In the summer of 2011, we upgraded to a Sony Bravia HDTV. We spent a lot of time researching this purchase, because we wanted a TV with built-in streaming video features like YouTube, Amazon Streaming Video, Hulu, Netflix, Crackle and more.
Our television is a little over three years old now, and it’s already outdated. I’ve already blogged about the TV displaying a message that its on-screen programming guide was being discontinued just 18 months after we bought the TV.
Tonight, we clicked the YouTube button on the television to watch some clips (something we do often — we love catching up on late-night TV YouTube clips and content on our television.)
This is what we saw:
YouTube: This app will be unavailable after 20/04/2015. Please visit youtube.com/devicesupport
We sat staring at our TV in shock. We use YouTube on this television several times a week! I visited the URL shown on our TV, and it states:
Certain older YouTube apps will no longer be supported after April 2015
Devices affected: Select devices manufactured in 2012 and earlier, including Sony TVs & Blu-ray Players, Panasonic TVs & Blu-ray Players, and devices running Google TV.
On April 20, 2015, we will no longer support the YouTube app on certain device models from 2012 and older, as we upgrade the Data API that these apps are based on.
I headed over to Sony’s site, which has a list of affected television models. There are 180 models of Sony televisions affected — not counting the Sony Blu-Ray players, home theater systems, receivers and media viewers that also currently stream YouTube but will not be able to after April 2015. A bunch of Panasonic models are affected as well.
Back in 2012, we learned the hard way that even though a new television supports something at the time you buy it, there’s no guarantee that the television will continue to support those features for its lifetime. When I wrote to Sony to complain about the TV’s on-screen programming guide being discontinued a year and a half after we bought the TV, they responded that it was Rovi, the on-screen guide’s supplier, who decided to drop the feed — not them. The same thing appears to be happening now with YouTube.
In the case of our on-screen TV guide issue, Sony’s internet tech support boards erupted with angry posts, and Sony later emailed owners instructions for connecting an updated on-screen guide supplied to the TV over the internet, which replaced the old over-the-air programming guide. (A few months later, Sony discontinued the internet-enabled guide as well. Not nice, Sony!)
Time will tell if a similar solution or workaround will be created for our “old” TV. It appears that this on-screen message from YouTube just began appearing today on affected TVs, because YouTube’s support site has comments from other “old TV” users, dated today:
“Just a few years after buying SMART TVs for YouTube, they will effectively cease to function. Surely, it must be possible to update the app and place the new version in the TVs store, so customers can continue to watch YouTube on their quite recent and expensive SMART TVs. Surely, you don’t expect people to purchase a new TV every few years to stay SMART?”
“come on YouTube…. surely you don’t expect us to purchase new hardware every few months…”
“This stunt is unnecessary, inconsiderate to users, and environmentally irresponsible because of all the physical hardware you are declaring obsolete.”
cg1 says
I watch Youtube a lot on our big screen but use a different Sony product to get it that doesn’t seem to be affected, a PS3 which also doubles as a Blu Ray player. It’s “old”, had it since well before 2012.
I don’t know if that would be a solution for you. Since PS4 is the current model, maybe a PS3 is relatively cheap?
mocars2 says
If you have a computer with HDMI out on your video card …..you can run a cord from the computer to your TV. Our non- smart TV allows 3 different HDMI hook ups and that’s how we show computer content on our TV
Outlander says
I had to test my Sony blu Ray player right now, and sure enough, it says the same thing!
BUT, my player always had two You Tube apps- one that just says You Tube, and the other that says New You Tube for TV. We have always used this one that says for TV. And that one doesn’t say that it won’t be available. We like that one because you can sync with your devices and just send videos from your iPhone or iPad. And it looks and plays better too.
Pollysmom says
Why they didn’t make it so you just downloaded the more recent version of the YouTube app….it IS a smart TV after all, and that would seem like a simple, logical answer. We, too, have a smart TV but we won it in a raffle. We used it to replace my old (less than 4 years!!) TV that was giving us problems. I swear they make things to break nowadays. It seems like you have to buy new every 3-4 years now, which is crazy. My next TV will be a plain old dumb one, I think.
llamalluv says
This right here is why we didn’t bother with a “smart” TV when we upgraded to a wall mounted TV. We have Amazon Fire and Roku and if they become obsolete in a few years, it will be much cheaper to replace them for $40-100 than to buy a whole new television.
Our old TV was mine from before we got married and it is almost 15 years old now. We only bought a new flat TV because we wanted something a little bigger than my 21″ CRTV that I bought used in 2001. And I bought it to replace an early 1990’s 19″ television that the picture tube burned out of completely after a year of being green on the top 1/3 and purple on the bottom 1/3 after it got dropped during a move. I sure do miss electronics that you can mortally wound and have cling to life for months and months after.
DragonetGD says
Statement as it appears on https://www.rovicorp.com/ :
“We work with the world’s leading brands to make it easy for consumers to find the entertainment they care about, whether they’re enjoying that content on a television, tablet, mobile phone or any other connected device.” – EXCEPT on 180 models of Sony televisions .
UNREAL !!!!
Ron says
We have a Sony “Smart” Blu Ray Disc player that is just 3 years old. All I want is to continue to get You Tube. Is that too much to ask for.
Jack says
With all the android TV boxes (media player) available. $45.00 to $100.00. There’s no need to buy a smart tv.just search the net
Coupon Maven says
I understand, but we didn’t want an add-on solution — we wanted those features integrated into the TV. It had been advertised that you could add apps to keep it updated, but we never could have anticipated the TV -dropping- support for such a popular app so soon.
RC says
I have a Sony Bravia that is less than four years old and the youtube app is not working any longer. Is this a joke? Multinationals like Sony and Google cant figure out how to provide popular apps? This is like a car manufacturer saying your radio wont work after four years, I paid for the car and dont care who makes the radio. Welcome to the new world (soon to be the old world if this is what goes for customer care).
Ian says
I’ll never buy another Sony product again. And I was always somewhat loyal to the brand, it was my preference up until this.
I am currently researching televisions that do not use Rovi technology, because I’ll also never knowingly buy or use any Rovi software ever again.
Kathleen Lawrence says
Please, help me restore YouTube on my Sony devices. I am homebound disabled & ever since I found the worldwide, Explor.org, live cams, my life has been so much more enjoyable! Bears in Alaska, Puffins in Maine, a waterhole in Africa, & so much more!
When, I turn on the BlueRay & TV there is now something called New YouTube but I can’t seem to make it work!?
Any fixes w/o spending more?
judi says
Really disappointed with Sony TV. Am sure it is a marketing trick to make u keep on buying new TVs. Shame Sony!
Raymond says
Yes, my Sony Smp200 came up with the same youtu.be message today. This is another addition to the Sony problems. One year after buying a new Sony Bravia, the Hdmi ports stopped working with anything that is not Sony! All the devices hdmi outputs test fine and it is the Tv that doesn’t want to work with anything other than the Sony products I connect. I tried everything and nothing works. I searched the Internet and thousands of people have the same problem!
Now, the YouTube app doesn’t work anymore. I will never buy Sony again!
Kathleen Lawrence says
It is not Sony or the other Smart TV companies, the problem is with the Software Company that provides “My TV” or Extras, application, they would not cooperate.
Laura Blake says
It’s nothing to do with cooperation with suppliers, Sony wields a bigger club than the suppliers, they just don’t care and want to force us to buy all Sony compliant devices that have to be upgraded frequently. GOODBYE sony wish you could see how much money I’ve spent on your crap in the last 20 years. Go stuff yourselves.
Coupon Maven says
I agree. I have read that Panasonic was able to find a solution and app update to restore YouTube connectivity to their televisions and devices affected. Sony has chosen not to.
I was also a longtime Sony loyalist — three Sony video cameras, other Sony televisions and devices, and a new Sony VAIO laptop every 2-3 years until they stopped making them. The way they handled this issue with the YouTube app on our TV (and tens of thousands of others) was abysmal and has changed my view of the company.
Troobeesez says
Isn’t SONY the brilliant bunch who decided we needed to buy a whole new DVD Player every few years, as they rendered the DVDs obsolete every so often, anyone remember? I have not experienced this issue to be honest (and I’m not the one who makes electronics purchases around here, so I don’t even know what kind we have!) but I also have several older DVDS that I may get a rude awakening when I try to watch, if what I’m remembering is true. With the “SMART-TV” shenanigans, it does not sound far off. I’m also not sure if the above-mentioned obsolescence would be fixable in a software update by them, if they realized the folly of their greed in that case. I am, however, positive they can fix the current You-Tube Bull’s-Hit with update. There needs to be a class action brought against them.
What a bunch of greedy Brain Donors SONY is.
William Palonis says
NO MORE SONY FOR ME…..STICK IT SONY…..WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER SONY PRODUCT AGAIN AND WILL URGE EVERYONE I COME IN CONTACT WITH TO BOYCOTT ALL SONY PRODUCTS ALSO !!!!
zaim says
it’s a shame the new android based OS for the new sony smart tV’s weren’t written to be compatible for our older tv’s that we have… i understand its the hardware limitation on older models.. i’m sure a lightly written version along side the obsolete tv’s would good enough for the basic next stuff ,… but yes of course all them recourses cost money
Peter says
Honestly people… Do you have any idea how much work and testing is involved with things like this? Let us be realistic here — YouTube is Free to use based on Ad revenue (which is difficult to track on things like smart TVs). That TV you just paid $500 for, much of that cost is the components and manufacture. We have created a market where everything is seen as ‘disposable’ and made as cheap as possible. There is simply no money in making something to last.
Genesis Fosse says
Interestingly, my Sony TV that I bought for 500 bucks back in June of 2014 is still fully functional today at the end of 2022. That’s 8 years of good use.
It is a little slower than newer TVs today, but to me the picture looks better than the 4K OLED that I bought a year ago. It also uses half the electricity for some reason.
I am pretty confident that this SONY will survive to see a decade of service which will make it pretty good value overall.