Sony BDV-E2100 1000 W Home Cinema System - very slow menus and pixillating on Netflix - no support

[savitaa]

Two months ago I contacted Sony support after a couple of weeks of the Netflix menues changing over extremely slowly - so slow that you sit there for minutes as the icons tick off slowly one by one ending with the red dash.  We have the fastest broadband and Netflix works perfectly on our two laptops and smartphone.  After suggesting all the same obvious checks I'd already done including a full system reset i just keep getting standard emails telling me it is top priority and they will get back to me.  This has gone on for two months now with no solution in sight.  i wanted to phone Sony to complain but taht is not possible either.  Like many people here i have been using Sony products for manhy years but this excruciatingly poor support is really putting me off buying Sony in future.  Panasonic supported my Dad who is in his nineties very well and in a really friendly and helpful way.  I'm glad he hadn't bought Sony.  If anyone has any idea why our player has these very slow menus on Netflix and also pixillates at the beginning of playing a title and how to solve it please let me know.  i know that Sony route Netflix requests through their own server and although they say there is no issue there I'm not sure I believe anything Sony support say anymore.  They don't actually deserve the title "support" since they don't actually give any - they just send out standard "you're a top priority" emails and hope you will go away.

[The_Black_Rose]

Hi savitaa

I'll try passing this one to my contact at Sony. Hopefully they'll get in touch with you soon.

Cheers,

Rose

[savitaa]

I had a reply from Sony support but all it said was the same as before.  All they are interested in is quoting T&Cs and I think they just hope yo uwill give up and go away.  i have been using Sony products for longer than I can remember - Walkman, CD player, Minidisk etc and I am utterly appalled at the way I have been treated over what should have been a simple issue to resolve.  Most sellers of products would have just arranged a replacement if they had no immediate solution.  But not old-fashioned Sony who are asking em to take it in for repair when there is nowhere to take it.  I have had enough and I'll just vote with my feet and buy from companies that actually have some support and customer service.  I see from others here that I am not alone in this experience so I guess its time to stop buying Sony.

[VicTheGreek]

Hi,

I have the same problem. Did you resolve it?

[savitaa]

No, sorry.  I'm no better off than I was over two months ago when i contacted Sony support who have been worse than useless.  Unlike viewing Netflix on a laptop or smartphone, apart from the slow menues that is a more recent development where you can sit there for several minutes waiting for the programme you've clicked on to load up to play there are also these issues:

1. A programme can bomb out and say "we are having troubler playing this title"

2. Netflix can close abruptely for no reason taking you back to the player's  menu.

3. Almost all programmes pixilate for a few minutes at startup (and we have very fast broadband and no trouble viewing on laptop or smartphone).

4. Subtitles are often erratic - not appearing then popping up and disappearing quickly etc.

5. The player forgets our sign-in details and makes us sign in again periodically.

My guess is that there  is no solution because it is a problem inherent in the Sony blu-ray player and/or their server that comes between the player and Netflix.  However, I'd have at least felt better about Sony if they were honest about all this instead of the appallingly poor support and terrible attitude about the issue.  If you do find a solution then I'd be glad to hear about it but I'm not expecting anything.  On the plus side, playing 3D blu-rays is fine and there are no issues there so far.

[Doctor_Keo]

Hi,

  We have exactly the same problem playing Netflix - I have been in touch with Netflix and they had me doing this, then that, which did improve things but only on the first selection made on Netflix - the key thing to doing "this, and that" is removing the power from the cinema system. Switching the power off appears to work for the first video you watch, and then if you try to select another program, on our system it goes through the menus very slowly. I suspect that the version of Netflix on the cinema system is too old - Does anyone know how to install a newer version of Netflix?

The Netflix plays fine on PC and an old Android box - We are playing in HD and the content (mostly) plays okay.

Doc

[savitaa]

For the most part HD plays okay for us except when it suddenly bombs out with the "We can't play this content at the moment - please try later" and the pixillation at the beginning.  We also did everything Netflix suggested to no avail, which is clearly because it is NOT a Netflix issue but a Sony one.  Given that the problems occur very often but not every time I am of the opinion that it may well not be the player itself but the server Sony use to route the signal to Netflix through and that this server is not up to the task.  We are putting up with the issues but I have to admit that the awful so-called support from Sony has really put me off them as a company and I will try to avoid buying Sony in the future unless something is actually done about these issues.  i do not think Sony have been honest about where the issues originate and that is why their "support" consists solely of standard fixes that don't do anything and standard follow-up emails tha tassure you that you are top priority whilst in fact nothing is happening at all.

[Doctor_Keo]

Hi,

  I'm not so sure that the Netflix is via the Sony Servers, as our Netflix in Cyprus is a completely different to the American, UK and it appears other European versions (Netflix say it is a copyright issue) - so I would assume that setting up a server just for Cyprus, and, maybe, every other country of the world would not be worth the expenditure. I still think the app version on the BDV-E2100 is too old, and needs updating. 

If I find out any further info I will post it here.

Doc

[savitaa]

If you look online you'll find plenty of references to Sony using their own server to route Netflix requests.  i assume the route it takes from their server depends on country of origin so you are getting the same as you'd get using a laptop but with a nother server in the middle and all the problems that extra step adds to the mix.  As you can see, nobody at Sony is reading this thread or they cannot be bothered to tell us what is actually going on and more importantly how the issue might be fixed.  Shamed.  I used to really like Sony until this.

[savitaa]

"I still think the app version on the BDV-E2100 is too old"

Then why haven't Sony provided a firmware update?  Another reason why I think it is their daft server.