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.

[oodles2do]

Maybe they just don't want to promise it yet? It surely can't have been dropped completely, my 2012 Sony TV can do TV record!!

[Caledonian_TV]

---

royabrown wrote:

---

Given that my Android phone, and my wife's, and our Nexus tablet, run very reliably, Andoid is perfectly capable of being very stable.

Though these TVs run Android TV of course, previously known as Google TV, and this OS may have no more in common with the phone OS than a Fiat 500L has in common with a Fiat 500, except a wish to trade on goodwill and the brand identity,.

Alas, the Sonys do dual boot, all but. Freeview or YouView? With a third option if the XDA mob get their hands on the set - Homebrew.

Which would be the same sort of techy heaven and user hell that Linux is. see 'Topfield' passim.

---

Being a dyed in the wool luddite I'm still firmly attached to my iPaq...  But yes; my wife and Daughter have Android 'phones, both random Chinese things, neither of which has caused either of them (both non-techie) to even tap me on the shoulder... We have a couple or few Android tablets dossing about the office too...  None have given me a moment's concern. 

Two weeks tomorrow the X90B's been here...  It's steadfastly refused to randomly re-boot, hasn't frozen once, the sound's in sync, the channels are exactly as I left them...  It's probably just as well it hasn't needed power-cycled as its fitted with a Euro plug and I'd have to go look for a wee tiny screwdriver ( out in the garage! Brrrr!) to plug it back in...  It switches off happily at night and doesn't wake the cat up at 3am by turning itself back on...  And... Very strangely, it seems to do an indecently good job of playing back videos from YouTube across our absolutely lousy internet connection!   - Oh! and the UI is by-and-large inoffensive and logical...

- You'd really have expected the 2015 set to have been some combination of these things. 

Techy heaven/user hell?  - I know what you mean; might even find it fun if it was in another context.

[Miffed-just-a-tad]

I`ve updated mine buy adding one of these....

http://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/VU-Plus-Solo-4K?filter_name=4k

It`s pretty sad i need to add another £300+ worth of kit to get the 4K PVR i was sold ..

I`ve complained to Sony but they just don`t give a toss, They offer there apologies and thank you for your patience.

Never again Sony, Never again.....

[Caledonian_TV]

---

@Miffed-just-a-tad wrote:

I`ve updated mine buy adding one of these....

http://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/VU-Plus-Solo-4K?filter_name=4k

It`s pretty sad i need to add another £300+ worth of kit to get the 4K PVR i was sold ..

I`ve complained to Sony but they just don`t give a toss, They offer there apologies and thank you for your patience.

Never again Sony, Never again.....

---

Looks like an interesting thing though...  And far more flexible than simply having HDD record enabled on the Sony...

Mine couldn't decode the Fransat HD demo; and there was no facility to set the relevant receiver parameters.  So how much actual use the Sony will be when real 4K transmissions start is hard to say...  At least this way you have the facility to stay ahead of the game.

[Lusse3]

so.... still no recording feature? I must say that I'm a bit let down. I still love the TV though. But I wish the record function would be available.

[ricsmith5]

Have just been informed by tv engineers being sent to look at my tv - 49x8307 - on behalf of John Lewis that they will be taking it away for repair? not even going to look at it or access it in my presence, strange.

All the usual issues listed as problems and have even recorded them on video in case the tv behaved itself during their inspection.

Not sure what they are going to do as yet, will ask them when they attend later today.

Not sure how long it will take either, time to dig out an old reliable sony tv in the meantime!

Might telephone JL and se if they have any clues as to what type of repair it will be.

Sony telephoned yesterday and will not comment until the engineer has carried out his visit.

This is the 2nd tv of it's type, the first one had a defective screen so was changed - still had all the problems on it!

[UKPiglet]

Hurrah! My account shows a full refund from John Lewis. I can buy something else now.

So long and good luck to all of you who are putting up with the bugs. I hope your long patience is adequately rewarded by better service and better quality firmware than you've had from Sony so far.

It's a bit of a modern twist on the age old story:

Now that you've opened the fabulous box and out has flown the TV, the bad firmware, the crashes, the poor lip sync, the random reboots, the sound without picture and picture without sound, the switches back on and all the other evils...all that is left at the bottom of at box, looking very small and feint....all that is left there ... is hope....

[ronniebr]

My BT Ultra HD YouView box was installed on Tuesday and is far more responsive more than the Sony app and at last I can record again.  Due to TV package management issues at BT's end the Ultra HD channel hasn't been activated for me yet so I can't comment on the Ultra HD quality.

Being able to record is the good news, the bad news is that since I added the BT box my 55x8509 has become much more unstable.  I've had three spontaneous reboots in as many days when trying to select the HDMI input for the YouView box and I've had one case where I couldn't switch the TV off using the remote and had to pull the mains plug out.

It's bad enough that the inbuilt YouView functionality is so poor (slow, no record, disables satellite input, no STV Player) but now it feels like I'm being punished for trying to work around it.

[adyjay33]

Sounds just like my Sony, came home yesterday, pushed the on button for TV and was greeted with a blank screen with just sound, the same happened when I tried by Sky which is on HDMI too, I had to reboot and even then a blue "Unfortunately BraviaSyncService has stopped" sign came up on the now working screen after about ten seconds after starting from a reboot, what the hell is going on?

I am going into Currys tommorow to put in a complaint and contacting Sony too, I have had enough as it seems to be getting worse, is this a fault with the hardware starting to occur now due to the firmware being totally screwed?

[royabrown]

---

@UKPiglet wrote:

Now that you've opened the fabulous box and out has flown the TV, the bad firmware, the crashes, the poor lip sync, the random reboots, the sound without picture and picture without sound, the switches back on and all the other evils...all that is left at the bottom of the box, looking very small and faint....all that is left there ... is hope....

---

Glad you got your money back.

But emboldened by your last paragraph, as above, I went and had a scout in the box my TV came in. Nothing, though but polystyrene and plastic wrapping sheet. Nothing else, not even a bracelet you can buy lots of charms to hang on. 😞

So it looks like, regarding my TV, there's no hope for it......and the only hanging on I can do is for HDD recording.

In Spanish, 'hang on' is 'espera', and 'hope' is 'esperanza'. The two are uncomfortably closely linked....