Sony KD-48A9 UHD on BBC iPlayer stopped working

[08081979]

A recent update seems to have stopped the bbc iPlayer from playing UHD programmes. They worked fine before the update late November. Anyone else had similar issues and found a fix ?

[MrBipson101]

I'm having a similar problem since last Thursday's update. Iplayer and various other functions like YouTube from the home screen do not play properly. They open up but videos just show a static image. Iplayer sometimes plays but with no sound.

Other aspects of the TV a fine, just the stuff from the home screen

[08081979]

Hi. Have you tried unplugging for 10 minutes ?
Someone suggested that to me and it worked. Has to be the full 10 minutes. It’s a pain but it did work for me.

Sent from my iPhone

[HannahEd01]

Hi MrBipson101, do you have the same model? What's the software version that you got recently? I would try the advice from 08081979 , also try clearing the cache from the apps on the settings menu, Press Home-Settings-Apps-pick the app and choose clear cache. Let us know if that worked.

[Ry2222]

I cannot get iPlayer to respond in any way, shape or form on my 2014 42" Sony smart TV, & it's now 5th May.

Is this another built in obsolescence? If so I will never buy another Sony TV again. It was bad enough never being able to get ITV hub, & the remote continues to be absolutely terrible.

[royabrown2]

@Ry2222 

I think this is pretty clear:-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/questions/supported-devices/sony

Older devices are supported for about five to six years, so this is par for the course.

However, why blame Sony? It’s the BBC who have withdrawn support; so maybe you should be vowing never to use the BBC iPlayer again?

But any TV, as long as it doesn’t predate HDMI, can have its full complement of Players restored easily and cheaply with a Roku Express (HD, £25) or a Roku Premiere (HD, 4K, HDR, £30) at current prices.

https://www.roku.com/en-gb/products/players

Buy one of those, and don’t sweat it.

[Ry2222]

OK, thanks RoyaBrown2.  Just got another recommendation for Roku too.  Are any in particular suited to relatively slow bb speed? (av 20 down, 5.5 up - not poss to change provider as living in rural area where it's LAN or nothing).

[royabrown2]

@Ry2222 

I was getting 26Mbps before I got FTTP, and that was pretty good for streaming; I could get the BBC iPlayer in 4K even, as you will probably be able to as well, with a 4K Roku (if your TV is 4K, which it may not be).

I needed FTTP for its fast uploads, for work purposes, which probably won’t be an issue you have.

But any of the streaming services you get over the Roku are likely to be adaptive, and will back off the resolution they give you if you don’t have the bandwidth. (Though the only time we ever saw that happen was when also downloading a satnav update, and not using the option on that to download it less intensively).

Even if you don’t have 4K now, though, I would get a Roku that handles this, for future-proofing; it will perfectly well just do HD for now, as well as the services on it adapting themselves to 20Mbps.

After all, your TV is telling you it’s time it was relegated to bedroom duties in favour of a whizzy-dizzy 2021 set 😛

[cbretton]

I just bought a KD32W800PU and the iPlayer app doesn't work. Have tried turning off, reinstalling, resetting to factory, nothing works. The BBC site only references older models. We specifically bought this for the app combo. Not sure what to do.

[Piscie]

Hi cbretton,

It seems to be a known issue with BBC IPlayer, try to cast the content to the TV by using the Google Cast functionality as a temporary workaround.

Hope it helps!

-Piscie

[royabrown2]

@cbretton 

There seems to be some doubt about what this TV supports. John Lewis, Richer Sounds and Curry’s all say it is Freeview Play, but Sony do not mention this at all.

So, your TV is connected to the internet?

And does the EPG (guide) go back 7 days?

If so, can you choose a BBC programme from those last 7 days, select it and have it play that way?

And do you have the itv Hub, All4 and My5 catch-up apps, on the TV or downloadable from the Android TV store on the TV, and do these play OK?