Smart TV Apps

[Paddy]

Hi @ten0G

Sorry to hear of your issues - it must be frustrating.  The thing to remember with Smart TVs is that the apps tend to be specific to that manufacturer and/or model rather than from some form of generic app Store.  The net result is that they can vary in reliability, functionality and update frequency.

There should be some form of option to check for firmware and app updates on your TV and I would suggest you try this (if you have not already done so).

You may be having issues with your WiFi connection as we had some problems last year on BT Fibre.  To solve these I upgraded lto BT's latest router and installed Whole Home WiFi and the transformation was amazing.  I am always a wee bit sceptical about such claims but for what it is worth the new BT setup is great.

Our Samsung TV is 7 years old and works fine with YouTube.  As for your TV, I fear you have a duffer there and it probably will need to be replaced.

Kind regards

Paddy

[ten0G]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your views, still haven't been phoned by Support via Amazon so contacted them again by Chat midday yesterday and was told they'd respond within 48hrs.  When I asked if that included the weekend, the response was to watch my Inbox as contact would "probably by email."  Nothing yet. 

There's no info that I can find from the instruction leaflet on how to check or update the firmware, that's one of the first things I want to ask. 

Just to clarify further, all of this year, the Mac. iPod, smartPhone and TV have all been connected by wifi to the old and then the new router to provide a level playing field for comparison.  All within less than 6' of each other in the same room. 

In order to satisfy myself that I had in fact carried out all the necessary reset actions, on Sunday evening I powered off the set and took out the plug for a while, then started it up again and selected 'Reset' from the Menu. 

I then selected YouTube, which ran fine for a while, then the set switched off and on again.  It only happens with YouTube. 

A Roku smart-stick may be interesting if it provides the channels I'm interested in but then I'd need a set that has two HDMI sockets I believe, this only has one and I need one for a dedicated link between the set and my replacement computer for a layout design app - one has to get one's priorities right! 

I've been looking at possible replacement sets on Amazon, but am not that happy with any of them. 

Having a few long-term health problems to deal with, I make use of subtitles much of the time so it's important to be able to read them clearly and easily from my normal position.  I consider a 24" screen to be about the optimum size.  A 32" one would be too large at this distance. 

If anyone can tell me where to find a current list of Roku channels please, I'd be very grateful. 

[Markthetog]

https://channelstore.roku.com/en-gb/browse/web-video

That's just the YouTube type apps - use the arrows at the top to browse the rest

[ten0G]

We have a very similar Toshiba television and it is a bit flaky - ours often crashes if you're too quick, and start searching for or playing a video very quickly after turning it on. We haven't had issues with it turning off once playing I must say though. Our "main" Samsung TV is faultless in comparison. I think it's a failing of the firmware of the TV.

Hi,

I'd be interested to know where your set was made please, and what remote you have with it, mine's a CT-8541. 

Also, do you have any instructions regarding resetting please? 

[Markthetog]

https://youtu.be/LvXpHvuVLJ8

"How to fix YouTube on your Toshiba Smart TV"

[ten0G]

https://youtu.be/LvXpHvuVLJ8

"How to fix YouTube on your Toshiba Smart TV"

Many thanks, looks very promising.  Will study carefully after lunch. 

[Railwaygun]

Toshiba don't actually make cheap TVs, they licence their name to manufacturers of cheap chinese sets. With the lowest cost memory chips and processors, both of which are prone to causing issues. I would suggest either return it under warranty if possible or if not then buy a cheap Smart TV "Stick" such as a Roku, Fire or Chromecast.
These stream independent of the TV's memory and network connection and are far more reliable.

During 9 years in Management teams with Currys & PC World neither I or anyone under me would ever suggest Toshiba TVs to customers. Several other big names do the same thing (Kenwood for example) and to my mind it's dishonest - people think they're buying quality.

Pioneer are another ( previously) reliable company who now sell their name to anyone

I thought that EU Toshibas were made in Turkey now by Vestel? Also Toshiba, Hitachi, JVC and many own brand labels.( inc Currys )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestel

[jpendle]

Hi,

So let's be clear, there's not a single item of consumer electronics in the shops that wasn't made by a contract manufacturer in a low wage region.
Neither Apple nor Amazon nor HP manufacture these things themselves and the same goes for the TV brands.

If you buy a Windows Laptop there is only the faintest chance that is was even designed by the company whose name is on the box, let alone built by them.
That is NOT the case though with Apple products.

Most of the time this is fine, because the 'brand name' company will oversee design and production. But some companies just sell the rights to use their name on a product and don't really care about the quality because they aren't actually making any consumer electronics at all.

Honeywell and GE are prime examples of this here in the US.

Regards,

John P

[Paddy]

Hi,

So let's be clear, there's not a single item of consumer electronics in the shops that wasn't made by a contract manufacturer in a low wage region.
Neither Apple nor Amazon nor HP manufacture these things themselves and the same goes for the TV brands.

If you buy a Windows Laptop there is only the faintest chance that is was even designed by the company whose name is on the box, let alone built by them.
That is NOT the case though with Apple products.

Most of the time this is fine, because the 'brand name' company will oversee design and production. But some companies just sell the rights to use their name on a product and don't really care about the quality because they aren't actually making any consumer electronics at all.

Honeywell and GE are prime examples of this here in the US.

Regards,

John P

Hi John,

Interesting, I always assumed that "cheap" products were branded with recognised brands but is this also true for Dell, HP and Lenovo?  My understanding was that these three design and manufacture their own computers?  I accept they buy in components (processors, RAM, storage, screens etc.) but then Apple do that too.

Kind regards

Paddy

[jpendle]

Hi Paddy,

I don't know about Lenovo, but HP and Dell use Taiwanese ODM's (Original Design Manufacturers) for some of their products.

So stuff like this changes all the time, but HP design their own printers, especially laserjets, but use companies such as Quanta (the biggest laptop designer you've never heard of) for some of their laptops. Dell design their own servers but again the laptops probably come from ODM's. It really depends on the Intellectual Property going into the product and the IP in a laptop is mostly the component manufacturer's.

The way this works is that a company goes to Quanta, or Wistron, or Foxconn, or ..., and asks them design a laptop with certain features, if it meets the companies spec then they ask them to manufacture it as well, but typically the likes of Dell and HP will keep a very close eye on what is being done 'in their name'.

As a general rule, the only large electronics companies that manufacture their own products are those involved in either Aerospace and Defence or in Automotive electronics, and even then that's not always the case.

Also there are no 'vertically integrated' electronics manufacturers, all of them source their components from other companies, such as Intel, Toshiba (that's where they went  ), & Xilinx.

If it's any consolation Digitrax do their own manufacturing, it's quite often smaller companies who still do this.

Oh and BTW, if someone tries to sell you an iPhone 'Designed & Manufactured by Apple in California', it's a knock off 

Regards,

John P

(Messing around in Electronics Manufacturing Test for 37 years & counting)

[zwilnik]

Apple do actually build Mac Pros in Austin Texas (with a lot of US sourced components) since 2013. They are the high end ones though, so it's a lot lower volume than their consumer computers like the iMacs, MacBooks etc.

[railsquid]

Apple do actually build Mac Pros in Austin Texas (with a lot of US sourced components) since 2013. They are the high end ones though, so it's a lot lower volume than their consumer computers like the iMacs, MacBooks etc.

Lenovo assemble laptops (at least the Thinkpads) for the Japanese market in Japan.

[jpendle]

Apple do actually build Mac Pros in Austin Texas (with a lot of US sourced components) since 2013. They are the high end ones though, so it's a lot lower volume than their consumer computers like the iMacs, MacBooks etc.

Been there, done that, had the body cavity search  :'(

John P

[jpendle]

Apple do actually build Mac Pros in Austin Texas (with a lot of US sourced components) since 2013. They are the high end ones though, so it's a lot lower volume than their consumer computers like the iMacs, MacBooks etc.

Lenovo assemble laptops (at least the Thinkpads) for the Japanese market in Japan.

Individual countries safety and customs regs can often affect where things are made.

Brasil frowns on imports so there is a relatively large electronics manufacturing sector there, making products just for the Brazilian market.

Manaus is a free trade manufacturing zone, so they even build consumer electronics in the middle of the Amazon 

Regards,

John P

[Malc]

Hi Paddy,

I don't know about Lenovo, but HP and Dell use Taiwanese ODM's (Original Design Manufacturers) for some of their products.

So stuff like this changes all the time, but HP design their own printers, especially laserjets, but use companies such as Quanta (the biggest laptop designer you've never heard of) for some of their laptops. Dell design their own servers but again the laptops probably come from ODM's. It really depends on the Intellectual Property going into the product and the IP in a laptop is mostly the component manufacturer's.

The way this works is that a company goes to Quanta, or Wistron, or Foxconn, or ..., and asks them design a laptop with certain features, if it meets the companies spec then they ask them to manufacture it as well, but typically the likes of Dell and HP will keep a very close eye on what is being done 'in their name'.

As a general rule, the only large electronics companies that manufacture their own products are those involved in either Aerospace and Defence or in Automotive electronics, and even then that's not always the case.

Also there are no 'vertically integrated' electronics manufacturers, all of them source their components from other companies, such as Intel, Toshiba (that's where they went  ), & Xilinx.

If it's any consolation Digitrax do their own manufacturing, it's quite often smaller companies who still do this.

Oh and BTW, if someone tries to sell you an iPhone 'Designed & Manufactured by Apple in California', it's a knock off 

Regards,

John P

(Messing around in Electronics Manufacturing Test for 37 years & counting)

I don't know about current models, but when I looked after systems with HP printers (up to the Laserjet 5) they used Canon engines.