Updates on Sony TV
I know I ask repeatedly but will there be any (significant) updates to the YouView app built into Sony TV’s.
There must have have been a reason that YouView is built into a TV minus all its features.
Or was it a backdoor way for Sony to have access to all of the catchup players from BBC, ITV & Channels 4 & 5.
Seems nonsensical for the YouView interface to be built into the TV with nothing more going forward for 3odd yrs and nothing significant in way of improvement.
It actually had less functionality than the built in TV guide that supports recordings and playback!!!
There must have have been a reason that YouView is built into a TV minus all its features.
Or was it a backdoor way for Sony to have access to all of the catchup players from BBC, ITV & Channels 4 & 5.
Seems nonsensical for the YouView interface to be built into the TV with nothing more going forward for 3odd yrs and nothing significant in way of improvement.
It actually had less functionality than the built in TV guide that supports recordings and playback!!!
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Sony have the rights to the BBC iPlayer, and My5, or whatever it is called on these TVs, so all YouView brings to the party is the itv/STV Hub and All4.
And the built-in TV Guide did not have record and playback initially.
But apart from those things, your points stand; and that ‘How do I disable YouView?’ is item 1 of the Android-specific part of the FAQ for these TVs on the Sony forum is something of an indictment.
But you have only to read that forum to realise that these sets are plagued with issues, and it is something of a tribute to the unburstability of the YouView software, or what there is of it on these TVs, that reports of issues from those who are using the YouView interface are so few and far between.
And that people are using it was borne out by the level of reports about the All4 software not working properly, something that was out of YouView’s hands, and is anyway now fixed.
Has YouView on these sets achieved its promise? No, alas, not.
Why not? Well, that seems to be a closely guarded secret, but the first hint of trouble was when YouView was launched on these sets, and blew away the satellite functionality. So I’m guessing a footprint issue, but whether the YouView software was too big, or the space allocation by Sony was too small, who can say?
But adding the recording functionality would have made the YouView footprint even bigger, and in the absence of a suitable shoehorn, I think everybody just tiptoed away from it.
Not of course that the blown-away satellite functionality was anything to write home about, not being FreeSat, and taking hours to tune in, according to those complaining that the launch of YouView had just cost them those hours..
But the general feeling over there seems to be that the very high quality screens on these sets make a brilliant, and inexpensive, partner for a Sky box, and the satisfaction there is enormous. As long as you keep away from the smarts on this ‘smart’ TV. And, even if you are never going to watch terrestrial, disable YouView anyway, as having it stops you setting the TV default power-on to be anything but YouView, when you probably want it to be whichever HDMI channel you have the Sky box on.
But hold your breath for anything like YouView as it is on the YouView Recording boxes, or even as it is on the YouView zapper boxes, which at least let you pause/rewind live TV? I wouldn’t.
I’m sure it all started with the best of intentions, but.....
Oh, and those Players? Instead of praising YouView for bringing them to the TV, a lot of people seem to have the erroneous view that having YouView prevented Sony licensing them directly (which incidentally they have never done, on any of their devices) and actually blame YouView over this.
But adding these Players when YouView is disabled is as simple and cheap as popping a £15 NowTV box on it, and you don’t even have to subscribe. (Though if you do, of course, you outstrip the YouView box’s NowTV capability, even on Sky Movies, where the YouView boxes do not carry the full offering that other sources of NowTV do).
Is the version of iPlayer on the Sony TV linked to Youview or is it totally separate. The reason I ask is that according to the BBC Android 7 is not the issue. When I launch iPlayer on my TV it appears to be presented in the exact same way be it with Youview enabled or disabled.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/Sony
But can you list where the BBC have said this? Ta
News article:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-42225220
R&D Blog:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/blog/2017-12-uhd-hdr-trial-blue-planet-bbc-iplayer
List of devices:-
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/latest-news/blue-planet-II-uhd
John.
If you notice the list of supported Sony TVs Anaglypta quoted are all non Android TVs. The BBC news article explicitly mentioned both the A1 and ZD9, Sony's flagships, are excluded. Both Android TVs with Youview. Coincidence? Maybe.
The article also says this (my highlight):-
"Sony's top-end ZD9 and A1 sets are also currently excluded, although the Japanese firm said that they would soon be added."
John.
YouView is a numbers game. But is independent to Sony. As is Sony to YouView.
Further to this (head in the clouds) I'd like to see the BBC iPlayer offering trial UHD (never mind HDR) on YouView. But I think thats some way away yet.
@Visionman I am not sure if you miss understood me, or I am just slow this morning. I don't mean to suggest Sony or Youview have any tie in with respect to the future or direction.
What I meant is that, is the iPlayer version on the Sony Android TVs something to do with the version tied to Youview? We know Youview iPlayer does not support the UHD trials and I wondered if there was some link there which explained why the XE70 models (with Linux and Freeview Play) are included in the HLG UHD BBC trial?
It is probably as you suggest, no link at all. I just don't understand why the XE70 is supporting the UHD trials, when the XE80, XE90, ZD9 and A1 higher range models aren't. All Android TV with Youview.
@Roy I don't see the BBC supporting anything other than HLG going forward. So you are right, any HDR TV which does not support HLG is no go. The extra annoying thing is my XE90 DOES support HLG yet it STILL cannot get UHD iPlayer!
I can only asume, and hope, that this test transmission is being limited to HLG sets so that (a) it is seen to its maximum advantage by everyone receiving it - especially those who are reviewing it for magazines and websites, etc. - and also to limit the bandwidth the BBC needs to put out for this initial test.
And later UHD is going to play, albeit without HDR, on NON-HLG sets.
The whole point of HLG is that you only have to produce one version of a programme. Your TV will display it whether it's an old CRT screen or a spangly new UHD HLG model.
This is a trial, and a much bigger one than last years.
John.
I am a bit confused, surely if a device does not support HLG then...... The BBC seem to suggest this is why my TV isn't working with the UHD trial even though Sony claim HLG is supported.
Is HLG only for the trial?
The H part of HLG is HYBRID. This article, although a little technical in places, explains HLG.
If you have a TV which supports HLG and you have a YouTube app on it, you can experience UHD HDR material right now. YouTube encodes all their HDR videos using the VP9-HLG and Dolby Vision codecs.
Official YouTube channel
John
EDIT:- BBC R&D article link added
http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/high-dynamic-range
Yeh, unfortunately the Sony Android TVs are bugged with Youtube also, Sony again blame Google, Google blame Sony, so no HDR there either. Most Sony TVs don't support Dolby Vision, only HDR10. There are issues on Sony with VP9 on Youtube so while 4K works, HDR doesn't.
Luckily Amazon and Netflix and Playstation HDR10 all works.
https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/5/14180456/hdr-formats-hdr10-dolby-vision-hlg-advanced-ces-2017
Going forward, its also the format all UHD YouViews and UHD Sky Qs will run with/in.
Does that Imply that the BBC can’t actually detect if your set has HLG or not?
4. There is no way to tell if a TV supports HLG or not, so the BBC have to rely on being told by the makers of the sets if they do or not, and are only listing the ones they have been told about, and recognising them by model code.
With various side trips into ‘there is a way to tell, but it’s unreliable, or the BBC can’t use it, and so on” and “the makers haven’t told the BBC about further HLG sets they have, or they have and the BBC hasn't listed them/ hasn’t listed them yet”.
Who knows? Anybody know if a set with HLG declares this fact, and if so, how?