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.

[Caledonian_TV]

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rooobb wrote:

Sorry, but not one of those Samsung models in the comparison list spot PVR capabilities (AFAIK it's only from JU7000 onward)... so it's not a problem anymore if it's not yet implemented on Sony.....

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I'm afraid the problems with this line of Sony TVs are FAR more fundamental than the HDD recording issue.  They just don't function reliably even as basic television receivers.  And I'm afraid you seem to rather evade the point that the HDD recording facility is a promised feature... A promise that has been broken time after time after time...

THAT is the problem...Broken promises...  Sony just haven't delivered with these sets ,and seem to have neither the will or capability to do so! They are so fundamentally flawed that they really should not be on sale.

So, I'm afraid comparing these Sony sets to Samsung models that actually deliver what they promise - if its unfair at all - is actually unfair on Samsung!  Even if the Samsung promise is more realistic.  Roy's enthusiasm seems entirely reasonable...

The fact of the matter is that the once gold-standard in television receivers no longer has a reliable large-screen television set on the market. Nor, it appears, will they have one for the coming year.

As an aside, when we moved the last of the offline edit suites to HD a couple of years ago - On cost grounds - I put Samsung S22 B/C 300 panels in the'functional' positions.  I also took three home.  They've proved absolutely faultless and be set up as quite useful reference. I believe the BBC have a few from the same family as floor monitors and in some of the newsrooms...   We also have two Sony PVM-2541, and the little Samsungs actually hold their own quite well against them; remarkable given the difference in cost! 

- For those that have asked via email; I await news of my set being replaced, as always I'll be satisfied only once I've actually heard the Rubenesque Aria!    The problem now being Sony's local 'service partner' who seem somehow resistant to actually answering emails in order to arrange things! - And I do want everything in writing so there are no misunderstandings; you know what they say about a verbal contract not being worth the paper it is written on! Apparently they told Sony the exchange would be made 'by the weekend', no chance of that now!  Hey Ho! Another couple of days of random freezes etc won't kill me I suppose! 

[Publiclyavailable]

Double post. Deleted! Oops!

[Publiclyavailable]

Well My Samsung 4k UE48JU7000 has arrived and - guess what? It worked as advertised, straight out of the box! Oh yes! And it still works as advertised, even two days later!  USB recording, Freeview twin satellite inputs / DiSeqC, 3D, etc etc. 5 year guarantee. Things look promising!

I managed to get a price match from John Lewis against Superfi, a small chain of stores which are not only online but also actual physical stores. JL weren't too pleased and tried to wriggle but they did honour their promise and I got £150 off their sale price. So, new smart 4K telly which works straight out of the box, £850, versus JL sale price of £999 (RRP circa £1200-£1400). 

I would highly recommend Superfi. They were unable to deliver until Feb hence I went to JL but, if you're prepared to wait, you could do worse than to try them. V helpul staff too, another plus versus Sony!

What's not to like.  Ditch your duff Sony now and come out into the world of easy-to-use smart TV and regain your life.

I'm closing my subscription here in a week. Best of luck to you all and thanks for all the tips and pointers. Especially my local Mr Brown and our Caledonian friend!  🙂

Cheers..

PA

[rooobb]

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Caledonian_TV ha scritto:

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rooobb wrote:

Sorry, but not one of those Samsung models in the comparison list spot PVR capabilities (AFAIK it's only from JU7000 onward)... so it's not a problem anymore if it's not yet implemented on Sony.....

---

I'm afraid the problems with this line of Sony TVs are FAR more fundamental than the HDD recording issue.  They just don't function reliably even as basic television receivers.  And I'm afraid you seem to rather evade the point that the HDD recording facility is a promised feature... A promise that has been broken time after time after time...

THAT is the problem...Broken promises...  Sony just haven't delivered with these sets ,and seem to have neither the will or capability to do so! They are so fundamentally flawed that they really should not be on sale.

So, I'm afraid comparing these Sony sets to Samsung models that actually deliver what they promise - if its unfair at all - is actually unfair on Samsung!  Even if the Samsung promise is more realistic.  Roy's enthusiasm seems entirely reasonable...

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I do not have you wide experience with several TV brands and I do not want to be Sony advocate, but I own two Sony (W805A and W805C) and a Samsung (F5400). Well, as far as promise and trustably are at stake, I installed several different FW versions on the Sammy (well it is still supported at least after 2 years) and month by month they stripped down most of the claimed smart tv functionalities: MyOn tv (with the online guide and suggestion) is gone 4 months ago, SocialTV (twitter/facebook/skype) is gone on January, ROVI (TV guide) app is gone , after the release of FW 2113.1 on december the television took 10 seconds in order to be switched off, the app can be run now after 1 minute from TV switched on (before it was immediate), I cannot run anymore the music player via DLNA....

So as far as you look at only one brand you can find a lot of problem for each.....

[Caledonian_TV]

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I do not have you wide experience with several TV brands and I do not want to be Sony advocate, but I own two Sony (W805A and W805C) and a Samsung (F5400). Well, as far as promise and trustably are at stake, I installed several different FW versions on the Sammy (well it is still supported at least after 2 years) and month by month they stripped down most of the claimed smart tv functionalities: MyOn tv (with the online guide and suggestion) is gone 4 months ago, SocialTV (twitter/facebook/skype) is gone on January, ROVI (TV guide) app is gone , after the release of FW 2113.1 on december the television took 10 seconds in order to be switched off, the app can be run now after 1 minute from TV switched on (before it was immediate), I cannot run anymore the music player via DLNA....

So as far as you look at only one brand you can find a lot of problem for each.....

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As I'm sure others are bored of hearing... I happen to be a Thames-TV trained broadcast technician, a former lecturer in TV production and the owner of my own production company. I started my career in 1979 meaning that my experience with A/V equipment goes back further than many of those reading here have 'walked' the earth....

I bought one of these Sony sets with the intention of ignoring the 'smart' functions; simply to use as a domestic TV receiver - with my satellite system and my AV amp...  The problems I've had with it include but are not limited to...

1) Random freezing and resetting

 
2) Satellite tuning - a STUPIDLY designed tuning menu 

3) 'Favourites' set up on satellite channels is unreliable

4) Set keeps 'forgetting' wanted channels and reinstates unwanted ones - including porn channels which have no place in a decent family home!

5) Using optical out lip-sync issues; picture leads the sound.

6) No DISEQC control

7) Patchy ARC support

😎 The set is implicated in damaging the HDMI board of an amplifier.

- I own STACKS of Sony equipment, both domestic and professional most of it's been perfect; and have 36+ years of experience working with this sort of equipment.  Yet, even with that level of knowledge I CANNOT make one of these sets operate reliably as a domestic TV set in my own home...  And if I can't make one work, what hope has the average consumer? 

That's BEFORE we get to the smart functions!  Which I wouldn't dare try!  - And IIRC correctly there are experienced computer people contributing to this thread who have similar levels of frustration with that side of the sets!

There are 'problems' and there are PROBLEMS....  If some obscure wittery thing doesn't work properly, well that's obscure wittery things for you.  - But you can't even take these sets out the box, plug an aerial into them, plug them into the mains and expect to be able to sit down and watch 'Coronation St' without problems!  

Thats a REAL problem!

[bunkum100]

I'm seriously considering returning my 43w807c to Amazon but there aren't many options at this size (the TV needs to fit in an alcove so can't go any bigger) and I don't want a 4k set yet. I'm currently in touch by email with Sony Customer Support about the inability of the TV to update the sytem software. 

But this thread is making me think I should return it for a refund rather than a replacement. I haven't experienced any other problems other than the software update issue, I think the picture quality is superb (not that I've tried any competitor TVs) and Android has (so far) worked as expected but it has only been about 10 days.

[rooobb]

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Caledonian_TV ha scritto:

[...]

I bought one of these Sony sets with the intention of ignoring the 'smart' functions; simply to use as a domestic TV receiver - with my satellite system and my AV amp...  The problems I've had with it include but are not limited to...

1) Random freezing and resetting

 
2) Satellite tuning - a STUPIDLY designed tuning menu 

3) 'Favourites' set up on satellite channels is unreliable

4) Set keeps 'forgetting' wanted channels and reinstates unwanted ones - including porn channels which have no place in a decent family home!

5) Using optical out lip-sync issues; picture leads the sound.

6) No DISEQC control

7) Patchy ARC support

😎 The set is implicated in damaging the HDMI board of an amplifier.

- I own STACKS of Sony equipment, both domestic and professional most of it's been perfect; and have 36+ years of experience working with this sort of equipment.  Yet, even with that level of knowledge I CANNOT make one of these sets operate reliably as a domestic TV set in my own home...  And if I can't make one work, what hope has the average consumer? 

That's BEFORE we get to the smart functions!  Which I wouldn't dare try!  - And IIRC correctly there are experienced computer people contributing to this thread who have similar levels of frustration with that side of the sets!

There are 'problems' and there are PROBLEMS....  If some obscure wittery thing doesn't work properly, well that's obscure wittery things for you.  - But you can't even take these sets out the box, plug an aerial into them, plug them into the mains and expect to be able to sit down and watch 'Coronation St' without problems!  

Thats a REAL problem!

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I didn't want to argue your experience and probably it depends also on the setup you have that's quite different from mine (i.e. I do not have satellite, only DVBT), but my set is working quite fine (probably a little more complex to operate than the W805A from my wife point of view ) so I've a different feeling regarding it and I enjoy more than you all in this thread the superb quality of the images delivered.

So far no "real" problem with mine HTCT350 connected via HDMI ARC and all the connected devices (BDP, HDD recorder - so yes I can still have recording even if it is missing on the TV side), no lipsync (for which probably I'm also less sensible since in Italy all foreign - the majority - movie are dubbed in italian ....), very random freeze, never reset and instead a lot of possibilities regarding new app and functionalities.

Just to share, not willing to convince you.

[andipr]

I know we are a good six weeks away form the next UK release, but are there any moderators on here that could give us a courtesy update on how the development items are progressing? Any major hiccups or successes to report?

Thanks.

[adyjay33]

Andipir... This is Sony you are talking about, they never tell you a thing.

We had a German man from Sony on here recently telling us things then he said he is more on the German site than any other so I have not seen him in ages.

Makes me wonder if they care more about everyone else than the English.

I know its still six weeks away but if this update does not bring the results then this TV is going back.

[royabrown]

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@rooobb wrote:

Sorry, but not one of those Samsung models in the comparison list spot PVR capabilities (AFAIK it's only from JU7000 onward)... so it's not a problem anymore if it's not yet implemented on Sony.....

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Try this lot.... I don't know why the 7500 is cheaper than the 7000, maybe they can't shift curved sets,,,,

But quite a price premium on the Sony, though you do get 3D, should the op want that.

But I don't know what's important to him, after all.

Bears out my point that it is hard to get the features of the Sony at that price point, though maybe LG or Panasonic could manage it, if they have all the Players....