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.

[SimonC75]

I live in Scotland, and as such have STV in place of ITV.

In YouView/ITVPlayer I only have a very limited number of programmes, and only those which are on ITV2/3/4/Be that have not also been on STV (no Coronation Street, no X-Factor for example).

Do viewers in the rest of the UK have full ITVPlayer? STV is part of YouView - so do Sony plan to provide this regional access? 

Via laptop I can trick ITVPlayer in to thinking I'm in a different region, but not with my TV.

[DaM3k0n]

Had hoped some youview functionality would be available via broadband only, as I dont have an aerial.  Id read youview provided access to lots of ondemand content, as well as just the catchup services...  I saw an option when trying to set up for either aerial or cable, and wondered if I could get any freeview stuff from my VM cable, as what other cable options would actually be available?  

Had also hoped to be able to cast from spotify, given that legacy chromecast support has recently been introduced...

[anjenki75]

YouView is a platform that combines internet catchup & on-demand services with over-the-air (aerial) broadcast TV. It doesn’t work via cable, or satellite. If the catchup apps don’t work without tuned channels that is a bit sad, maybe it is because they use the broadcast EPG (guide) data which comes over the aerial. I think it’s fair to say YouView has never had to consider the availability of the broadcast medium before: all the implementations upto now have been in DVB-T boxes, the idea that customers wouldn’t have an aerial or would assume they could get channels via satellite would never come up.

You have to think of TV delivery as being integrated platforms of several different things, it is not just about the channels being broadcast over a certain type of technology (terrestrial, cable, satellite). For example Sky broadcast over satellite, using encryption and its own guide metadata. Freeview is broadcast over terrestrial, the channels are not encrypted but the guide for Freeview HD is. To get access to the guide, implementors have to agree licensing conditions, IIRC one of those is that any HD recordings must be encrypted to a certain standard on disk. YouView uses the same broadcast channels as Freeview, i.e. they are terrestrial only, but I am not sure if the guide is the same, separate, or delivered entirely differently (i.e. over the internet). The primary selling point of YouView is to integrate the different catchup players and unify the content metadata, so you can search across them. To do this is mashes up the broadcast (aerial) guide metadata with the internet metadata. The broadcast guide still works without an internet connection (though it displays slightly different information), but depending on implementation, it may be that the catchup apps expect guide metadata to be present.

[scoopy6]

I don't think the satellite tuners are mentioned in the specs and, as already suggested, this may be because Sony was not able to obtain a licence for Freesat and its epg (and perhaps those were 'bagged' by the others).

Agree that Youview has turned out to be quick and effective, 100% better than it was on the useless Taltalk Huawei box which we briefly tried. Currently it is also preferable to the Sony Freeview epg itself, and nice that it was this time delivered early instead of being postponed. We have only noticed a big crash once, when the input was changed while Youview was running, which might be hard for Sony to get around because of Android.

Also Youview is patchy for things we want to see like films, and i-player itself serves well for BBC4, so in the long run Recording will be greatly preferred for a comprehensive choice of broadcast material, and especially for the ability to navigate properly within the recordings and to resume, while avoiding the adverts.

The current basic epg will presumably need a major overhaul to accommodate recording. If Sony's Youview effort is anything to go by, it should be excellent and worth the wait.

[malcolm1962]

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@scoopy6 wrote:

I don't think the satellite tuners are mentioned in the specs and, as already suggested, this may be because Sony was not able to obtain a licence for Freesat and its epg (and perhaps those were 'bagged' by the others).

Agree that Youview has turned out to be quick and effective, 100% better than it was on the useless Taltalk Huawei box which we briefly tried. Currently it is also preferable to the Sony Freeview epg itself, and nice that it was this time delivered early instead of being postponed. We have only noticed a big crash once, when the input was changed while Youview was running, which might be hard for Sony to get around because of Android.

Also Youview is patchy for things we want to see like films, and i-player itself serves well for BBC4, so in the long run Recording will be greatly preferred for a comprehensive choice of broadcast material, and especially for the ability to navigate properly within the recordings and to resume, while avoiding the adverts.

The current basic epg will presumably need a major overhaul to accommodate recording. If Sony's Youview effort is anything to go by, it should be excellent and worth the wait.

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Oh yes there are mentioned - take a look on the Sony website. There is no mention of Feeesat, as Sony has not paid for the license, but that is not what I, and others, are complaining about. I fully appreciate that YouView is for the Freeview channelss only, but there is no logical reason that I can think of why the satellite tuners should be disabled when YouView is enabled. As a minimum, Sony should make this clear in its specifications, as I personally wanted to have both features and it was a key factor in my decision to buy this TV.

Also, I hate to dissspoint you, but were you aware that you will not be able to enable recording on this TV (after it is eventually launched) unless you disbale YouView?

[danielbeyzade]

@malcolm1962 Have you sent an email to Sony CEO office using my template posted yesterday. The number of users with this complaint is growing and I am keeping a record of who is sending the emails. Please PM for my email address so that you can copy your complaint to me as well.

Just as an update for you all, Kimberly from the CEO office has not called me back as she promised so I have just chased her for a response. I have been discussing this issue for well over 2 months now, since the disclaimer appeared on the website saying these features would be unavailable in combination with YouView. It is only last week she finally realised what I was talking about, and said I was the only person to have made this complaint to her. 

[elraouk]

This incompatibility was one of the arguments I used to get my original set taken back by Sony, after 3+ months.  I've since bought another one, from JL, in the hope they'd fix the software (as I'm not really bothered by Youview, so haven't updated the firmware yet).  Am more concerned by lack of development on the sat EPG and general lag in the whole OS. 

[Deanfeuillade]

Hi everyone 

This may jinx me totally but I'm not experiencing any of the major issues some of the users are on this forum.

I did have an issue at the beginning in regards to not being able to get ANY 3D glasses to pair but long since gave that up as a lost cause. I didn't actually buy the TV for its 3D features so at this stage I'm not overly bothered and haven't even tried any new glasses since the update.

I probably don't use the TV to the extent of some of the users on here do which might explain why I'm not seeing some of the issues. I have my Sky HD connected along with the Blu Ray and all is good in the world.

Youview came along yesterday and the update went smoothly. The only criticism I have is that the TV button on the remote is now set to Digital as a default and it can't be changed. Not the end of the world but annoying.

Maybe when I get more adventurous and start to look at what the TV can do (or should do) then maybe I will start to make a few new judgements.

[t1mmm9879]

Same with me buddy... my 43 w805c runs brilliantly with sky, no issues at all bar the odd menu freeze when using the action menu but it soon sorts itself out.

Weird. 

[mark-bo]

I am rather disappointed at the loss of the satellite facility following the youview update. I see no reason why this should be linked in anyway to youview. I like to watch the free to air German HD channels from the astra satellite at 19.2e which is a different satellite the one used for the UK freesat channels so why should there be any conflict with youview if that is the reason for disabling it.

Whilst the youview update seems to work well and the EPG is much better, I was disappointed to find that when tuned to a HD channel (other than the BBCs) and then selecting an earlier programme to watch from the epg the programmes are all in SD. This may of course be the fact that the players only show SD quality unlike the BBC iplayer where High Quality can be selected in the Settings. Not Sony's fault of course but nevertheless a backward step on a 4K tv and another good reason for needing the Hard Disk Recording facility which could be set in advance to record the HD version from live tv.

I chose this TV as it has a built in satellite receiver and (eventually) the Hard Disk recording facility so, quite reasonably thinking that I could do away with my separate satellite receiver and my Hard Disk recorder. It is now clear that is not the case and I need to keep them both if i want to make use of youview.

If anyone from Sony reads these posts I hope they are beginning to see why their customers are quite upset and feel somewhat misled and I hope that they would post here some sort of response.