Android 8.0 Oreo/ 9.0 Pie

[zlays84]

Is it OK to expect Android Oreo on 2017 Sony Android TVs?

[Kuschelmonschter]

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@rooobb  schrieb:

There are continuos upgrade of the tv firmware even on 2015 Android tv models, AFAIK as I know one is one its way in these days. So it is not correct your assertion and Sony is giving a longer support compared to any other brand.

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Sony accepted Google's policy to provide three major upgrades. Some 2019 models shipped with Oreo and won't get Pie. Sad story.

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There was at least in Italy an official interview with Sony managers that claimed they are experimenting Android 9 also on older model to check if it guarantees at least the same performance on older SoC before releasing it; if not they'll rather stick with Oreo.

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Problem is that those TVs have been built on a SoC from 2016 which never received any support from the manufacturer (MediaTek) in the first place, being based on an ancient 3.10 Linux kernel. Pie requires a 4.4 kernel. Nobody will update kernel and drivers for the old MediaTek SoC. So that's the issue at hand.

[raXXuz]

Yes, but it was contriditive due to the fact that low level H models 2019 was getting Pie with the same SoC as Premium XE/XF so Sony information could not be correct regarding the fact that the SOC was to weak. If this was correct low level H models of 19 shouldn't be able to run pie either.

[rooobb]

which model you are referring to has the same SoC as XE/XF products and Pie?

[raXXuz]

XG85 but i have to correct myself. they don't have the same SoC 5891 for the xf9005 and 5893 for the xg85 so not the same. I was missinformed.

Still realy bad for a premium TV to end smart TV support after 1 year. If i could i would by a TV without the smart part and have external box just for this. Now i pay for a solution that only lasts for 1 year. If i would have known this i would absolutely not have bought the TV. I went with Sony due to the fact that the rest of the suppliers using Android did not upgrade Android TV but Sony did now i got 1 upgrade (7 to 😎 and thats it.

Now it is up to Google to support Android 8 instead which is a responsibility that is out of Sony hands.

[rooobb]

I' sorry it is not my intent to contradict you. But you still have been disinformed.

First the last point of your post: Google doesn't support your TV firmware directly. It is an OEM version of Android TV directly shipped by Sony and different i.e. from Philips one. This is the reason why it takes sometimes after Google releases an official new version of the new OS (we are now on Android TV 10 btw) after you can get it, if made available, on a TV.

Your TV support is not ended after one year. My own KD55A1 is still receiveng regular update after 3 years. Not Pie till now, but I do not know if it really can improve it. I still hope I will receive it.

BTW as I said, no other brand is committed to upgrade previous year OS, if you plan to change your TV

[Kuschelmonschter]

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@rooobb  schrieb:
My own KD55A1 is still receiveng regular update after 3 years.

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Because the ATV2 platform was relatively new back then. If you bought an ATV2 based BRAVIA in 2019, things look different. And after all those years, the OS/platform is still far from mature.

ATV2 will soon suffer the same fate as ATV1. Sony said they don't know whether it will receive Oreo. Today everybody knows that it won't. Those TVs do not receive much support today. Same happens to ATV2 now. Sony says they don't know whether they will bring Pie to ATV2. They for sure won't. Support will also soon cease to exist.

Sony did not deliver 3 major updates for their ATV1 models (later XD models receive 0-1) and they won't deliver 3 major updates for ATV2. Some TVs won't even receive one single major update. That's the sad truth.

[rooobb]

Sony is not sticking to Google requirements strictly and so then? My own smarphone also did receive only 2 major update and Pie is tha latest it will ever get (and it is not Sony btw), and we are talking about a faster life cycle . If you buy a Tizen or WebOS you won't receive ANY major update, which is the alternative even if in an ideal world we would like to have our own tv supported as long as we keep it?

[Kuschelmonschter]

I bought an LG for my parents. For average people who can't discern OLED from IPS (who I would amount to well over 90% of the population), it is a much better choice. WebOS is pretty mature. TV tuner integration is a delight... the ease of use, the favorites management, the recording and timeshifting... YouTube 2160p60 is buttery smooth, even when in parallel navigating the menu. It had YouTube HDR support long before Sony had it. Just like support for AirPlay2. It has all the major streaming apps, even Sky Ticket in Germany which Android TV lacks an app for. Those TVs don't really need an update if one does not care about security, which is a total disaster on Sony as well with VPN reproducibly crashing the system and security patch level being months, sometimes even over a year behind.

[rooobb]

I don't want to engage a discussion on a comparison to different os side by side especially on this thread and even if I am pretty sure that anybody can tell the difference between an ips and an oled LG produces also oled. Indeed is the only one producing oled panel.

Webos I recognize is quite well designed but it has also it's own downside: your parent model should be a 2019 model since none of the previous one will be update with airplay support .Sony's  too but being android you have other apps to support it. So as forgot any alternate player like kodi or VLC or whatever you like. Even the possibility to workaround the YouTube hdr flaw with an alternate one. Or casting anything from your mobile.  Basically what is inside is quite good. What's not forget it.

But this said I put more importance on panel than os...so I would not be desperate to have the latest LG OLED even if I still prefer sony and Panasonic image management

[raXXuz]

I don’t care much about os version what i do care about is the apps and that is whats makes my tv smart without externa box which was the reason for Sony Theo ran a rather small changed version of android tv compared to others like philips. This could ensure allt lf updates. Nog it is hardwares issues which isn’t oki for a rather new TV. And there are a big diff compared to Tizen and Webos, Samsung and LG are in control of app support so Netflix Will Keep on working, for android it is Google so let’s say next version of Netflix demande pie well then my tv is trash. This is out of Sony control compared to other brands whonhas thre own os.

This is why this is a major issue that Sony doesn’t secure pie for xe/XF models. And added to that i bought this premium tv for secured updates and god quality of the panel. So i admit i’m dissapointed in Sony in that regard. To add another aspect like linage os and other Thord party brands of android, drivers can be lade by Sony if they just want to support pie even on the ord SoC and for performance well they can start to remote all blott stuff addedby Sony in the Sony version. It’s not super hard to make it fluent if you turn of redundant features. Pie adress alot of performance issues so with fixad drivers and pie the tv interface Will probebly work even better than Oreo. This will take effort of Sony but i would say it would be worth it in the long run  as customers will return and be satesfied. Win win for all