Sony 46HX853 issues with BBC iPlayer, 5OD etc

[Oldboy]

Hello all,

Frustration has finally got the better of me so i'm turning to you helpful people for some help with a continual issue when watching iPlayer or 5OD or any video service via my Sony KDL46HX853 tv.

Simply put i get about 10 minutes of watchable content in SD or HD before it crashes, it either freezes and refuses to go any further or i get a black screen which simply won't let me do anything. If i pause it for a few minutes then i can get an extra minute if i'm lucky before it freezes/crashes again, last night it drove me mad as no matter what i do i can't solve the issue...i tried a wired connection thinking it might be the WiFi but that didn't do anything to ease the pain, i tried exiting and going back in to either player to the point i left it but again no go.

Any video content on the apps section of the tv is affected by this issue and it's impossible to watch even a 30 minute programme to the end which i find ridiculous! It's not my network as all other devices work properly as i have 60mb Virgin Media fibre optic broadband with a super hub so i'm of the opinion that it's either a fault with the tv itself or that the actual app section of the tv needs some work from Sony, oh and yes i'm using the latest firmware update and no other updates are available....any ideas on what is going on here??

Any help would be much appreciated, thank you.

 

[Naxos]

Hi Oldboy - not wishing to teach you to suck eggs, but out of interest have you tried watching i-Player through the Panasonic Blu ray? I've so far resisted spending out on a Sony dongle for the TV, which is my only option if I want to access the web, so the Panny is a good alternative as it found my wireless network in seconds.

Needless to say, I can't comment on why the TV is crashing.

 

[Oldboy]

Hi Naxos,

Yes as i stated all other devices are working fine including the blu ray player but i shouldn't need to do that when iPlayer is on the tv. It's simply not functioning correctly and the constant crashing i find ridiculous on a £1300 tv when a £300 blu ray player and indeed my old Sony 570 blu ray player in the bedroom don't have any problems with video services...why make them such a major part of the tv if they don't work?

I'm going to contact Sony...i've put it off until now as i've had some truly awful experiences with their customer services in the past so i'm hoping things have improved but i doubt i will get any meaningful answers from them

 

[Oldboy]

Update,

I gave Sony customer services a call and can confirm things have got better here apart from the 15 minute wait to get through to a human being. I was advised to do a factory reset which i wasn't happy about as it wiped my calibrated picture settings but it was worth a try, unfortunately that hasn't solved the issue so i'm going to have to call them again today for more advice and will report back with the results.

 

[Oldboy]

Furher update for those interested,

I disabled the firewall on my Virgin Media super hub after googling just how you get into the settings for it (it seems the router has it's own IP address, strange) and that seems to have solved the issue as i was able to watch The Thick Of It all the way through to the end where previously it would stop about 10 mins into the episode so it would seem the problem has been solved and that the firewall on my router was causing the issue.

No idea what the confilct was as all my other devices were working correctly but at least it would seem i've managed to come up with a solution so if anyone else has a similar issue then check your router settings because if it has a built in firewall that could be conflicting with the tv.

Strange that i got no help from any of the forum members on this one as everyone has been so helpful in the past, it was just fortunate that i had a moment of clarity and thought about the router perhaps having a conflict with the tv

 

[D3CYPH3R]

Are you now running without a firewall at all? not advisable! you can always create a DMZ and put the TV in to this so it sits outside the firewall.

 

[Oldboy]

Only the superhub is running without a firewall, my PC is fully protected, the settings were on the bare minimum anyway as standard on the router. What is a DMZ??

What i am doing is just turning off the firewall on the superhub before i watch any content via any of the apps on the tv then turning it back on after, a real pain to be quite frank but it's the only way any of the services run correctly so if there is a better solution i would love to know about it. Thanks.

 

[D3CYPH3R]

DMZ = demilitrizsed zone, basically you can set up a device or as many as you want to sit outside of the hardware firewall in the router. Mainly to overcome issuels like you are experienceing. But it means you keep the firewall protection on (which is often better than software ones installed on the pc) devices that matter.

Edit: just googled DMZ for tyhe superhub and it sounds like its a comon problem than people cannont access things with the built in firewall for the superhub, gameing vod etc. If you have a manual for it it may be there or look online, definatly the best thing to set up rather than having to mess with the router every time.

 

[Oldboy]

That's great info, thank you very much :clap:

I wasn't even aware this was possible but i will research it today and then set up the tv in this way as it's far easier than keep going into the router settings every time which is a complete pain.

The manual that came with the superhub is a bare bones set up guide but i'm sure i can get a full pdf manual online so i will give it a look but i'm sure google will provide better results anyway, thanks again for the tip it's much appreciated

 

[f1only]

Cheers Nick for the info much appreciate it. I'll let you know how i get on after the setup of the new TV.

I am wall mounting mine & getting rid of the stand (as in putting it in the box the tv came with down the shed), i never turn my 5.1 off when the TV is on, i hate the flat tinny sound all the flatscreen tvs seem to produce.

By the way any news on your superhub investigations?

Best Regards .. Paul

 

[bigboss]

My PS3 of late has been causing problems with the same issue. Had to watch iPlayer on Boxee Box. The solution sounds interesting. Will check my router. :?

 

[Oldboy]

Cheers Nick for the info much appreciate it. I'll let you know how i get on after the setup of the new TV.

I am wall mounting mine & getting rid of the stand (as in putting it in the box the tv came with down the shed), i never turn my 5.1 off when the TV is on, i hate the flat tinny sound all the flatscreen tvs seem to produce.

By the way any news on your superhub investigations?

Best Regards .. Paul

You are welcome Paul, just hope it helps but don't forget if you want any help with the minefield of menus and options just let me know and i will give you my settings.

I wall mounted my 46853 as had no need for the soundbar either, currently still in the box unopened but going in the overflowing cupboard under the stairs today along with the box...it's been floating around since i bought it just in case i got an issue but all seems well so i'm packing it away.

Now to the superhub well i think i found out what the issue was, i think it was a conflict with a mode on the tv because under the network settings there is an option for Standby for Wi-Fi Direct which was set to on but when i turned this off and restored the firewall settings on the router to the default Low setting everything was fine. I got one instance of iPlayer just stopping and going to a black screen but when i came out and resumed the programme it was fine and i've not had an issue since so i've not looked into the DMZ solution yet but it's on my list of things to do just to limit the chances of an issue with playback in the future.

When will your tv arrive Paul? I hope all is well when you get it but if you need any questions answered either drop me an email or post on the forum.

Best regards,

Nick.

 

[Oldboy]

My PS3 of late has been causing problems with the same issue. Had to watch iPlayer on Boxee Box. The solution sounds interesting. Will check my router. :?

Hmmm that's interesting information, two Sony devices struggling with on demand services...could this be a problem with Sonys service i wonder?? It might just be coincidence then that when i was messing about with settings and my router that things improved...perhaps it's simply the service at fault? :?

 

[f1only]

Cheers for the reply Nick & thankyou for the offer. Glad you seem to have sorted the Hub problem out, i think i may have the same one & i've had no problems or issues with it so far, touchwood...

I am hoping to pick the TV up on Thursday from Milton Keynes branch of RS.

The only thing that may present a problem though, is getting it in my car. I have a Honda Civic Coupe (NOT A HATCHBACK) & i know for a fact it will not fit in the boot even with the seats down. I am hoping to get it in behind the front seats, i could do with the measurements of the box it comes in. If it does not fit i will have to find another way of transporting it back to Aylesbury, via a company van or something. I will have to cross that bridge when it comes

All the best .. Paul

 

[Oldboy]

No worries Paul the dimensions of the box will be below...it's bit of a monster but not too big so i reckon you can squeeze it in on the back seats or in the footwell behind the front seats, mine was delivered so i've never had to transport it.

Was a bit strange that issue with TV on demand as my hub has never had any problems since i've had it either, i'm now 99% sure it's a combination of that setting on the tv and the quality of the service but either way it doesn't freeze and stutter anymore but does occasionally black out and stop but it will resume and play fine if it does so it's far better than it was before.

Box dimensions = Width 118cm, Height 73cm, Depth 28cm

Hope that means it will fit Paul ray:

Best regards,

Nick.

 

[f1only]

Hi Nick

Cracking thank you, I used my stepsons car for transport to be on the safe side in the end

Anyway I put your Cinema settings in as a quick setup just & i reduced the colour down a little. I havn't finished yet as i did not get back from RS until about 6pm tonight & to be honest i'm tired having been at work all day, will try my setup disc tomorrow when i get in.

Picture quality is definatly good though even at this early stage. Connecting to the wireless was a little fiddly took around 5 mins, got there in the end. The picture still looks a little on the red side to me, I have a bit to do with the callibration tomorrow i think.

EDIT: I am doing a software update too, it says it improves security & reliability. Did you do one?

I have also got the BDPS790 Blu-ray player coming next week, (they did not have it in stock) & 2 pairs of glasses also out of stock. If the BD player is no better than the Pioneer i have already then i'll sell it.

Regards .. Paul

 

[Oldboy]

No worries Paul glad to be of help.

Yes wireless can be a little tricky but you only have to do it once, although my tv constantly loses the connection as soon as you turn the superhub off so I have to keep reconnecting to the network everytime which is a complete pain.

As for the redness with colour, as I reported in my review of the tv there is no advanced colour calibration options so you only get your standard colour adjustment plus a white balance option so you won't be able to dial out the redness but what I will say is that one review I looked at tested the tv with a colorimeter and the results were very accurate although given further options to adjust the colour it could have been improved further so it's no disaster in terms of colour levels but I completely understand your point. I still remain frustrated that colour calibration is not more thorough considering just how many other options the tv has...it seems like an oversight to me.

Of course my settings won't be perfect for your viewing conditions, as you know, but it's a good starting point so let me know what you think of the picture after calibration. As for updates yes I install every update as it becomes available and i've had 3 to do since I got the tv with the latest one appearing just a few days ago, they are always worth doing as they can also fix bugs as well as security and sometimes adds things like extra on demand apps etc.

That's a nice BD player you are getting and don't forget it's the BD product of the year in the WHF awards this year so there is a very good chance you may be keeping that one when you get it, the 3D glasses are a bit clunky though so I immediately bought a pair of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-TDGBR750-Titanium-Shutter-Glasses/dp/B0078MXWHG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352464445&sr=8-1

They are far more comfortable to wear over the course of a movie and I plan to buy another pair soon as the 2 free pairs aren't too comfortable but they do block out alot of peripharal vision which is quite nice.

Hope you get the tv calibrated and set up how you want it soon and that you are happy with it, i'm looking forward to hearing your feedback on it.

 

[schurli666]

I have the exact same issue with my new 32HX750 and was really glad to find your thread!

The wireless speed on my TV is extremely bad.

The router (a new apple time capsule 802.11n) is to far away for direct Ethernet connection.

When I run a speed test (speedof.me) on the tv's browser I only get 400KB/s download speed and 1.3MB upload. In the same room on my laptop I get 24Mbit/s download speed.

I thought maybe some port forwarding would be needed, don't think it's a firewall issue.

I'm now hoping that the option Standby for Wi-Fi Direct mentioned by you will solve my problem.

If anybody has any idea how to optimise the wireless speed or optimal settings for the router, I would highly appreciate it.

Thanks,

Georg

 

[schurli666]

 

[f1only]

Hi Nick, Thank you again the 3D glasses reference is excellent i may get a pair.

Now down to the tv settings, i have now managed to get rid of thet red tinge (probably the wrong way to put it) I will post my settings, all of mine are custom. At the minute i am watching Avatar in 2D & its possibly the best quality picture i have seen (thought a good reference disc would be suitable), certainly better than my Samsung for detail & uses less power

. I can confirm i also have no issue with BBC iPlayer through it either, or any of the other internet bits. As i said in my previous post i updated all the fimware on it, all seems ok so far.

My Settings are as follows

Target Imputs : Common

Picture Mode: Custom

Backlight: 7

Contrast: 94

Brightness: 49

Colour: 50

Hue: G1

Colour Temperature: Warm1

Sharpness: 63

Noise Reduction: Off

MPEG Noise Reduction: Off

Dot Noise Reduction: Off

Reality Creation: Off

Video Area Detection: Off

Resolution: Off

Smooth Gradation: Off

Motionflow: Clear

Film Mode: Off

Advanced Settings

Black Corrector: Off

Adv. Contrast Enhancer: Off

Gamma: 0

LED Dynamic Control: Off

Auto Light Limiter: Off

Clear White: Off

Live Colour: Off

White Ballance: All 0

Detail Enhancer: Off

EDIT: I dont think this matches yours, I turned all processing off because the Blu-ray source is as near perfect as you are going to get. I am using the same 709 disc that you have i believe. I will re-callibrate it in a week or so to give the tv time to settle in & to see if there is a difference after any run in period (the white balance is going to change).

Best regards .... Paul

 

[Oldboy]

Hello Paul,

Good to hear you are happy with the tv so far and that you have had time to sit down and calibrate it now, your settings aren't miles away from mine but it would seem that you have a very different light levels in your room as your backlight seems very strong compared to mine and so does the contrast setting. You definately don't need any processing active apart from motionflow as i'm of the opinion that with a good source it's simply not needed and actually degrades picture quality but it's great to hear you have the same opinion.

Yes we are using the same calibration disc so i'm certain the results will be pretty accurate for our respective rooms but it just goes to show how important calibration is as lighting conditions can have a massive difference on picture settings. You shouldn't find much of a difference when you recheck your settings as the picture on an LED tv isn't going to change as dramatically as on a plasma, when i checked mine after a few weeks only the contrast needed taking down a few notches so nothing major.

Really hope you are happy with the tv for some time to come oh and it seems we use the same test disc...Avatar is such a high quality disc in both 2D and 3D that it's my first choice, in 3D it's simply outstanding and i've only got one disc that gets close and that's Tin Tin which is also a favourite test disc.

Have you delved into the menus yet and explored all the various options? It's worth checking the screen settings to make sure that when you are watching anything through the bluray player that you have it set to Full Pixel because other wise you are not getting the full picture quality, meant to mention this earlier but forgot...enjoy the tv Paul