Why do we accept poor quality?

[Turnbacktime]

Why are we now “programmed” to accept poor quality software and firmware in expensive equipment. I recently bought an LG OLEDG455. A reasonably premium set. I read the reviews, went and viewed sets. Did comparisons with similar priced models from Sony etc. Decided on the LG.
Got it delivered, set it up with my Sky Q and Sonos system. End result frequent audio muting on the Sonos. Started digging into the issue on various forums and user groups. Plenty of reports of similar issues. Contacted both retailer and LG. LG basically shrugged their shoulders and talked about changing HDMI cables and how return policies only applied to manufacturing details. Retailer was more helpful and, along with forums, suggested factory reset and hard restart. This seems to have worked.
But why is this even necessary. Brand new set. Common peripherals linked via standard interconnects. It should work straight out of the box first time every time. Video and audio is core functionality.
And I write this as someone who spent most of their career managing SW engineering teams, support teams and commissioning teams. There really isn’t any excuse for it. Especially as this model set is nearly a year old.

 

[Al ears]

I am not exactly sure it's poor quality, rather it is compatibility issues that plague any set-up that utilises components from different manufacturers. It has always been an issue and isn't going to go away.
In your case, had you bought an LG soundbar I would expect it to work flawlessly with said TV. The moment you start to incorporate third-party accessories you are heading into murky waters.
I had plenty of issues try to get my Sonos Arc working with my Sony TV but that was down to the Sonos not the TV.
My pet hate is anything that requires a software update the moment you first install it. Why is that necessary on something like a TV that should actually function as a TV from the off?
The issue these days is they are not just simply TVs, they need to be a complete box of tricks.
However, I take your point in that if you have a functioning TV and a functioning speaker then joining them with a suitable cable should not make any changes to either piece of equipment.

 

[Turnbacktime]

I am not exactly sure it's poor quality, rather it is compatibility issues that plague any set-up that utilises components from different manufacturers. It has always been an issue and isn't going to go away.
In your case, had you bought an LG soundbar I would expect it to work flawlessly with said TV. The moment you start to incorporate third-party accessories you are heading into murky waters.
I had plenty of issues try to get my Sonos Arc working with my Sony TV but that was down to the Sonos not the TV.
My pet hate is anything that requires a software update the moment you first install it. Why is that necessary on something like a TV that should actually function as a TV from the off?
The issue these days is they are not just simply TVs, they need to be a complete box of tricks.
However, I take your point in that if you have a functioning TV and a functioning speaker then joining them with a suitable cable should not make any changes to either piece of equipment.

Sorry I don’t think this is a compatibility issue. ARC/eARC is a standard. Dolby Audio is a standard. HDMI is a standard, albeit a bit flaky. And if a basic compatibility issue then why does a factory reset and hard restart cure the issue? And to underline the fact one of the first things I did was to swap the Sonos Beam for the free LG soundbar. The fault was still there. I also swapped the HDMI cables for new ones.
Read the forums and the list of tweaks owners do to try and get things fixed is terrifying. Turn off Quick Start to reduce load on the system. Turn off auto promotions and suggestions. A long list of web urls to block on your router to stop random connections to LG services. It is quite scary.
And yes the set did auto update immediately I set it up and before I had chance to watch anything on it. So another standard recommendation is turn off auto update as the update process isn’t clean and can trigger issues.
That all adds up to poor SW to me.

 

[davidf]

The TV market will be what it is - all about market share. Reliability, service, quality is secondary to holding the crown of market leader based on sales.

 

[Turnbacktime]

Which comes back to my question, why do we accept it. Everybody, inc this magazine, are fawning over the new G5 with no mention of issues on current models.

 

[Friesiansam]

I think @Al ears is right about compatibility. Regardless of the existence of universal standards, they are not always well implemented and, I suspect, some manufacturers don't do enough testing to ensure their hardware plays well with other manufacturer's hardware. Compatibility issues are therefore, if I'm right, inevitable.

 

[Turnbacktime]

Except as my reply stated the issue persisted when I swapped my Sonos with the LG soundbar that came free with the set. And a number of those that post in user groups about having the same problem said they had LG soundbars.
And if a basic compatibility problem then a factory reset and hard restart shouldn’t fix it.
We are falling into the trap of finding excuses for poor quality. If this was some minor cheap sound bar or cheap rebranded TV I might accept compatibility issues. Or if the reset/restart hadn’t fixed it.
But read the lists in forums of what users are tweaking to get stable platforms and it is ridiculous.

 

[Al ears]

Except as my reply stated the issue persisted when I swapped my Sonos with the LG soundbar that came free with the set. And a number of those that post in user groups about having the same problem said they had LG soundbars.
And if a basic compatibility problem then a factory reset and hard restart shouldn’t fix it.
We are falling into the trap of finding excuses for poor quality. If this was some minor cheap sound bar or cheap rebranded TV I might accept compatibility issues. Or if the reset/restart hadn’t fixed it.
But read the lists in forums of what users are tweaking to get stable platforms and it is ridiculous.

True but pretty much evident in today's society where people cannot accept that buying something that does what it is meant to do well without becoming an all singing all dancing bit of kit that does nothing particularly well will al be an issue.
When it comes to hifi kit I still recommend separate components that do one job well and nothing else.
If everyone on that forum of yours simply returned that LG kit as unfit for purpose perhaps LG might start to sit up and take notice.
That said I can see no reason a simple factory reset would cure anything unless something occurred in the initial start-up software update situation.
If that were the case any future updates after that reset could mean a reoccurring problem will appear.

 

[Turnbacktime]

LG’s software update process certainly seems to be one of the more common theories behind these problems. With the recommendation to turn off auto update.
I do believe in being the best kit for any particular job. That is why I went for a Sonos surround system over one from the TV manufacturer. Given I don’t want to go for the complexity of a full AV receiver and speakers. And it is why every component of my stereo HiFi system is from a different manufacturer. Each chosen for their strengths.
Having had similar issues with Samsung about 9 years ago I wonder if any of them are any different.

 

[Jasonovich]

I always find the firmware is already dated by the time you unpack the box, not just with TV sets, video Blu-ray, Streamers and PC chipsets /peripherals as well. So any hardware issues that have been ironed out by subsequent software updates, would have been missed out when you made your purchase.
My brain is hardwired to running the firmware updates as soon as I have it all setup, this will ensure wider compatibility or even, better picture and sound quality.

 

[Al ears]

Sorry I don’t think this is a compatibility issue. ARC/eARC is a standard. Dolby Audio is a standard. HDMI is a standard, albeit a bit flaky. And if a basic compatibility issue then why does a factory reset and hard restart cure the issue? And to underline the fact one of the first things I did was to swap the Sonos Beam for the free LG soundbar. The fault was still there. I also swapped the HDMI cables for new ones.
Read the forums and the list of tweaks owners do to try and get things fixed is terrifying. Turn off Quick Start to reduce load on the system. Turn off auto promotions and suggestions. A long list of web urls to block on your router to stop random connections to LG services. It is quite scary.
And yes the set did auto update immediately I set it up and before I had chance to watch anything on it. So another standard recommendation is turn off auto update as the update process isn’t clean and can trigger issues.
That all adds up to poor SW to me.

You didn't mention the LG soundbar issue in your original post I notice.

 

[Turnbacktime]

The more I research this issue, and the likely fixes, the less I think it is likely to be a basic compatibility issue. The most likely seems to be LG’s firmware update process isn’t clean and leaves something in an incorrect state. The other possibility, is that they are trying to do too much with the platform. Hence all the suggestions that turning X,Y and Z off improve things.
Having managed SW development and support teams my brain is hard wired the opposite way. I always turn auto update off. Never take an x.y.0 release will always wait for at least the .1. Stability trumps any minor improvements a new release brings.

 

[Turnbacktime]

My slip. It was never going to be my main listening system so focus was on the Sonos. The LG soundbar is going to my daughter. Unless the set misbehaves again in the next 2 weeks. In which case it will be going back along with the set.