Sony Entertainment Network (SEN) - Obsolete on Some Devices

[MK_Slinky]

This is a breakaway thread from my earlier vTuner post which I hope will get better exposure here. Hopefully someone from Sony will see this and realise that the vTuner issue is now having a knock-on effect rendering other features of our devices inoperable.

For owners of the Sony STR-DN1040 Receiver (other models may apply) you will likely know that since the vTuner issue arose earlier this summer our SEN button on the remote control has now become obsolete for some owners and worthless to others.

Here in the UK we have just two SEN services, 'vTuner' & 'Music Unlimited'. However since the later is a premium service costing £9.99 p/month it is way too expensive for some. Likewise the suspension of vTuner has rendered my SEN button pretty much worthless either way.

However, those customers living in other parts of the world and who only have the one SEN service 'vTuner',  will now know that SEN button is now completely obsolete on your device.

As the SEN service was an advertised feature on our devices and no longer works I am therefore appealing to Sony via this post to compensate customers for the loss of the vTuner / SEN service and to provide free access to Music Unlimited on all STR-DN1040 models worldwide.

If you have a different model and can no longer access any services on SEN please update this post accordingly.

Thanks

[MK_Slinky]

So it seems the above mentioned URL's time out within seconds which might explain why I ended up at the above random website. I restarted the Twitter application and was given a new URL which I entered quickly and was taken to the bit.ly website where I received the following error message

Uh oh, Bitly couldn't find a link for the bitly URL you clicked.

Most Bitlinks are 4-6 characters, and only include letters and numbers (and are case sensitive).

As you can see something is very wrong! All links which appear of my TV are similar to this one which is the one that took me to the Amazon Jap site   http://bit.ly/1bysecl

EDIT: 06/01/15

Here is the TVITTER (Twitter for TV) authorisation screen discussed above. As you can see the URL's are too long and the Password is absent!

EDIT: 10/01/2015

This Authorization window appears to be working now since my BD Player downloaded a network update on 07/01/15

If you are using this application for the first time, please note that the above authorization screen is misleading! The password field will remain blank until you have visited the website using the URL displayed on your own device. It is only after visiting that URL and linking your device that a password will be generated. You will need to enter that password into the box shown above on your TV screen. Do this by highlighting the box so it has a red selection border around it (as shown in above image) then press enter on your remote. An on-screen keyboard will then be displayed for you to type the password manually.

[MK_Slinky]

As an update, yesterday I received a telephone call from the Sony Customer Relations Office. Considering I hadn't contacted them myself previously I was quite surprised to put it mildly. The guy I spoke to told me this post had been passed to him for assistance. Wow, now that did impress me!!

To cut the story short I was told I would need to contact Technical Support myself on their direct number to discuss the issue with them. Not so impressive after all!!

Yesterday I spent in excess of 15 minutes on hold listening to  the same piece of mind numbing music over and over until I started to lose the will to live. Eventually I hung up out of disgust.

I have just spent a further 18 minutes on hold, same piece of music but then the line went dead and my call was terminated. Why does this not surprise me? I am now on hold once again and at 16 minutes and counting.....

EDIT:

Success! I just got through after a further 19+ minutes...

Technical support at first seemed to want to blame the issue on my network or my router would you believe? How my router would make an application show a wrong URL or prevent a password showing on screen is laughable really. That said, after some gentle persuasion the assistant did progress my complaint further and has escalated it to another level. I am now waiting for a reply, it could be today, 24 hours later or a few days from now. I guess I am hostage to that phone call right now. The call with support lasted 29 minutes!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the update MK_Slinky.  Hopefully tech support can get to the bottom of your issues. 

[MK_Slinky]

Yes hopefully, mind you I was left feeling a little puzzled after my conversation with Technical Support, the guy I spoke to said he would escalate my issue to Technical Support and wait to see what they had to say..., Um, wasn't I speaking to Technical Support? Perhaps they have a system of triage like in the A&E??

Incidentally the URL's used as shown above seem to have a limited lifespan before being re-issued to other websites, probably explaining why I reached the Amazon Jap site previously. The latest URL above just took me to a German Football site. It's quite exciting really, who knows where it will take me next?????

[MK_Slinky]

08/01/2015

SEN is still OFF-Line and a redundant feature of my STR-DN1040

Perhaps I should rename SEN to 'Sony Errors Network'?!!

[MK_Slinky]

SEN is still OFF-Line and a redundant feature of my STR-DN1040

However SEN HOME menu is now working on my Blu-ray player again.  My earlier report of the TVitter (Twitter for TV) application appears to be working now since my player downloaded a network update, however some app's are still experiencing issues making them unusable. 

Also I have found one or two bugs which I believe to be software related. Sony technical support are now investigating my concerns and have passed the matter to a higher level. Awaiting feedback....

[Anonymous]

Hi @MK_Slinky 

In regards to your STR-DN1040 and SEN, Sony Engineers cannot replicate the problem on their end.  The SEN Services are operational.  Therefore its likely to be an issue with your equipment, most likely network issue. 

Can you please confirm that your network settings are correct on the DN1040 - even resetting the network settings and redoing them.  It has also been suggested that if possible, test out your DN1040 at another location (ie a friends internet connection).

Hopefully this helps (somehow).

Cheers

[MK_Slinky]

Hello mate,

Thanks for the feedback!

My guess is that maybe it's come back online since yesterday, I'll have a look this evening and if it's still off I'll re-do the Network settings again and retest. 

Perhaps someone else can also confirm if SEN is oporational again on their DN1040? I won't hold my breath on that one, seems I'm alone in this thread.

Thanks again.

[gmclauch]

I'm not sure if this is related to the SEN problem on this thread but I have been unable to access purchased movies on the Video Unlimited app on my new Bravia TV and blu-Ray player. I have access on PS4, PSP and Xperia phone. Using the same SEN account and wifi network across numerous Sony devices. This has been escalated to Sony head office but was wonding if anyone else had experienced same? Thanks

[MK_Slinky]

Hi there,

No your issue is not conected to this post however if you visit this link SEN Home you can register/login and add your new device to your devices list. It should work okay then.