abillybob Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Hello All, So I'm a bit disappointed. Spent a wod of money on a 4k Sony Bravia TV just before Christmas but it's not what it seems. Don't get me wrong, picture quality and the like are awesome and I love the appearance of the TV but the lack of 4od and ITV Player on what is a £1,000 television is stupid. After doing some research it seems there are licensing problems with displaying content this way on a TV and certain manufacturers such as Samsung have bought the exclusive rights to ITV Player effectively ridding any kind of competition from other manufacturers. What I can't seem to get my head around is why no one has developed an industry standard OS that runs across all smart TV's. The android OS could be used as an example and then manufacturers could change it the way they see fit but keep all the same apps? I'm very disappointed in Sony I know I could buy additional hardware to get round this problem but I don't think you should have to, what does it matter if I watch ITV Player through the "Smart" function on my TV or do the exact same but through a NowTV box? It makes no sense. I'm going to try and return my TV based on the experiences I've had, my girlfriend has bought a Samsung one for around £300 which has everything so just a heads up for those that maybe in the market for one.
Techykev Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 My Panasonic Viera bought for xmas has itvplayer, 4 OD, iplayer (and 5 OD I think?). But I wanted it to watch BT Sports MotoGP coverage, unfortunately theres no app for BT Sports and the browser requires Bl***y Silverlight to playback their videos. Plan was to clear out some of the clutter on the TV table but I still need a PC hooked up to it even though the PC hardly gets used more than twice a month as I can playback all my recorded videos directly from a USB HDD.
newpersn Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Why buy sony? Your paying for the badge. I picked up a 32" LED HD TV for £149 from argos few weeks ago. (ProScan) Great Picture, Good sound and great range of inputs. (3x HDMI, Scart, VGA and Ariel) (I can also control the PS3 from the TV remote (when watching movie or something on the PS3)
Danp Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Got a couple of these in school, tempted to get one myself once I have moved Digihome 49" LED Full HD Freeview TV - Televisions at Ebuyer
Dos_Box Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) I'm slowly deciding on a new TV but there are a lot of little niggly differances at the moment which is slowing me down. The whole 'smart' tv thing being one of them. TBH, I have a Roku 3 which means I don't really have to worry about that, but it would be nice to get the whole package. Edited March 23, 2015 by Dos_Box
LosOjos Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) Why buy sony? Your paying for the badge. I picked up a 32" LED HD TV for £149 from argos few weeks ago. (ProScan) Great Picture, Good sound and great range of inputs. (3x HDMI, Scart, VGA and Ariel) (I can also control the PS3 from the TV remote (when watching movie or something on the PS3) To each their own, but I can certainly tell the difference between a cheap catalog panel and a high quality panel in a Sony/Panasonic/etc. It's not as clear cut as "Sony are good" or "Panasonic are good" though, different sets use different panels, though Sony and Panasonic seem to consistently use good panels, excellent in some of their TVs. Samsung are one of the most varied; their cheap panels are ugly as hell, but they put some really nice panels in their high end TVs. It's all down to personal taste though; the missus genuinely doesn't care if a picture is SD/HD! I'm more picky Panasonic sets tend to have freetime, which is about the closest we have to an industry standard on Smart TVs* - it provides the freeview EPG as well as links to the various OD services, including the big 4 (BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD and 5 On Demand) I have to say though, I rarely use the "smart" features of my TV; my HTPC does a much better job of those features and can be customised to do whatever I like. Consoles have apps for most of the streaming providers now too. Really, unless you have no other equipment to handle it or it's going in a room separate to all that equipment, I don't see the point in paying the premium for smart features. With a little work, a Raspberry Pi can achieve most of the functionality for under £50. * not sure if other TV manufacturers use freetime, but it's what the YouView boxes and a few other freeview boxes are based on Edited March 23, 2015 by LosOjos
Ant Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) I've always said that about 'Smart' TVs, they'll never be as up to date as you'd like them to be and with licencning issues from the providers, and lack of development after the TV is a couple years old, you're better off buying a tv for their Picture/sound quality and not smart functions. Adding something like a HTPC/Chromecast/AppleTV/XBMC server/RPi etc etc etc, is the way forward as they'll probably get updated regularly and perform everything* you need them to. FWIW I have a Sony Bravia that's a few years old now, couldn't be happier with the image quality. The Smart features were pretty much out of date as soon as I bought it, and hasn't seen an update since which was quite disappointing. *Almost everything in some cases. Edited March 23, 2015 by Ant
AdamzB Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 If there was a standard OS for TVs that every manufacturer used you can be damn sure that Sony would still do their own thing. Amazing how people can spend £1K on a piece of tech without researching it first and then complain it doesn't do what they want. 1
tmcd35 Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 For TV 'Smartness' the PS3 can be got new for about the £120 mark and includes BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD, Demand5, NowTV, Netflix, Amazon, SkyGo, YouTube, DLNA streams, supports BluRay and 3D, and as a cool bonus plays some very fancy video games (if you like that sort of thing). I no longer use either the Freeview or the FreeSat tuners built in to my TV. Most of the time it's YouTube with some Netflix and iPlayer as the mood takes me, NowTV subscription is still running though not sure why - should I cancel it? I beat a non Smart TV costs more than £120 less than its 'Smart' equivalent...
X-13 Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Amazing how people can spend £1K on a piece of tech without researching it first and then complain it doesn't do what they want. Unless it was advertised to have those features... Caveat emptor. 1
pcstru Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 The technology to watch film and 'TV' (whatever that means now) is changing so fast that so called Smart TV's make little sense. Decouple the service access from the hardware and you won't be too disappointed.
abillybob Posted March 23, 2015 Author Posted March 23, 2015 My Panasonic Viera bought for xmas has itvplayer, 4 OD, iplayer (and 5 OD I think?). But I wanted it to watch BT Sports MotoGP coverage, unfortunately theres no app for BT Sports and the browser requires Bl***y Silverlight to playback their videos. Plan was to clear out some of the clutter on the TV table but I still need a PC hooked up to it even though the PC hardly gets used more than twice a month as I can playback all my recorded videos directly from a USB HDD. Yeah heard Panasonic are very good for this kind of thing, they are on par with Samsung in the "Smart TV" field. Why buy sony? Sony gives our a 5 Year warranty once your 1 Year Warranty has ended with the seller, I've always liked their televisions too the Image and Sound quality are very good and my old one lasted me almost 10 years and is still going to this day. I'm slowly deciding on a new TV but there are a lot of little niggly differances at the moment which is slowing me down. The whole 'smart' tv thing being one of them. TBH, I have a Roku 3 which means I don't really have to worry about that, but it would be nice to get the whole package. Yeah took me a while to decide but to be honest I didn't do a whole lot of research on the Smart side of things it was merely an after thought as I have a computer hooked up to my TV all the time but now I quite enjoy using it, even being able to just use the remote is a luxury I'm now getting used to rather than getting up and changing the Catchup service on my computer and it's nice not to have to run my power hungry gaming PC overtime I'm watching something. Shame I still now have to do that with ITV Player and 4od. If I ever do get another one I'll be ensuring that the TV has these features. To each their own, but I can certainly tell the difference between a cheap catalog panel and a high quality panel in a Sony/Panasonic/etc. It's not as clear cut as "Sony are good" or "Panasonic are good" though, different sets use different panels, though Sony and Panasonic seem to consistently use good panels, excellent in some of their TVs. Samsung are one of the most varied; their cheap panels are ugly as hell, but they put some really nice panels in their high end TVs. Panasonic sets tend to have freetime, which is about the closest we have to an industry standard on Smart TVs* - it provides the freeview EPG as well as links to the various OD services, including the big 4 (BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD and 5 On Demand) I have to say though, I rarely use the "smart" features of my TV; my HTPC does a much better job of those features and can be customised to do whatever I like. I agree and picture quality was why I opted for something a little more premium than your own brand Tesco one etc... Problem I find with HTPC especially those like the one I have in my lounge that runs Kodi is that the app's are lacking a bit, to have the four big players iPlayer, 4od, ITV Player and Demand 5 are quite important to me as I regularly miss TV so like to catch up. All I have found so far that works on Kodi is iPlayer and that can be a bit hit and miss sometimes. I've always said that about 'Smart' TVs, they'll never be as up to date as you'd like them to be and with licencning issues from the providers, and lack of development after the TV is a couple years old, you're better off buying a tv for their Picture/sound quality and not smart functions. Adding something like a HTPC/Chromecast/AppleTV/XBMC server/RPi etc etc etc, is the way forward as they'll probably get updated regularly and perform everything* you need them to. I agree it's just the annoyance of it all though really that gets to me. I find the Smart function super convenient to use without having to have any extra boxes attached, it makes it look neater too and I'm a bit of a neat freak. If there was a standard OS for TVs that every manufacturer used you can be damn sure that Sony would still do their own thing. Amazing how people can spend £1K on a piece of tech without researching it first and then complain it doesn't do what they want. Sony apparently are going to be using Android OS for their TV's after a bit of research though Samsung is going to be using Tizen, LG are using WebOS etc so still no standard there, but the potential android would bring could be very beneficial to the consumer. I did research it but granted only on the PC World page of which I should have known better, they said it included all those apps and they've even messed up on HDMI versions on their website they state it has 1 x HDMI 2.0 where as calling Sony I confirmed that all my HDMI ports are 2.0. If I've learnt one thing it's not to trust PC World. For TV 'Smartness' the PS3 can be got new for about the £120 mark and includes BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD, Demand5, NowTV, Netflix, Amazon, SkyGo, YouTube, DLNA streams, supports BluRay and 3D, and as a cool bonus plays some very fancy video games (if you like that sort of thing). I no longer use either the Freeview or the FreeSat tuners built in to my TV. Most of the time it's YouTube with some Netflix and iPlayer as the mood takes me, NowTV subscription is still running though not sure why - should I cancel it? I beat a non Smart TV costs more than £120 less than its 'Smart' equivalent... It's still an extra £120 I'd rather not spend, the only thing I may look into is the NowTV box which have all the big players. It's just annoying as stated above to have to use other devices to get around the problem. Still can't see why the likes of Channel 4 would support NowTV but not Sony's Smart Platform. I'm watching it the same way through the same TV so what's the issue with licensing!! You'll find probably not, as stated above my girlfriend just bought a 40" Samsung LED 1080p TV and that comes with Smart function and is £300. Which isn't bad at all in my eyes. Unless it was advertised to have those features... Caveat emptor. As stated above it was a bit mis-sold to me on the basis PC world told me it had these apps.
matt40k Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 I think you're be out of luck trying to say it was mis-sold.... over 3 months into owning it. RE: 5 year warranty, John Lewis offer this on all TVs as standard at no extra charge.
vortex999 Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Why do people need smart apps on their TV's? Buy a Chromecast and have done with it.
abillybob Posted March 23, 2015 Author Posted March 23, 2015 I think you're be out of luck trying to say it was mis-sold.... over 3 months into owning it. RE: 5 year warranty, John Lewis offer this on all TVs as standard at no extra charge. Worth a go though. Nothing to loose. John Lewis for the same TV charged around £1,300 at the time, a lot more than the £999 price tag at PC World. Why do people need smart apps on their TV's? Buy a Chromecast and have done with it. My Smart TV has more apps on it than a Chromecast.
matt40k Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 ...but you wouldn't bought the Sony, you'd have got the cheaper Samsung which IS a proper Smart TV
AdamzB Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Not much use when they are not the ones you want though. 1
Arthur Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 What I can't seem to get my head around is why no one has developed an industry standard OS that runs across all smart TV's. They have. It's called Android TV. All of Sony's 2015 smart TVs have it (i.e. X83 series and above). As do TVs from Sharp and several other manufacturers. Panasonic has decided to go with Firefox OS for their new smart TVs for some reason. 1
sted Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Why do people need smart apps on their TV's? Buy a Chromecast and have done with it. because in my experience of it chromecast sux it only works with apps coded to use it and then requires use of a tablet rather than on my tv going netflix click. Ive also got a sony and tbh i can live without itv player i cant remember the last time i watched itv infact apart from the btcc on itv4 it could go off air and it wouldnt bother me. Sony sets from some point in the future will be running youview software that does include bbc/itc/ch3/ch4/uktv players 1
difinity Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Richer Sounds too offer a 5 year warranty and they only sell AV equipment, no kettles or toasters in their stores and their staff know their stuff. IMO "smart" is just an excuse to add price and a differentiator to an otherwise fairly stagnant market. Ok, so the TVs they make nowadays don't last anywhere near as long as they used to or should. Maybe i don't watch much TV, but my Tivo and £20 media player does me fine. I don't feel i am lacking not having "smart" features. There is also the question of security/privacy surrounding smart TVs.
abillybob Posted March 23, 2015 Author Posted March 23, 2015 ...but you wouldn't bought the Sony, you'd have got the cheaper Samsung which IS a proper Smart TV I'd of probably stayed at the same price range because I do like 4K and the extras the more expensive TV's bring like the trackpad. So I'd of spent around £1,000 on a Samsung but yes I should have gone for the Samsung Just for those extra few features *Sings Song* I can see clearly now the rain has gone, I can see all of Sony getting in my way! Not much use when they are not the ones you want though. Well they are and they aren't. iPlayer is on it which I use a lot as is Demand 5, Amazon Prime and Netflix. I like the Plex Media Server App as well. I just wish I had those two extras and it would be complete! The chromecast as far as I know only has iPlayer. They have. It's called Android TV. All of Sony's 2015 smart TVs have it (i.e. X83 series and above). As do TVs from Sharp and several other manufacturers. Panasonic has decided to go with Firefox OS for their new smart TVs for some reason. I know I saw it on a news article. Kudos to Sony for this shame I was just that bit too late.... Maybe they'll update mine with android Richer Sounds too offer a 5 year warranty and they only sell AV equipment, no kettles or toasters in their stores and their staff know their stuff. IMO "smart" is just an excuse to add price and a differentiator to an otherwise fairly stagnant market. Ok, so the TVs they make nowadays don't last anywhere near as long as they used to or should. Maybe i don't watch much TV, but my Tivo and £20 media player does me fine. I don't feel i am lacking not having "smart" features. There is also the question of security/privacy surrounding smart TVs. Don't knock it till you've tried it
mthomas08 Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 I'm slowly deciding on a new TV but there are a lot of little niggly differances at the moment which is slowing me down. The whole 'smart' tv thing being one of them. I don't get why anyone would want to waste their money on Smart TVs. I spent a few hundred on a 42 Inch Samsung HD, looks brilliant. I got Virgin Media setup so I get everything that would normally come with a Smart TV minus the IE access but if I was that desperate to access the internet I can load up my mobile or the other god knows amount of IE access devices I have..... As for name brands, to be honest no matter what brand you buy you will find the pros/cons. I'm not fussed about buying big brands but I refuse to buy your Tesco never heard of brand.
TechMonkey Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 The issue we found was try finding a decent TV without smart features. When we bought ours we weren't fussed about SMART (had XBox and DVD player to cover all our needs) or 3D. Once you got to a certain level SMART came as standard and then the better specced TVs have 3D as standard as well. I can't remember what it was the TV we looked at lost if we bought the next model down without 3D but it seemed an odd choice. Went with a Samsung and I have to say, very pleased with the choice. Only use 4oD (which has a horrible UI), iPlayer, Netflix and the occasional ITV Player. My Nephew uses the youTube app if he is over to watch game playthroughs. It is great fun being able to link the Samsung tablet up to it. So all in all it worked out but it wasn't as simple as thinking get a basic TV and add the other bits on.
LincolnE Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 As for name brands, to be honest no matter what brand you buy you will find the pros/cons. I'm not fussed about buying big brands but I refuse to buy your Tesco never heard of brand. I don't know, someone I know who runs entire rooms full of old retro consoles and arcade machines bought a load of cheap TV's from the tesco. Who would have thought you could pick up 4x32" and 40" ISIS branded TV for less than 140 each.
flyinghaggis Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 .... ISIS branded TV ..... Now there's a company that's seriously in need of a rebrand!
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