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.

[ghastlybaz]

Hi all, First Sony TV, first post on this forum. Hoping for some help although some of the previous hundred pages may have covered this but I couldn't read them all and it's obvious my problems aren't unique.

Had my KD-49X830 4K Smart TV for almost a week now and it's really starting to depress me. I'm only using it for BD playback, watching movies from a 3TB hard drive and gaming on PS3.

It LOOKS stunning and sounds pretty good with BD playback so no complaints there, however, when playing movies or programmes from my external HD it does so through an android 'VIDEO' app and takes FOREVER to individually load up every single random folder in the hard drive which might have a video in it. Why is there no USB input to select?

The TV freezes or crashes

General system seems to be laggy sometimes.

I press a button on the remote and the TV is slow to respond.

My Network symbol has an '!' mark even though signal is fine.

Files deleted from my hard drive still appear on the 'VIDEO' app!?!?!?!

External hard drive still runs when TV is switched off.

Apps such as iPlayer lose sound.

It's just so frustrating as it's a beautiful looking telly. Do we think updates are coming for the android system or should I take my TV back to whence it came?

[Stevevalo]

What ever you do don't buy from AO.com, they advertise a 14day return peroid but do not honour it. Fortunately I bought on my CC so will have to investigate this.

Just wish I bought mine from JL or Amazon

[SepticWeasel]

HDD recording is very important to me and is the reason I spent an additional £500 for a Sony TV model with twin tuners,
Please can anyone tell me if the loss of HDD recording when youview is installed is a Sony hardware limitation, a youview technical limitation or a youview licensing limitation? I would like to know if HDD recording could be introduced through youview in the future should enough pressure be applied to the relevant parties.
The official Sony comment is that the HDD recording features are lost when youview is 'enabled'. What does 'enabled' mean? Can both the youview and Sony TV guide apps be installed so that users can switch between them? Ie. use youview for general/rewind viewing but still setup HDD recordings via the Sony TV app?
Or is it the case that users must select what functionality they can have available (youview or HDD recording) and select either the youview or Sony TV guide at initial setup?
If users require HDD recording (and so must use the Sony TV app), will the Sony TV app be maintained/improved in future after youview is released or will Sony abandon future support of the Sony TV app after introducing the bare minimum HDD recording support required to avoid being sued by customers who have paid for this function.
I believe the current Sony TV app is almost unusable (switching off TV for three secs to load guide, no picture in picture while browsing the guide and then another three second delay to switch back to the TV?) and I am concerned that with the release of youview Sony will not put any more effort into bringing their TV guide up to a reasonable level of performance.
If anyone can clarify any of must questions I would appreciate it - like so many others the clock is ticking on my option to return my Sony TV.

[scoopy6]

Septicweasel, me too but I reckon it is unlikely that Sony Support knows any more than is in that ambiguous official statement.

At this stage it is anyone's guess how the record function and YouView might turn out but, obviously, in YouView there would be no point in combining the record function with the guide.

My own guess is that recording just won't work at all when the Tv is in YouView mode. After all YouView(tm) is designed to suit the commercial channels, with no fast forward so viewers cannot avoid the adverts (just as in the case of the ITV/Chan4 equivalents of I-Player).

However it seems that an 'app' for PVR functions (with recording) will be included (in Android jargon, 'enabled') as a replacement  for the current 'app' for 'Watch Tv'. Then there could be another new 'app', for YouView - so that recording would work in PVR mode (because it will simply be be one of the PVR functions), while recording will not be available in YouView.

Incidentally the current tv guide will need to be enhanced to suit, providing the opportunity for Sony to improve it. I am hoping that a PVR app will also be available for satellite Tv, but it might be beyond the wit of man to include the capability for both OTA and SAT recordings to be scheduled, so that either could properly be carried out from standby!!

[scoopy6]

Kel520, hope you got on ok with that keyboard but, in case not, mini bluetooth keyboard http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00N2JMFU4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 works for our Sony X8309C Tv and bluetooth devices like Samsung F8000 Tv and Hudl2 tablet. It is much shorter but wider than the original remote so it is a bit fiddly, but it's also handy. There is a good variety of backlit keys and button 'c' does bring up the context menus in Kodi

[Shalendran]

@SepticWeasel

I have had the TV since June. Sony had promised that Hdd recording will be available in summer. Summer is gone and there is no sign of Hdd recording function. Now Sony says it will be by this year.

[Al_Charles]

I reported issues with the 49x8309 and the ct380 sound bar in june, a few days after the tv was released. They do work together but thier is a lag issue, and the performance is rubbish.

Sony responce was, tv needs a reboot, then i need new cables, then 3 hours on the phone with support, then they wanted to send an engineer. I returned the tv.

I have the 55X8509 now, and sound bar works.

[dazworld]

Hi. It's September and have just purchased a Sony 4k TV.

- I am also getting the same warning message and unable to record:

"to use this feature a system software update is required. For details please refer to to the reference guide".

My TV has the latest software version as of today.

- Also, it's the end of summer buy YourView on this TV is not available.

I bought my 4k 2015 TV with the assumption YouView and hard disk drive recording is available. If this is not addressed within a period, Sony has mis-led me and I shall take the TV back to Currys. 

Please:

- advise on how to curb the HDD warning above

- when YouView is going to be available 

Thanks 

[djadrianc]

Only Sony can answer these questions for you as HDD recording is coming in a future update along with Youview.

I probably won’t expect to see anything before the end of the year.

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[scoopy6]

We are expecting the upgrade to arrive very soon, exactly as promised, and have had a suitable hard drive ready for months. That was obtained to suit another Tv, which had the recording facility at launch in 2013, and there is still a little time to go 

Concerning Sony's timing of upgrades, we were advised at C***ys, by an experienced manager wearing a Sony overall, that Sony had met all previous committments, which seemed a fair reason for trust.

After all Sony could have said 'before Christmas' or even 'before Christmas 2016'.  Recording and YouView are not very novel features and if it really was just vapourware, as seems to be suggested, that would have given them a bit more time to get it done...