Say goodbye to the Netflix app on these old Sony TVs and Blu-ray players
Netflix once again demonstrates that you shouldn’t take pre-installed streaming apps for granted
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We’ve got some bad news for owners ofSonyTVs sold from 2011 to 2013:Netflixwill stop supporting its app on a lot of models, including the EX, HX and W series TVs, with effect from February 2024. It’ll also be pulling support from some Sony Blu-Ray players too. According to Sony Support, the reason is due to “technical limitations”.
This isn’t the first time thebest streaming servicehas stopped supporting pre-installed Netflix apps. It pulled support from someSamsungBlu-ray players, fromolder TVs made by Samsung, Panasonic, Sony and Hitachi and from the PS Vita in October. And asFlatpanelsHDreports, it had a big purge in 2019 too.
For now, the affected models only appear to be Sony devices – the source is a Sony Supportdocumentthat lists all the affected Sony models – but it’s unclear whether as with previous purges it’ll affect other firms' hardware too.
Don’t rely on built-in apps
The good news here is that the withdrawal of support shouldn’t affect very many people According to NPD, the average person changes their TV every six and a half years – although in many homes the older sets then get passed on for use in kids' bedrooms and for other secondary viewing, so some of these models will still be in circulation.
But it’s easy enough to use anAmazon Fire TV 4K Stick,Apple TV 4Kbox or one ofRoku’s many media streamers like theRoku Streaming Stick 4Kto keep them current. Also, check out our roundup of thebest streaming devicesfor more options.
Streaming apps are part of all thebest TVs, of course, but I’ve learnt the hard way not to take them for granted. My last TV was packed with streaming apps and over a fairly short period of time those apps went from nippy and solid to sluggish and crashy. The apps were still officially supported (if infrequently updated) by both my TV manufacturer and the streaming services, but they were frustrating to use and increasingly unreliable.
I’ve been skipping my TVs' smart TV features in favor of anAppleTV box ever since. The current version of Apple’s tvOS is compatible with Apple TV boxes going back to 2015, which suggests that I can expect my one to stay current until 2030. And the other big benefit of using a third party streamer is consistency: it doesn’t matter if my next TV is a Sony or a Samsung, anLGor aTCLor a Philips or aPanasonic: the interface and experience doesn’t change.
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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.
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