Bricked KD-55AF9

[spicybeanstew]

We bought our KD-55AF9 29th December 2019 from Currys in the UK.

It threw a tantrum about a month ago - which we attributed to our Sky box, however things really went south last night.

The symptoms were power cycling, going through the 'Sony' banner, the Android start up then pausing and doing it all over again.

We unplugged everything else to make sure nothing else was contributing to the problem.

Occasionally if one pressed the 'Home' button during boot up, you'd get to the Home page and settings could be changed - although it might spontaneously reboot whilst I was doing things,.

I followed the Sony guide which seems to be a two stage process:

1) First check the TV has the latest updates - it has, auto-update is on

2) Do a factory reset.

1) didn't help as it weas already at the latest release, so I tried 2).

Now the TV power cycles but you only see the 'Sony' banner before it fades, and about a minute later it reboots. Twice the initial part of the Android banner came up - but then it froze and after a minute or so, rebooted.

After 2), the website revealed the UK help number +44 (0) 2073652810. Unfortunately we are five months out of our guarantee and Sony seem to have closed the UK helpline.

The next options was to download the latest patch set to USB according to the instructions and try and let the TV detect the USB stick & auto install the update. No luck - bricked TV.

So no Sony to help, no repair service and no further ideas.

As an angineer, I suspect whatever boot medium the TV has, but that is simply conjecture.

Any helpful suggestions will be gratefully received.

Thank you in advance.

[spicybeanstew]

Hello @therealvinceunlimited 

I did try the USB stick wheeze, which to me was quite appealing however the TV only occasionally gets past the Sony banner. If I am very lucky, I might see a couple of glyphs of the Android banner beofe it freezes & then reboots a minute or so later.

I have already bought a PSU board for it and will try that and am hoping to get hold of a control board next week, we'll see.

I am grateful to those in the forum, but not enamoured with Sony.

[spicybeanstew]

I am answering my own post with an update, please accept my apologies.

I called Sony - and they answered!

Better than that there was no dispute or argument over the guarantee. They recognise that moving the TV is a significant feat and are sending someone round - it looks like it might be soon.

Their stance is that if it isn't faulty they will charge me - which is fine because it is bricked.

In short, it looks like they are delivering hence their rating with me is rising.

I can cope with things failing, but I can't cope with things failing on a premium product with no support.

So things are looking up and I will let you know how it goes 👍.

[spicybeanstew]

This is a close down of my thread.

I never acknowledged Sony for repairing my TV, which they did. It's been a while now and it is working perfectly. Whilst I was irritated that I couldn't get a response, I didn't acknowledge/accept what a disaster covid has been for us all, alive or dead.

So, following the marketing maxim that 'Reliability breeds brand loyalty' I acknowledge Sony's support and thank them, and would again consider their products in future.

Everyone has a breakdown and it is as much about how you deal with breakdowns as it is about original reliability.

So high marks for Sony ✨👍.