Contemplating a Sony Android TV

by Woodzrul

I currently have a Sony TV which was manufactured in 2010. I'm soon wanting to upgrade to something that primarily has 4k support. What are everyone's thoughts around the new Sony Android TV's that are currently on the market? I've heard a lot of mixed reviews.

Also if the Sony Android TV can be rooted and have a custom recovery, like TWRP, then this would be a big selling point for me. There is nothing worse than having unnecessary apps that will never get used. :-)

Any help is greatly appreciated.

proxicent

There is nothing worse than having unnecessary apps that will never get used

Having a bricked TV would be worse, you're better off with a separate box if you want to play with it at that level.

Farhanito

I love mine. Especially its HTTP API.

mofirouz

That's pretty much where I was. I had an old Bravia and wanted a new TV. I upgraded to Sony Android TV and I'm pretty happy with it. Only gripe is a bug in the Satellite Software forgetting favourite channels.

Erikthered00

I'm very happy with mine.

gavvit

It's really nice to have everything integrated and it genuinely brings streaming and regular TV watching together seamlessly BUT it means that bugs in Android can and will affect regular TV use (i.e. When you're not using it for smart features like internet streaming etc).

I find it best to reboot my set about once a week. Takes less than 60s and prevents a lot of the weird problems (eg. slow remote response, audio lag) from happening.

JimboLodisC

Buy based on picture quality. Features are secondary.

And if you're really wanting to tinker, do it on a separate box. Unfortunately right now the only Android TV device that's readily available and worth buying is the Shield TV for $180+. Fortunately, it's the best Android TV device on the market and worth every penny.

Although, I see no reason to root my Shield. I would recommend browsing xda to see what the ROM community looks like for the device to see if it's worth the effort.

jasonsteelj

Don't do it. Android TV is still in the early stages of use. They're constantly breaking things with updates, and Sony's television software department is awful at fixing issues. I reported a problem with the built-in Video app in Nov 2015. Customer support told me the devs recognize the issue, but have no timeframe for a fix. It's now July 2016 , there have been 5 firmware releases since the issue was reported by numerous users, and it's still not fixed.

Like someone else said: Buy on picture quality... then attach something like a Roku, or even a PS4 to it. You'll have a less frustration with bugs and crashes. My TV crashes once a week, and then loses all of my login credential tokens for Netflix, Amazon Video, ESPN, etc, etc. I have to re-input my username and password once a week.

Gareth321

Sony hardware is always top notch. However I am blown away by Android TV. I don't think I could ever go back.

Woodzrul

Appreciate this. Guess part of me still wants a non-Smart TV. Maybe I'll pop down to my local TV shop this weekend and have a look at the entire Android TV interface.