Why are old model not updated to use Google Apps, instead of SEN?

[Solway]

I brought a Sony Bravia KDL-42W809A back in 2013/14(?). Thinking the smart tv would have loads of feature apps added to sony entertainment network (SEN), aka the likes of 4oD and ITV player etc. Yet looking through the crap on SEN its full of useless apps with no way to install more. Only good ones are youtube and netflix.

After seeing the annoncement of sony adding Google Play apps to the new TVs of 2015 instead of SEN.

Why is Sony not replacing the SEN on older models with google play??? Most of the recent year old models are still capable of this!

It seems to me that all Sony want is for comsumers that have paid out £££'s for a smart tv to be left with crap content apps a year of so later, with no upgrades, with no option to add more apps too. Where is the 4oD and ITV player etc that was promised when i brought my model?

If anything update SEN with some good ondemand apps or youview. or even chromecast app! so we can use google play...

Replacing SEN with google play on all models seems like a smart move to prevent fragmation of the systems. Yes i know there are few hardware limitations compared to 2015 models, but i bet its easier maintaining a single google apps service then multiple SENs!

FYI, i paid out big £ for sonys bravia, because of the screen quality/colours and promise of more on demand apps. Now it seems to me that i could buy a non smart tv and add chromecast for £30! and it'll beat this Bravia by miles on content.

[Janekch]

I have TV 42w805a and after few updates I have no recording on hdd. Sony promised , customer bought and after Sony does not do anything to support its products. I have  four products of sony but I promised myself- sony never again. Today only money is more important than customer and its satisfaction. 

[rooobb]

Hi @Janekch you may have written something wrong in your message.

If you really have a KDL42W805A (like me BTW) it supports HDD recording since the very first day!!! You have just to connect an HDD and register it on the TV.

If you instead have a different newer 2015 Android TV model (but should have a C as last letter and doesn't exist in 42" ) you have to wait till Dec 24th

I think you're a little confused on this topic...

[Janekch]

 Hi @rooobb, I have 42w805a and I have HDD recording during watching TV channel and pause TV but recording will not start when I set recording time. TV deletes timer itself while recording time should be started. IF you have any solution to resolve this I will be very glad.

[rooobb]

That's a completely different story!

So I should assume you don't live in UK since this issue was never reported on timezone GMT.

I live in Italy and I have this issue myself, it's a know bug that is spread in some specific zone also in France, Polland, Spain and Germany too. Unfortunately not so many cases to convince Japan engineers to release a fw solution.

In Italy there is a long thread about it, but I don't think you can read italian

I can give my own few tips:

• as you already noticed when switched on you don't have any problem, so a solution is to leave it on (with image switched off)... not very handy but reliable
• my preferred method is to set timer not less than 2 hours (even if you have to record only few minutes of a TV show): in this case it works almost every time, even if often it start recording one hour earlier than planned (so you have to have a good storage :). With this method sometimes in any case it lose the timer (dreadful message regarding a conflict with another timer ...)

[Janekch]

@rooobb thanks for your advice but first option is unaccepted, second option  does not work I set timer 10 minutes before recording and 3 hours before and nothing works. I got message it is conflict with another timer. I am living in the UK and bought TV here. I am using satelite tuner with Polish TV cam card inserted  into ci slot.

[Solway]

so much for answering my original post.

Wheres sony when you want answers. oh yea, counting their money

[xx4L0Mxx · Accepted solution]

The older models are probably not updated to Google Play as the underlying TV hardware will not run Android.

Simple as that I'm afraid.  Unless your TV has a Qualcomm / Mediatek / Intel or similar Arm or x86 processor and the requisite amount of RAM to run Android then it will never be able to be ported over.

You would also need a minimum amount of Storage space to install the ROM ( My Nexus 6 Custom Android 6 Marshmallow Rom is only about 350ish mb download size, but some versions of Android Installs can weigh in at Nearly 2GB like my old Huawei Ascend Mate 2 ), you need storage space for the Rom, storage space to actually install it after you have downloaded it, and then space again to actually install apps and cache data.

Your TV would need to have a minimum of 8GB storage space for an Android install to be viable even if you did have a compatible processor etc.