Is my 'Smart' TV turning dumb?

[burrowsp]

I submitted this question to the Sony Support Team a few days ago but I have not had any acknowledgement yet. I was wondering if the Sony Community had any views/knowledge on this:-

My Sony Bravia 'Smart' TV appears to be getting less and less smart as time goes by. First YouTube went, although that was more to do with Google. Now I seem to have lost all but one of the music 'apps' (only Berliner Philharmoniker left) and, more worryingly, all of the photo viewing 'apps' no longer appear. I did use Picasa quite a lot for online photo album viewing but this has gone and the USB input doesn't recognise my Flash devices, either FAT or NTFS, so I cannot view photos this way either. Is Sony aware of these issues and, if so, is this downward spiral to be a continuing trend?

The software version on my Sony Bravia KDL-32EX403 TV is PKG4.131EUL-0108.

Many thanks

[rooobb · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately @burrowsp that's the way the technology innovation works these days and TV are more and more like computer/phone and get obsolete faster and faster...

Tha only option you have to keep up the pace (if you still like the viewing experience on your TV) is to buy an external cheap device (like Chromecast or Apple TV depending on your taste) that you can throw away when they become obsolete themselves.

Wherever you look at other manufacturers you'll see the same complains ... so I'm not telling it is right but it is the way it is...

Regarding the USB yout TV only support FAT16 and FAT32 filesystems ... never supported NTFS (at least looking at the manual), but with those it should work as usual... there is no license nor maintenance needed to continue reading USB drives

[Anonymous]

Hi there

Your TV is a 2011 model, just like my mum, who has a 2011 KDL-40EX703.  Unfortunalely many of the apps have been discontinued for 2010/2011 TVs, so for her to access YouTube, i have had to buy a Bluray player.  This is one of the cheapest ways to add the smart apps back to the tv.  As Rooobb said above, you can use Chromecast or another option, but for my mum who does not deal with technology well, a bluray player was the only option.

Im also not too impressed about the 'staying power' of these apps - but technologh is moving at such a rapid pace and when companies like Google make changes to YouTube, sometimes these changes are not compatible with slighty older models.

Cheers

[burrowsp]

Many thanks for your response, rooobb.

I was thinking about upgrading to a 40" Smart TV but it sounds like I'm wasting money paying extra for the 'short lived' smart functions. Do you think this is a deliberate ploy to get us to change TVs more and more often?

Anyone else had the same experiences with this TV?

I may just go for a Samsung UE40J5100 and buy a cheap streaming/smart device, as you suggest rooobb

[burrowsp]

Many thanks Quinnicus.

They should provide legacy support for at least 10 years in my view.

[rooobb]

You should keep in mind the main function of a tv... a good viewing experience! That will last even when the tv will become older. That said it's up to you arrange the right mix of tv image quality smart functionality and of course money! My opinion is that sony took the right step going for android but even it will not last updated for many years. And of course I personally love the quality of the images sony is able to guarantee since decades.

[burrowsp]

Sound quality is also a key function that I will be considering. A sound bar is yet another expense that appears to be necessary with many of these TVs. The Sony and Samsung TVs seem to fair better in sound quality reviews.

[rooobb]

I surrended 3 years ago on that, modern TVs are so thin that they cannot accomodate really good speakers. So I bought an HTCT350.

Said so it depends not only on the brand but to a specific models: some upper range Sony TV has frontal speaker on the side of the panel  and are quite good. A bigger subwoofer will alway be better though

[burrowsp]

Sound wise, I'm not after anything amazing just something decent enough to distinguish the dialogue clearly in programmes without having to resort to subtitles and soundbars (which can add another £100+ to the price).

I might just invest in an ear horn

Thanks for all your comments.

[rooobb]

It was a pleasure for me too to discuss about it! Hope you find the solution you are looking for.

I have to say that the soundbar was a great enhancement for me, but for example my wife is not impressed at all

She enjoys only one smart feature that we use all the time on the smart TV: streaming our own content wirelessly from a serviio server...