Share your experience!
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.
I agree - what other manufaturer has released TVs any time in the last few years with chronic issues such as lip-sync and no 5.1 via HDMI?
Fix the basic bugs that would give expected functionality first then give us YouView later.
I could not agree more with the previous two posts. A public bug tracker would be an excellent way to provide two-way communication regarding the state of these TVs, and I also just want to see the most critical bugs fixed! YouView is nice to have, but still pointless on a TV I can't control and has lip-sync issues!
@UKPiglet wrote:
I'm very disappointed by the delay. Even worse I don't know if the main issues affecting me are likely to be fixed in the release or at all.
Do you know, or are you able to find out whether the lip-sync issues being fixed in this firmware correct the problems we're seeing using the TV's own speakers? The only reference I've seen is to HDMI sound lag.
A good way to reproduce on a KD55X9305 which hasn't been rebooted in the last 24 hours, fire up Netflix and try and watch Michael McIntyre at the O2. He's a fast talker and the camera is full on him...the lips and the sound are doing completely different things.
We tried to watch something on BBC iPlayer the other day. It was impossibe to use. The response was so slow that by the time the screen registered the remote-press we'd already given up waiting and pressed a few more times ... it was totally unusable as we couldn't navigate.
It's good that you came back to this thread...but more information would be better.
Even better than that would be a bug tracker we could contribute to and see progress.
In response to the BBC iPlayer issue in particular:
I have a KD-55X8507 and for four weeks now I've experienced no lip-sync issues at all. In fact it's better and faster (as it should be) than the BBC iPlayer channel on-demand through my Humax Foxsat box. (my primary video input via HDMI1).
I can also watch 4K content with the Amazon Prime app with no such problems either.
The lip-sync problems I've encountered was watching the original Bohemian Rhapsody video on the YouTube app.
I have yet to succumb to Netflix...
@Peter_S. How about some goodwill from Sony to compensate for the continued delays?
Most like myself were sold these sets on the understanding that certain features were imminent. Now it seems most will have had their sets for 9 months+ before those features are finally (if at all) implemented.
I have the 55x9005c, so I dont have the performance issues that others have, but I do have the lip Sync issues, and I'm lacking features that the salesman in the sony store sold me the TV on, which is as already mentioned in this forum several times a clear breach under the sale of goods and services act, as the sets are not fit for purpose, nor were they accurately described.
I bought direct from Sony, at a premium not long after this set launched. I can see that it has dropped by almost £1000 since then. I also got shafted our of the ps4 controller, as Sony EU dont send pdf invoices, and your validations team refused to accept the email confirmations no matter what format I sent them.
All in all, shambolic. I think its time Sony opened their wallet to start putting some salve on the growing discontent of their loyal customer base. The way i'm feeling at the moment this will be the last product I buy from Sony, which is a brand that I have trusted and respected for many years, often paying that bit extra for what i though twas guaranteed quality.
Sony have no intention of compensating anyone. They are ignoring all posts that suggest. It is quite clear they need to sack the entire software department as they seem to be utterly clueless on how to fix issues. ...
Also for anyone outside their returns period - if you bought with a credit card then under the consumer rights act you can make a claim via your credit card company against Sony as they were party to the guarantee. You need to have followed the correct complaints procedure, keeping any corespondence. Then quote section 75 under consumer rights act. This came from trading standards.
@SingingDwarf wrote:@ZombieFried777 Wow! You got your money back from Amazon and got to keep the TV!? Amazing! How did you manage that?!
@SingingDwarf it was about 3 weeks back, I requested a return on a Sunday, amazon was going to collect it on the Thursday, then I received a phone call from amazon saying I was an excellent customer of theirs and for good will they would refund the total cost of the tv and I could keep it, I even got a free Sony sound bar and sub when I bought the tv and could keep that as well. I have been an amazon prime customer since the start, spent a lot of money with them and never once returned anything ever.
@Sdroid which model do you have?
I'm not sure of the chroma setting will be present on all but could you check in Settings -> External Inputs if you have a menu item called HDMI Signal Format - Enhanced after the update?
If you could let me know I'd me most grateful!