2015 Bravia Android TV Issues

[NickCo1979]

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.

[Unhappy_43x8309_owner]

---

@mattface wrote:

Mine was purchased on 9th September, and Amazon are playing the "We are registered in Luxembourg" card which before October 2015 means they are not bound to the UK Sale of goods act, as until then it didn't cover purchases from countries outside the UK.

Awesome.

---

You could also try the resolver (from MSE) website, which list amazon as being one of the companies you can use it with.

http://www.resolver.co.uk/companies/amazon-com-complaints

Might be worth a go?

[royabrown]

---

@mattface wrote:

Mine was purchased on 9th September, and Amazon are playing the "We are registered in Luxembourg" card which before October 2015 means they are not bound to the UK Sale of goods act, as until then it didn't cover purchases from countries outside the UK.

Awesome.

---

It didn't cover purchases from outside the EU. Luxembourg is in the EU - in fact it was a founder member - so the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does apply. Require Amazon to think again.

[gray711]

Lipsync is quite bad and the whole software seems to be slowing dowm. The Guide in particular is getting to be useless.

[lgcebr]

Two things - first I understood from UK Trading Standards (when the December update disrupted Amazon Video) that product updates, even if they are free, are expected by consumer law to be carried out with an appropriate level of skill and care.  Clearly if the latest update is "bricking"some  Sony TVs then it could be argued with the retailer that this has not been the case.  

Secondly, because of the reports of "bricking" I have held off this latest update.  What I am concerned about is whether this update will be needed before eventually applying the long promised "March 31st" HDD update.  If update X is required before a subsequent update Y is required then Sony needs to ensure quickly that they fix this and reassure customers that their updates are safe!  

Now that reports are out there of TVs being rendered unusable Sony could find that its own potentially risky current update will prevents customers in March from getting the features advertised back in May 2015.  I am not a lawyer but in consumer affairs you are expected to "mitigate your loss", i.e. not proceed recklessly where known problems exist and create further damage.  Clearly the first peopel to get bricked acted reasonably and trusted Sony.  Now we know of this danger of getting "bricked" it would be reckless of us as consumers to apply it.   So Sony - which I am told monitors this thread - has to ensure urgently that the risk is entirely removed before it is reasonable to expect customers to proceed with future updates.  

[paulryan37]

Typical Currys responce the retailer has to repair the broken tv the contract is with the retailer not the manufacturer.The retailer has to get reimbursed from the manufacturer when the repair or replacement is completeted.

[GremlinUK]

It looks like the US models have had another update on 9th with gives them PAP support and a bunch of other fixes:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/model-home.pl?mdl=XBR55X850C&LOC=3#/downloadTab

Hopefully not long before UK models next.

[royabrown]

---

@GremlinUK wrote:

It looks like the US models have had another update on 9th with gives them PAP support and a bunch of other fixes:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/model-home.pl?mdl=XBR55X850C&LOC=3#/downloadTab

Hopefully not long before UK models next.

---

No it doesn't.

it says:-

Improvements over version PKG3.043.0080NAB:
Adds support for HDMI HDR (excludes XBR-43X830C and XBR-49X830C)
Improves general software quality of the TV

Benefits provided by previous updates and included in version PKG3.307.0101NAB:
Improves RVU support
Adds Twin Picture (PAP function) support

......

i.e. the Merkins already had PAP prior to this update.

[Folkfanger]

Just got a firmware update going on at this moment. Don't know what it is or what it does. Nothing posted by Sony so will have to wait and see. We were on holiday during the 2nd Feb update but would have thought that would have taken place while away, and in any case we've been back and using the tv for 5 days now. Fingers crossed.

[angelacr]

I got ITV_Hub working this afternoon without YouView installed. 

After I uninstalled YouView it leaves a vestigial rump of ITV Hub behind. You'll use this later.

I installed ITV Hub on my phone from the PlayStore.

I used Titanium Backup to make a copy of the apk file to my phone.

I copied that gunzipped apk to my laptop and unzipped it to leave the pure ITV_Hub.apk.

I uploaded that file to my Google Drive account.

I then used ES File explorer on the TV to install the apk from Google Drive.

Hal Launcher, on the TV, opened it.

Initially the user interface displays sideways and was pretty unusable. I closed and reopened it a couple of times and the tried running the vestigial rump that YouView left behind - still asks to install YouView - which I refused.

Then on reopening ITVHub with Hal Launcher I was surprised the UI displayed correctly on a wide screen. It still needs a wireless mouse with a scroll to be useable, but it works.

The resolution displayed is watchable on my 43" Display.

All 4 will not work with this treatment but since All 4 now casts to the TV you don't really need it to.

[KinderEgg]

Damn, thats even worse if they've had it for a while. PAP is really the only feature I want, aside from performance improvements. Hopefully marshmallow comes quick since Nvidia Shield owners reported significant performance gains as a result, and I'm sick of having to rely on my Tivo box since it outputs in 720p only and youview is ridiculously slow.