Sony's TV and Blu Ray kit seems beset by numerous issues with the BBC iPlayer. My BDV-N590 worked well enough, asked for a software update which I completed, again all seemed okay. Several days later it decided it was going to do another update without asking, and reported the update was now the version ending in the digits 500. I had retained a copy of the previous update, it was version ending in 497.
From that most recent update till now the BBC iPlayer has become unstable and subject to system freezeups that need a power-down to get things rolling again - after which it would run again - till it re-froze.
Sometimes it doesn't seem interested in loading and rewards me with a black screen. At other times it appears to behave quite well or else it would have been back to Amazon before now. (I'm far too old to waste my time on crap gear that isn't fit for purpose)
I got a typical fob-off standard response from Sony's laffable email "support" which is typical of front-line contact with 21st century support staff.. Answers like this I'd expect from Talk Talk's support people, not Sony. They fob you off with stereotyped responses containing the most basic reset advice and leave it there. Try to take it back for more in depth answers and you get nowhere, absolutely no admission of any existing issue is ever made.
So I gave up on that avenue of support from someone called Mostafa. And called the Sony repair centre local to my area, was lucky enough to get a hold of one of their senior guys who obviously was well aware of an established headache with Sony and the iPlayer. I had hoped to get from him tech advice on how to roll back this most recent update which seemed to me to have upset my particular apple cart but Surprise! that can't be done. The software gets unzipped and written to the system eProm(s) which will then refuse to accept a reprogram with software with an earlier release date than that already installed. I'd hoped to be able to force a reinstall of the previous version that hadn't shown any of these instabilities. Can't be done, he said.
So a narrow set of choices opens up. Amazon may accept it back, haven't checked that yet - they may refuse since I've had it since December 29 2013 so that's over a month now. Okay, what next - take it into mr Sony engineer who will order up replacement system eProms that could carry similar coding to mine at time of purchase, or could have the latest release - which seems to have screwed up my machine.
And if the replacement chips have the older coding, the system will of course again demand to be updated - and will then install the selfsame release - unless Sony has written a patch to cover this piece of tragic "updating".
Clearly at present Sony is making and selling TV and Blu Ray players that are either not fit for purpose at the point of sale or are being rendered unfit via subsequent system updates - and due to user inertia largely getting away with it. Looking over these support boards it's easy to see large numbers of issues with the common factor - BBC iPlayer. And a startlingly low number of responses from Sony staff - who seem able to say very little of any real assistance to owners of systems that don't do what they are supposed to be able to do.
No other device I've used the iPlayer on has shown the slightest sign of any kind of bad behaviour - for me it's down to this otherwise well performing BR player's inability to handle this particular app, if "app" is what it is.
To anyone considering buying any of the affected groups of TV and BR items, I would firmly advise you to look elsewhere. Till recent times Sony was for me a watchword for high quality products - well that idea's now history.
I'll hang on for a short while longer to see if a software patch arrives and if it does, if it actually addresses the issue that'll be things solved. If it doesn't I'll see if Amazon will accept this back after hearing the whole story.
