and that's great, but there are X93 users here who have experienced issues found on X85 and X83 series - there's even one guy a few pages back who confirmed he returned his for a refund as a result. So why exactly are you so adamant on defending the X93 range? It doesn't change anything does it? You still have a fully functioning TV in your eyes that performs to your expectations and it certainly isn't going to make other people's X93s meet their expectations.