topic Re: YouView v Sat Configuration in Android TV

YouView v Sat Configuration

Hamrag23 — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 11:03:23 GMT

Hi, I recently purchased a 43XD8077. Due to being in a difficult terrestrial reception area, I needed the Satellite tuner facility to reliably receive our local TV Broadcasts. but my wife likes to watch some of her favourites TV programs using the relative android TV Catch UP apps.
Unfortunately , although she can run the BBC I player app without any problem, if she wants to watch ITV, Channel 4, or My 5 programmes via their relative catch up apps, she has to activate the embodied You View app first, which promptly deletes all my Satellite Channels.
Is there a way I can either prevent the You View app from deleting my Sat Channel listing, or running the ITV/Ch4/Ch5 apps individually, without first having to activate the You View App ?
This is my first query , so hope someone can help

Re: YouView v Sat Configuration

G-pinner — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 11:16:41 GMT

I have the same issue I feel coned by Sony. I expected catchup apps to work standalone. Not really as advertised

Re: YouView v Sat Configuration

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 19:38:53 GMT

Hi both

I can understand why you are disappointed with how this all works - as I can certainly agree, this whole thing of satellite channels disappearing and swapping between YouView etc does NOT make is a very user friendly experience.

Unfortunately at present, there is no real fix for this, as Sony basically states that this is by design. To get ITV Player and 4OD (or whatever its currently called this week) - you must enable YouView. Unfortunately this has an effect of you not using satellite channels (and deletes them) and you cannot use the TV for recording to HDD. Disabling YouView means you have to re-tune the satellite channels in, and that ITV Player and 4OD cannot be used.

Demand 5 and BBC iPlayer is already built into the TV, so these two players should not be effected.

There is also no work-around either (without additional expense). You could purchase a dedicated 'Freesat' box and connect it to the TV, whilst having YouView enabled. See HERE for how to get Freesat.

Cheers

Re: YouView v Sat Configuration

Hamrag23 — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 09:58:19 GMT

@Anonymous

As You say, a very disappointing state of affairs. I have been a very satisfied Sony customer for the last 20 years, so naturally, when it came time to update my Sony TV I only looked at Sony TVs that met my requirement.

Whilst the Spec of my new TV is exactly what I required, the functionality is abysmal. I used to call Sony ”The Rolls Royce of TVs” , but now I am afraid it is the “Trabant”.

The purchase of an additional ‘FreeSat Box’ appears silly, when the TV already has a Sat Tuner embodied, and panders to the whims of the Sony system designers

Looking back at my Sony Manuals from previous equipments , they average some 120 pages in English with excellent Diagrams, whereas the current TV handbook manages just 17 Pages in total !!!

Referring back to my original query, I have found a workaround by utilising my Android Tablet. I downloaded and installed Google Home app which gave me a Cast link to the TV, and downloaded and installed the BBC iplayer, ITV hub, Ch4 hub, and My5 into my tab.

This now allows my wife to selecting any of the channel i players, and cast them onto my Sony TV, and of course retaining my Sat Channels, and recording facility.

I Hope this suggestion may help other members experiencing similar problems.

Re: YouView v Sat Configuration

royabrown — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 16:39:50 GMT

@Hamrag23

That's a good workaround, but it means you can't wander off with your tablet any time you want, which might be a bit restricting.

I recommend a NowTV box, for about £15, which will conveniently provide the itv hub and All4, and can be left plugged in to the TV at all times, and is controlled by a simple remote.

This also lets those of us with a NowTV subscription watch the content it provides on these Sony Android sets, where NowTV is the only major service not built in to the sets.

But if you don't choose to take up a NowTV subscription, the box will continue to work perfectly well to provide the catch-up players for no further outlay beyond that £15.

So at £7.50 per player, it has got to be the cheapest and most convenient way to get the 'missing' two players on the Freeview/Satellite side of things.

And human nature being what it is - if you have just watched something on one of these two players, and you now want something from one of the other two - you are probably going to stay on the NowTV box, and watch it there.

Thus getting nearer to £3.75 per player than £7.50 🙂