Update 3.885 problems

[lgcebr]

I have a Sony KD-55XD9305 TV which has worked fine until this week.  I held off the above update but applied it last week and now have three problems:

1). I can no longer play video files from an attached USB stick.  These same files on the same device played perfectly before the update.  Now the TV states no device and no files.

2). Random error message flash up on the screen saying various features have stopped.  These can be dismissed by pressing OK but did not happen before, are annoying and clearly not right.

3). Often when starting up from standby the TV goes into the Amdroid logo animation screen.  

I have c facets Tech Support who emailed me instructions but these state that it is possible that the TV might stop working and not start up.  It seems to me to be risky to follow these iinstructions if my TV might end up bricked.

has anyone else come across these problems introduced by the 3.885 update?

Thanks 

[lgcebr]

OK progress report about problems  one week on after the v3.885 update.  First thanks to Quinnicus for being so helpful!

*. Various error messages along the lines "<Service name> has stopped". Have started to reappear.

    For example "Programme guide has stopped" even though programme guide works fine.

    These messages are intermittent but annoying and didn't happen before the update.

*. No progress playing video files from USB stick.  The TV can see the stick as it shows up in Settings.

   However it says "no device" and "no video" when I try to get play compatible files via Video pre-installed app.

   Before the update this worked perfectly.

*. Random re-starts have stopped at the moment but may return like the error messages have.

Sony Tech Support unable to help.  Sony Customer Support (Amsterdam) looking into it.

In short, after the update, my TV is worse than it was before!  Thanks Sony!

[Anonymous]

---

@MiCal1967 wrote:

Hi

I can also confirm reboots.

• Occasionally during Power On from "simple" STBY (TV goes full Android startup).
• Once by simply pressing the Home button on remote control.

Unable to consistenly reproduce issue. Just random, same way with random unresponsiveness which behaves as if there is no free memory or there is no processor or graphics processor power.

No other device is connected via HDMI or USB

---

Hi @MiCal1967

Are you able to fill out the 10 questions in the format that either I did above or that Igcebr did?  As what you wrote above confirms that you experience the same issue occasionally, but doesnt answer the questions that Sony have specified.

Cheers

[Anonymous]

Hi @lgcebr

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

Q1 - XX Service has stopped Errors.

Unfortunately this is not the first time I've heard to this.  There are a few that are suffering from this.  Have a look at this thread and the YouTube vids - sounds like your issue?  Since the firmware update - have you factory reset your TV?  This is the first step.

https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/android-tv/all-apps-failing-after-update/m-p/2353014

By the way - Sony are aware of this (even if Sony Support arnt!)

Q2 - USB Drive Issues:

Are you able to test using a different USB drive - just to rule out that your current one is failing/failed?

Cheers

[lgcebr]

Thanks again Quinnicus.    The USB drive issue is getting weirder.

Q1

Yes this video shows exactly what's happening

Q2

1)  I originally had a Sandisk USB stick attached to this TV for 15+ months  The USB stick has home movies of holidays on it in the accepted formats and always played perfectly until the update.  Now nothing plays.  The TV settings (storage and reset)  show it can see the Sandisk USB but the Video app on the home screen says no device attached.

2)  Since the update I have checked by using the other USB ports on the TV - nothing.  I have played the USB drive on my and a friends computer.  The files are intact and not corrupted.  Everything plays fine on devices other than the TV.

3)  I have done the factory reset - no change.

4)  I have removed the ocntent form the USB stick and loaded a smaller selection of videos back on to it.  No chage.

5)  I must have tried 20+ times.  Then a friend put his USB drive into the TV and it showed his video and photos perfectly.  I thought something might have changed but no it won't see any of my Sandisk drives.

6) Now the weird part.  My friend removed his USB and I tried mine again.  The video app from the Home screen  menu shows  an index of his ocntent even though his USB stick is removed.  Of course nothing plays because his stick is not present.  

7)  So we tun off the TV and turn it back on.  Even though his USB is no longer present the TV still shows his video index in the app.

😎  Try mine again with just a single file on it - check it plays on computers / is correct format as per spec..  Nothing!

"Storage and reset" now shows my Sandisk brand USB attached but is showing the video index in the video app of a different branded, absent USB stick!

I have been very patient with Sony ever  since the 2015 TV mess but I just can't see that they are operaitng their updates with the level of care and skill customers can reasonably expect.  One of the reasons we got the TV was to be able to show 4K home movies but now that advertised feature is removed by an "update".  It's more like a downgrade!

Rant over - thanks to you as always Quinnicus!

[Kuschelmonschter]

To 2:

I found out that Marshmallow has become quite picky about the partition table. Lots of storage devices are not properly initialized anymore. Formatting did not help. So I rewrote the partition table to GPT. Afterwards this storage device worked again. I first thought it was a problem with MBR, but rewriting the partition table again to MBR also worked. So something was probably wrong about the MBR initially.

In order to rewrite the partition table, one has to low-level format the storage. You can for example do that under Windows with the preinstalled DiskPart utility, see here.

[lgcebr]

Thanks - this sounds helpful.  I use Apple OS so I will try and find a way of doing this in their Disk Utility program.  I appreciate the advice.

[lgcebr]

I went to John Lewis  TV department today to see if they had any knowledge of or advice on the problems.  Interestingly some of their Sony TVs were showing the "<service name> has stopped" error messages.  Hardly a good advertisement for Sony but it shows the problem is fairly widespread,

Sony Customer Support has contacted me to say that they are aware the v3.885 has caused problems for some owners using USB sticks to,play video on the TV.  They offered a replacement TV but can't guarantee it won't have the same issue.  So they offered a full refund which I have accepted.

It's a shame because I've been a Sony customer for 40+ years and their TV panels are really impressive.  However I have concluded that their software updates over th least three years are too often unfit for purpose with bugs and errors which immediately become apparent.  How on earth do they do their pre-release testing and not see these errors? 

Sony needs to learn that excellent 4K panels + bad updates  = a disappointing product which drives customers away.

Thanks to Quinnicus for helping so many people on this forum!

[Anonymous]

@lgcebr - You're Welcome

Its such a pity that you and many others have to seek a refund for your TVs, which as a consumer you are in your right to.  Its also such a pity that things have got to this stage too - I too am frustrated by the lack of progress in fixing all the issues/bugs.  Even when they are fixed, another FW update and its back to square one again.

At the end of the day, a company exists to make sales and therefore a profit, the more people who return the TVs for a refund - maybe just maybe Sony might listen to its customers and dedicate more resources to its TV division.

Take care

[Kuschelmonschter]

Good decision @lgcebr. Would have done that too. And Sony better should have taken mine back too .

[Anonymous]

HI @lgcebr

One last question - which JL store did you visit that you saw all those errors on the TVs?

Cheers