Sony fixes problems in BRAVIA TVs. Dolby Vision and audio were causing problems for users.

Sony has started rolling out another update for its BRAVIA TVs. This time, however, it is not about new features but mainly about fixing bugs that appeared after previous updates. For several months users have reported, among other issues, problems with Dolby Vision and audio synchronisation over HDMI.

Problems with Dolby Vision

The problems affect models with the MediaTek Pentonic 1000 SoC that were upgraded from Android 12 to Android 14. The list includes, among others, Sony A95L, BRAVIA 9 and 9 II, BRAVIA 8 and 8 II, BRAVIA 7 and 7 II and BRAVIA 5. One of the first major bugs was a black screen when playing Dolby Vision from devices connected via HDMI. Sony fixed it in the August firmware v114.602.170.1, although some users still report flickering lines with Dolby Vision.

Audio not synchronised with the picture

The audio issues proved even more troublesome. BRAVIA owners began reporting that when using HDMI sources, the audio gradually falls out of sync with the picture. In one of the larger threads on Reddit the owner of an 85-inch BRAVIA 9 described delays reaching up to 1 to 2 seconds, as well as occasional audio dropouts over eARC that required restarting the TV. Similar problems were also reported by other users.

Sony has now released firmware v114.603.100.1, which is intended to fix the picture and sound synchronisation issue. The update has started rolling out to televisions in North America and should reach Europe soon. Early user reports suggest an improvement, though it is still hard to say whether the problem has been completely eliminated. Importantly, not all bugs may have been fixed yet. FlatpanelsHD points out that audio dropouts over HDMI eARC and the aforementioned flickering lines in Dolby Vision may still occur. The whole situation is rather unusual: Sony's move to Android 14 for its televisions brought several new features, but at the same time the manufacturer has been gradually addressing the problems that emerged after that update over the past few months.

Source: whathifi, flatpanelshd, reddit, Sony support