Samsung smart TV problems

As a fully qualified IT Technician, I do have to ask you though. Have you tried turning your modem off and on again. If it doesn’t make any difference then you can at least eliminate the possibility that it’s being finicky with which devices it doles out your Internet connection to. I gave you the example of how our Telstra supplied modem does this, not to say “you shouldn’t use Telstra” but to say, this could also be a possibility with your own modem regardless of who you get your Internet from. Ours works like a treat, but when it does decide to lock someone out of the Internet loop, or slow down a device, it only does it to that one person or device and continues to work like a treat for everyone and everything else. Sometimes modems just need to be switched off and on again to get their mojo back and start communicating with everyone and everything on equal terms again. I’m not saying this is your issue, but it’s good to be able to eliminate it as an issue if none of this helps.

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Have you tried turning your modem off and on again.

Yes I have tried that, it makes no difference.

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Have you tried using the browser app in the smart tv menu then watching Netflix through that?

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Have you tried using the browser app in the smart tv menu then watching Netflix through that?

Not yet, I am waiting for the regular Netflix to play up to compare.

The problem just happened again.

The browser on the TV did display Netflix at that point, as did my computer, which proves that it is the Netflix app on the Samsung TV that is the source of the error, not Netflix itself or any part of the network. Sadly viewing Netflix on the TV via the supplied Samsung browser is not a long term fix as controlling it without a keyboard or mouse using the TV remote is beyond excruciating.

Returning to the Netflix app and it took a cold boot of the TV to get it going again. I will be taking this up with Samsung. Wish me luck, I think I will be in for a whole lot of obfuscation, time-wasting and denial.

This is why we purchased a cheap netbook computer with a hdmi port in it, so we could plug it into the TV and not have to worry about the poor quality from the TV’s own built in apps. It also means we can adblock a bit too via web browser add-ons. All controlled via a wireless mouse and keyboard.

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You are lucky to have a Netflix Ap on your Samsung SMART TV. Samsung suddenly decided that they would no longer support my 4 year old SMART TV so they deinstalled the existing NETFLIX Ap, When I complained they said they could not continue to support these Aps on an “old” TV and I need to buy a new one. The solution is to forget so called SMART TVs and just add a Telstra TV box ($100 or free from Telstra in some cases). All the streaming services now run thru the Telstra add on and it also has a media server to stream via wifi from a laptop.

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Sorry but we have three Samsung SMART TVs of varying ages, and Netflix (app) works fine on all of them. I use a wifi signal, though, if that makes a difference.

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Why be sorry? I thought you would be happy.

I am using WiFi but that is not part of the problem at my end as I can view Netflix on a tablet next to the TV using the same WiFi feed from my router when the Netflix app is broken.

It is now over two weeks since I complained to Samsung. After sending them a reminder last week I am yet to get any reply.They promise 24 hr turn around.

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Hi @syncretic,

You might need to escalate things to your state or territory’s fair trading or consumer affairs body if your complaint isn’t addressed. You may be able to seek a remedy under the consumer law since this is advertised as a Smart TV’ and that functionality has now failed.

Good luck with it, and please keep us updated with your progress.

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I have a Samsung smart TV, different model and experience the same issue. I also have intermittent problems with Iview not working at all.

I bought a Telstra TV box and that works perfectly. Any streaming device will probably work as well.

This is my second Samsung smart TV and will probably be my last. My brothers’ cheaper LG looks just as good (picture quality wise) and his Netflix works without issue.

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After waiting over two weeks for the 24hr email service I phoned. The lady was very helpful and pretty knowledgeable. We did a speed test - OK of course. She eventually admitted that the Netflix app was likely to be the problem and that it is a known issue. We did a manual update of the TV software as (despite auto-updates being enabled) I didn’t have the latest software. I was advised that if that didn’t work I can do a hub software reset myself, although the function of this step is unclear. If that doesn’t work the last resort is a factory reset which will lose all my settings. So for the moment it is wait-and-see if the issue was addressed in the latest software package. I will report back on results.

One interesting point was who is responsible for the quality and maintenance of the TV software. I said to her that since Samsung supplied a hardware and software package that is called a Smart TV then they are responsible. She wouldn’t accept that nor would she say that Netfix are responsible. She went off on a tangent about how this was a very complex matter that may have various solutions, yada, yada and seemed to think that therefore the issue of corporate responsibility is lost in the nearest black hole and will never been seen again. I will let this nonsense go for now in case the update has actually fixed it and shown Samsung is actually on the case.

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Thanks for the update @syncretic, hopefully this resolves the issue.

It has now been about 5 weeks since the update was applied. The result is that I have had to apply the cold boot solution to get Netflix working twice in that time. Previously I would need to do this every week or twice a week.

So it looks like the software update has made an improvement. Is there a second issue or is the fix not 100% effective? I don’t know. The issue is now at a level where it is bearable so I am going to drop it. The chance of getting a complete fix seems slender and I would probably have to spend too much time on it so my judgement is that it isn’t worth the trouble.

In summary, this experience leaves me thinking that as the technology in consumer goods and services gets more sophisticated and interconnected problems will become more common where it is unclear if it is hardware, software or human error (or some combination) that is to blame. Aside from making accurate diagnosis harder this trend will leave the consumer with two big headaches: one will be vendors playing the blame game rather than investing in solutions and the other is households where devices don’t work properly, or at all, because the owners lack the knowledge or tenacity to insist on a cure.

Bill Gates once remarked that he wanted to make computers as easy to use as washing machines. Instead we have made washing machines as complex as computers.

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I have a new Samsung TV purchased April this year (2020). My problem is that when watching SBS On Demand (through the app) the show/program runs perfectly but as soon as the ads start I experience major freezes - every 10 secs the ad freezes for about 10 secs so that each ad lasts for twice as long (so ads programmed to last 4 mins last for 8 mins). I have contacted SBS On Demand who first suggested uninstall and reinstall of the app. No change to the problem. Back to SBS…now they appear to be suggesting it is a Samsung problem
“We are working on the Samsung issues as a high priority. Given the current circumstances, which have not only drastically changed our testing environments, but also placed increased pressure on our servers, we can’t at this stage confirm exactly when a complete fix will be issued.”
Is this a cop out? Has anyone else had this problem? Apart from not watching SBS, an option but not entirely satisfactory, what can I do?

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Welcome to the community @jst012

Probably not. ‘Smart TVs’ are known to have many bugs in their apps, and some manufacturers are far more attentive than others. Have you tried watching the shows on a PC or tablet through either an app or browser? If not that is step 1 to determine who the problem lies with.

Search the community for ‘samsung smart tv’ and you will find other problems, one being with netflix.

'Smart TV’s become quite ordinary after a few years once the manufacturers stop updating their software and sometimes even before as their apps leave much to be desired regarding reliable operation.

People have given up on their 'smart TV’s and have notebook PCs, phones, or pads attached or cast to their big screens.

Should one have to? No. Do customers have to? Often :frowning:

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If possible plugging the laptop into the TV or casting from Tablet or Laptop may allow big screen viewing, if the TV has built in Chromecast they may be able to circumvent the SBS on Demand App. It may also be worthwhile deleting the offending App and reinstalling to see if that fixes the problem.

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As TheBBG posted above, I’m one of those using an old Sony Vaio for SBS OnDemand and ABC iView, on an over 10yo Samsung “smart TV”.
I see no ads on SBS, there is just a slight pause at the dot on the progress bar, where the ads normally are.
The Samsung aps are truly a PITA for both SBS OnDemand and ABC iView, although it’s hard to know how much of the problem is due to the apps and how much is due to nbn satellite. Recovering after the continual streaming stops is a lot simpler on the computer than via the app. However, sometimes it is just easier to give up when the restarts are every few minutes, and watch as a catch-up later on, which is what we generally have to do.

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Sounds like like a buffering issue. Samsung has a trouble shooting page about buffering with may be worth reading…

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Thanks but not sure this is the issue. The buffering only occurs on ads, never with the program. If it were a buffering issue I believe it would be the other way around. Any forums I have come across seem to support this, I haven’t encountered any people with my problem

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