Sony Bravia TV EPG "no event information" on freesat

[Solway]

Sony Bravia TV EPG "no event information" on freesat

Hi guys

Been trying to contact Sony via their web email support. the page endlessly loops on trying to send, no matter on what broswer i use. 😕 so here i am...

anyway

I have a Sony bravia TV KDL-42W805A.

I have recently cancelled my Sky package. so have been using the builtin freeview (aerial) for TV, which is all working fine.

However, i have decided to remove the freeview aerial and use the built in freesat tuner with existing Sky dish.

I can get over 800 channels with freesat. and the signal quality/strength is at the max. no issues there.

The issue im having is:

the EPG does not populate with information. all i get is "no event information". it will only appear once i view a channel. but im not flickering through 800 channels just to get the information to load

Because this don't load, it make the EPG completely useless

What am i doing wrong?

PS. the TV is not connected to the internet (yet) but has latest firmware update i think.

[philuk11]

Unfortunately not as I've had the TV over 12 month.  Was using SKY for 12 month until I cancelled hence why just finding this issue 12 months on.

I just assumed any modern TV these days came with FreeSat as all the big companies do (LG, Samsung) even my daughters £150 Toshiba cheap TV has it built in.  

It would seem my only option is to use a separate sat box (i know can buy for £20) but this is not the point of having a 2k TV that you would think comes with all the bells and whistles.

[royabrown2]

@philuk11 

According to this:-

https://www.digihelpdesk.co.uk/how-to-get-freesat-on-sony-android-tv-box-to-app-options/
you can download a Freesat app:-

Freesat app for Sony Android TV

If you’d rather not pay out for a Freesat box after already purchasing an expensive Sony TV, that’s totally understandable.

To download the Freesat app on your television, you’ll need to use the remote control and navigate to the Home menu. From the Home menu, head to the Google Play Store.

Now, you can either look for, or type into the search bar, ‘Freesat app’ and it should be available to install.

To see all your apps on your Sony TV, please follow these steps. Your TV option may vary between the two following options.

‘Home’ button > Settings > Apps > ‘See all apps’

or

‘Home’ button > Settings > Apps > ‘Downloaded apps’ or ‘System apps category’

I’ve no idea if this will work or not, but it would be useful if you could explore it and report back.

Sony Android TVs, since 2015, have had satellite tuners, but not until very recently, Freesat. This is a distinction which eludes many owners, and, rather regrettably, quite a few salesmen.

Freesat, in effect, is an EPG providing a curated set of satellite channels; it piggybacks on the satellite tuner output, which only has a Now & Next EPG as standard.

Besides this, Sony Android brings a number of other small disappointments, like the itv app not offering live TV; while you can’t assume anything with these sets, and you can see from Sony’s spec for yours that Freesat isn’t shown, the itv app gotcha is buried rather deeper.

But stuff happens; I wait patiently for the All4 app on my 2020 LG GX, their absolutely top of the range model, meanwhile sourcing it from a (pretty seamlessly) connected Roku device.

Samsung remain the king of app providers, but the lack of OLED is a job-stopper 😢 

[orwell84]

@Solway  You are doing nothing wrong.  Like many of the users on here you have found out after sale that the EPG for satellite on Sony TVs does not work anymore.   I say anymore because Sony used to own Gracenote and prior to that they had the ability to draw down information from the internet to properly populate the guide.  Sony TVs were never Freesat enabled and never claimed to be Freesat enabled, they are Freeview enabled which is of course something different.  The lack of Freesat was not a problem because previously with Gracenote they had a working alternative.  Gracenote is still involved in the guide but the implementation is hopeless.  You do get suggested programs in the front pages of the guide from the internet but the guide relies on the limitation of the satellite data which does not pick up the program data.     The supposed solution to change the way the Guide is presented by selecting the Search option BUT this only works on TVs prior to 2015.  Having also owned one of these 2015 TV  I thought it fair to assume that Sony would have a similar feature on newer versions. .  Alas Sony has of late a great habit of disappointing users.  They also removed the Sideview App also which for a time could be used as a workaround to the lack of a proper satellite Guide App on their Android TVs.   

Bottom line for me is I will not buy another Sony product.  My  last Sony purchase is now a effectively a monitor, great screen, but without full the TV functionality for which I purchased it.  The most annoying thing is that Sony continue to state in Tech specs that the EPG is available on their TVs without pointing out that the only guide is a terrestrial one.  

I don't believe this will be solved but I had hoped that being an Android platform TV now that someone could have zapped the problem with an app by now.  Lots of IP guides but none that can pair the Sat input yet that I know about anyway.

Sony need to stop marking this problem as solved when it is not!  

[Joe_Dohn]

As @orwell84 mentioned, they're not Freesat-enabled, but the Freesat app is supposed to change that for the newer TVs as I believe they're advertised as supporting Freesat now? (not sure about the advertised part).

[orwell84]

It does seem that a solution is now in place for a select few of newer Sony Android models.   No one has yet verified if this solution actually works and it wold be interesting from an academic perspective  to have input from someone who has used it . 

Disturbingly, some 2020 models seem to be left out in the cold and no reason given.   I very much doubt if I'll ever be trusting of Sony again to be a guinea pig checking out if their cobbled together solutions work.  Equally  I'm not sure of the technical reason why the app works on these models and not other Android models.  It  would be nice to have a technical explanation from Sony even if it does not change anything for those who already surrendered their cash for a substandard EPG.          

[jtdorginsh]

I don’t have ‘options’ from the guide menu available on my KD-5501. Does anyone have any other advice for this please?

[SkyNet404]

Hey @jtdorginsh

Do  you mean the KD-55A1? cause that's not a model!

Anyway, you can check the guide for the A1 through this link: https://bit.ly/3LX4qnl.

Hope that helps.

[Baldy1967]

I have the 2020 Sony Bravia KD-55AG8BU. I have just checked the Google Play Store on it and it doesn't have the Freesat App available on it. I have downloaded the Freesat App through AptoideTV App BUT it asks to connect a box to the app and doesn't realise the Tv has a built in satellite signal. I can get al the Freesat channels but only the now & next program availablewhen you have viewed that channel. You can only tune ONE provider in too, either Satellite OR Freeview, if you tune Satellite in it will knock out the Freeview and vice-versa. ITV Player & All4 catchup apps work via Freeview too, so no Freeview = no ITV Player or All 4 if you tune in Satellite.

[HannahEd01]

Hey Baldy1967, I'm afraid that your TV is not compatible with Freesat app. 😞

[HannahEd01]

Hey column, thank you for updating the thread, looking forward for the outcome.