December 26th

What is so bad about an open source Operating system ? Would you rather have a proprietary offering ?

It all depends on how the long awaited October update turns out...

http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/article/73499

updates schedule

updates? as in new TV's? or new software on the TV?

Which is the worst thing about this TV. Why they chose Android I don't have a clue, bad decision.

Android yuk

Android is ok. Have you actually used it? I have the 55" version and got it for £999 price matched. I also managed to get £150 off the sony ct380 soundbar as the free one was awful!

cost us £1200 in March - gutted.

Having had a Sony android TV for a few weeks now I've had absolutely no problems. Would definitely recommend. Great deal.

yeah but have you seen the Samsung suhd with nano crystal.....very flash

I got a smaller Sony Android TV earlier this year (also, 1080p model) but with Android TV and equally the same free soundbar.
I think this is a hot deal, however should be purchased with 'eyes open' ie understanding the following (my opinion):

1) Android TV is very much a work in progress. Fingers crossed it'll continue to develop and mature, although there are no guarantees. This is even aside from bugs (of which there are many), but includes things like currently the inability to change the default home page layout bars.
2) Sony's features are only part complete. Built on top of Android TV, a number of key features do not yet work - no YouView, no record to HDD... which wouldnt be a problem, except that it's sold as having them! 6 months later, still no show.
3) The soundbar (the free HT CT80) produces better sound that the built-in speakers, however is pretty low-grade in the scheme of things. The subwoofer is wired, so cannot be placed elsewhere in the room. No HDMI connection. Might be ok for some people, but i reckon if you are spending over £500 on a TV, you probably want a better soundbar.
4) There are still various bugs with Android TV. I dont intend to knock it (i like it actually), but people on various forums report changing HDMI inputs as not working, lip-sync issues, inability to output 5.1 sound, frying USB sticks.... These are not my experiences though. Hopefully some of these are fixed with yesterday's (overdue) UK firmware, but i'm sure others will appear too.

Overall though, this range displays an EXCELLENT picture, so if you are willing to downplay the smart features, then go ahead and buy.

What is so bad about an open source Operating system ? Would you rather have a proprietary offering ?

I'd rather have a system that works. I use Android on my phone a Galaxy S6 so I'm not totally against Android per se. WebOS works so much better on TV's than Android does, even Tizen works better as used by Samsung. Android works well where it works and fails miserably where it doesn't. Has anyone really seen an awesome embedded Android system? I haven't.

You can't moan about the Sound Bar (which people are above) ITS FREE! Also other TVs of same quality are same price or more. So can't moan about something this is free. On another TV of same price your would have to pay 99 pound to get that sound bar on top of price

Hot
I got the exact model from Argos for £900 , Awesome bit of kit , great for PC gaming 40ms Imput lag 4K at 60Hz , Beautiful screen with Android to boot . While Android is not polished , it is a very promising and feature rich prospect., Apps are easy to download and install , and if you are a programmer or know one , you can load your own apps and programs . I would like to Add that Youview Android A is in the Pipeline for this model , I have spoken to Youview who say that the app is in testing stage

This in comparison to the LG 4K I had previously , this is far, far Superior , supports 4K codecs on Youtube and Netflix , unlike LG which struggled and had bad imput lag , which Is why I went Sony Android .

http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/by-brand/sony/x830c

good read

It works fine you know. Maybe you should actually try using it before slagging it off?

http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/by-brand/sony/smart

That's what I mean - when (if?) finished - it will be a great TV but for now it's a bit of work in progress...

better to wait til post Christmas - any ideas?

When is the YouView update coming? It was supposed to be during the summer.

im over the moon that a deal i found went hot :smiley:

LG with WebOS or Sony with Android, maybe Panasonic too with their Firefox software i think, but OMG stay away from Samsung's 4K TVs running Tizen, they look hideous

Read the Sony forums and you'll definitely see that it doesn't

What currys sells is this KD49X8307CSU (Motion flow 900MHz)
What JL sells is this KD49X8305CBU (Motion flow 800MHz)
http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/televisions/x8300c-series/specifications
So for £17 there is a difference in technology but dont ask me whether it is worth it. I'm not a expert in TV technology. BTW i'm also in the process of upgrading a TV right now, so doing the research with the deals out there.

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-home-entertainment/televisions/televisions/sony-bravia-kd49x8307csu-smart-ultra-hd-4k-49-led-tv-10131880-pdt.html

http://www.johnlewis.com/sony-bravia-kd49x8305cbu-4k-ultra-hd-android-tv-49-with-freeview-hd-and-built-in-wi-fi-black-with-free-bluetooth-soundbar/p234867182?s_afcid=af_47868&awc=1203_1444898521_39503a1aebcdad6c65f7b8d484615664

theres no soundbar with the Currys one, so 17 pound less is actually more like 116 pound less :smiley:

My bad i can see the currys one comes with a sound bar also.

How does it compare against the other 4k Sony from JL, the 49X8005 at £750?
http://m.johnlewis.com/mt/www.johnlewis.com/sony-bravia-kd49x8005-4k-uhd-led-android-tv-49-with-freeview-hd-and-built-in-wi-fi/p2231247?un_jtt_v_pdp=yes&un_jtt_v_from_product=un_product_2#page_loaded

That review linked earlier is pretty brutal

"The Sony X830C doesn't have good picture quality. It reflects too much light in a bright room, and with the lights turned off, the blacks are gray. At least it maintains good color accuracy when viewed at an angle"

http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/by-brand/sony/x830c

I checked this set in Currys and it is true about the reflections somewhat but yeah those grayish blacks put me right off it, but the colors were outstanding and viewing angles good, I constantly hear how good the up-scaling ability is.

I would recommend people see the screen in store or buy from John lewis so if you don't like it return it etc

Haven't encountered any issues with the two sets I've had. The performance aspect has been resolved through updates. USB recording and Youview are late but they're on their way, not that I'll probably use either of them. I know some people are complaining about Netflix issues but I haven't tried Netflix Most of the other aspects of the TV are absolutely fine and many, many people are very happy with them. I love the flexibility that Android offers. You shouldn't use the Sony Forums as the sole baromoter of the TVs as everybody who's actually happy with the TV has no need to go there.

Got this TV a couple of weeks ago. Great picture, android can be a little laggy but works fine. Only really use one input thru my AV amp so don't use the system/apps much.
Android update downloaded yesterday..... can't tell much difference. Maybe a bit quicker in the menus.
Netflix now supports 5.1 audio.
I would say don't be put off by the fussy TV purists..... I'm very happy with this TV.

​I didn't think it would be reduced by 26.5% in less than 6 months.

Although I've not heard of it actually being a problem, I do worry that Sony will build Cinavia protection into it's TVs somehow. Probably just me though.

Problem is they don't support the tv's very long. My sony 42" got from a deal on here 2 years ago was obsolete 2 years ago lol. If there are any feature updates on android, they will bring them out on a new tv rather than updating old.

Can you put kodi on this?

Looks like a good buy but i don't need a soundbar

UHD TV's are new technology and are going to fall in price pretty quickly. I got a HDTV in sainsbury's in 2006 for about £300 just after Blu-ray launched. I reckon we'll see UHD TV's for about £500 by next christmas, since the TV's are usually bigger and because of inflation

I got update yesterday which hasn't made much difference except 5.1 on Netflix which is nice.

Anyone complaining about this set is either overly picky and want the moon on a stick or simply havn't got or had one.

I was put off by people slagging these models off but decided to get on after seeing it in curry's and I'm glad I did.

kodi runs excellent as a bonus waaaaaay fast than my raspberry pi's :smiley:

My friend just bought the 8500 model SUHD tv in 48 inch and I must say that the picture is outstanding to me. Upscaling makes bluerays look awesome.

Richer Sounds are doing this for £799 but have a freebie choice of a bluray player BDPS5500 or soundbar http://www.richersounds.com/search/KD49X83

Worth noting Richer Sounds have the KD49X8305C & KD49X8307C.
John Lewis are selling the 305C, only different in specs on site is the 307C has HDMI 2.0.

Are you joking? when manufacturers like LG or Samsung have their own software, its laggy/sluggish and becomes pretty much redundant for app support after a newer model comes out, my Sony has an excellent picture but doesn't have android TV on it and it sucks, horrible horrible opera store tv apps. (even though it is just android with Sony's software overlay).. So I just bought the Shield TV anyway.

At least with android, this is now the way most things are going, better app support from devs and updates. (it might not be great now but it will be better soon, which I would rather have over any of the other manufacturers), It is still very new for TVs, so we have to wait for things like All4, Itvplayer etc, also, they should have full cast support.

Hi guys, I have the 55 inch version. I installed the update yesterday and noted some performance improvements. I really like the fact that it is part of the android ecosystem. Being able to install Kodi straight to the TV is refreshing but due to a lack of hardware acceleration, it struggles when playing 1080p streams. I'm guessing that this will be addressed at some point. Also the amount of apps available in the App Store is limited at the moment. I love the pic quality and am glad I went for it.

Sony don't have their own software, they use Android. Samsung have their own software called Tizen which is a Linux variant. LG are using WebOS which is now owned and developed by LG. ALL Smart TV's have redundant software, it's by their very nature of their embedded systems they become redundant. However any TV with a HDMI, Displayport etc can utilise an external computing device to provide an ongoing upgradable experience. Which is why I never care about the Smart TV apps and updates of the software, as long as the embedded system works to a standard whereby you can operate the TV then you're good. The failing with Sony TVs has been that the Android system has ruined even the most basic TV functions such as audio and video sync on some models. That is my point, that these TVs include an embedded system which has failed to make standard TV operation a normality and ongoing fixes have only served to frustrate many customers. So yeah I'm definitely nowhere near joking.

Reliance on embedded TV software to provide an ongoing updated platform is naive and quite possibly a stupid basis for buying any TV. A TV should serve firstly to provide a decent TV service and the embedded system should not interfere with that service. Every TV has the option of providing ongoing updated smart services via external device/s. Android is not a proven platform in embedded systems and is quite frankly a mess, this is due to having to support all manner of hardware. WebOS and Tizen are more suited because they have been developed and optimised by the manufacturer's to support their hardware. Sony is the only manufacturer out of the three I've mentioned whereby they do not have access to an optimised system. Sony is the odd one out in smart TV embedded platform software.

For the sake of balance I include two articles for and against Android on TV's >

http://www.techradar.com/news/television/6-best-smart-tv-platforms-in-the-world-today-1120795

"With Android TV and YouView, Sony has at last got smart TV right – thanks to Google. "

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2015/07/23/android-tv-review-just-what-the-smart-tv-world-doesnt-need/

"The bottom line is that Google seems to have paid little to no attention to the way the Smart TV world has been developing over the past couple of years, resulting in an Android TV system which I believe many TV users will find clunky, dictatorial, over-complicated and, perhaps worst of all, painfully exclusive."

You make your mind up.

any trades on on this?

I know, so like I said, the TV I own is a Sony with an OLD version of android on it... but Sony has made their own UI overlay that they have made on top of android... which is crap, and pretty much never gets anything new apart from some few tweaks here and there.

LG do use WebOS, but only recently and yes smart TVs have redundant software, that is what I was saying, but at least with android, constant updates etc, it should last a lot longer than these crappy manufactures take on "smart tv" software.

The point is, they have gone with something that Nvidia, Google, Razr use etc... and others will follow (hopefully to make it a new standard)... before that, these companies would all go with different software which I hate because they are usually laggy and very rarely receive any update or new apps, terrible support. Google won't want it to fail nor will Sony. But I am suprised at how many people don't like it, what exactly don't you like about it?

So this set is good for console gaming at 1080p with low input lag?

you can even connect a ps4 controller to it and play android games (modern combat, asphalt etc) not done it myself so not sure of performance, sounds rubbish this android don't it....... :wink:

Can't believe that a £800 tv can have black level issues, in 2015! My 2010 Samsung still has blacks like tar.
It's may be due to Sony's mistake to employ LG panels, and LG tv's always have been hopeless regarding black level.

there are black settings, perhaps these need changing. black's seem OK on mine

Pretty standard comment and doesn't help much.

I believe the reason why the black levels suffer is due to the fact that Sony are using an IPS panel in this TV? Which delivers fantastic colours, but it does sacrifice the blacks. However, get a TV with a VA panel and you'll have far better black levels but the colour wont be as vibrant.

Comes down to personal preference.

Its due to Sony using IPS panels I believe.... Samsung tvs stick with VA panels which delivery better detailed blacks, Sony and IPS panels should have the slight advantage in better colours and viewing angles then VA panels. I tend to feel VA panels are good all rounders :smiley:

Yup was typing in my comment as you replied but yeah pretty much on the nail, not suggesting IPS panels are flawed or anything they do things well and better then VA for colours and angles so its down to your choice, would always recommend people buy from JL to return it if they don't like or better yet get down to currys or JL and have a proper closer look at all the screens.

Totally agree!

​I didn't think it would be reduced by 26.5% in less than six months.

Price back up

We will have to agree to disagree , I had initially purchased the LG 4K Web OS - while it looks good it is flawed mainly, due to its obscure proprietary operating system probrably due to most of it's development team leaving Your text here- So good luck with updates and support
I could not even open a Flash clip from a website , 4K streaming on youtube was buggy and there was a huge 80 ms input lag while gaming - and so the Web OS TV went back to Argos and was exchanged with the Sony Android . Sony Android wipes the floor with LG with fluid 4K streaming , Flash support , 40ms input Lag ( fairly fast) , app compatibility ( Google Play, Kodi ect )

Android Has rights to all most apps , codecs , licenses out there , whereas proprietary operating systems don't

Brilliant deal. New Sony tv with android you can download the kodi app.

That's amazing if Kodi works out the box

I have this TV, its fabulous. I would recommend it

OLED is the way to go but prices still need to come down..

Maybe it is, be interested to see HDR whenever that actually comes out.

Get OLED first and then maybe HDR as well. OLED provides more detail normally from any signal assuming it has it in the first place).

What's the new Sony soundbar like. I got a Sony tv and was thinking ct 380 was bit pricey