[Philips, Sony, TCL Android TV] jFalner:
January 16 update—here we go again…

Same situation here on my X700D, but some observations:

I actually was still able to access my USB flash drive with my Lonely Cat Games X-plore file manager. I use it quite frequently to update STRM files for Kodi with new video sources, and the last time addition of a local weather radar loop was just last week.

But your observations explain my new issues with sideloading. Although not specifically approved for Android TV, Mozilla Firefox for Android works beautifully on my Sony. At least for a couple of months, and then it begins crashing at startup and requires a reinstall to fix. My last round of this was earlier this month, and I found myself unable to install the APK with X-plore, getting that "application not installed" error I dread. I did finally install Firefox for Fire TV, but that thing is a lame, stripped-down joke.

Today, both Kodi and X-plore itself began crashing, throwing up the "keeps closing" error. What's notable here is that these are both from Google Play, not sideloaded. Firefox for Fire TV still works, and I'm praying my FTP server still is working. If not, I've been effectively shut out of sideloading, since Firefox for Fire TV can't do downloads and X-plore is how I move APK files to the television and install them. Damn, damn, damn…

Haven't experienced this myself. Please don't let me insult your intelligence, but you are aware that perceived volume of different media varies wildly? YouTube videos are notorious for this, as novices don't know how to properly set sound levels. (Off-topic to discuss here, but do some reading about RMS and perceived volume and you'll see what I mean.)

As of last night, when I transferred a video from computer to television to watch, this still worked for me. (My favorite, a package called lutey.ftpserver, is sadly no longer available on Google Play. Very bare-bones, but it is small and fast, and has always served me nicely.)

I agree wholeheartedly.

Agree again. Photographers deserve their credit, so cool with that. But I find it ironic to see that Chromecast message on every image when you can't even install Google Chrome on the television without extraordinary measures.

Mine seem pretty straightforward—can you clarify your issue here? Would like to see some reordering, as I keep a video router attached on component and would like to see that towards the top.

Sony will never go for that. They make money off those referrals, as well as the recommendations (which have been "The Handmaiden's Tale" and "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" for ages).

I've been a Sony fan myself, over many years and many products. I've had a Sony portable stereo take a five-foot drop onto a concrete floor and survive with only cosmetic injury. Can't even begin to count the Sony cassette tapes/floppy disks/CD's/DVR's I've gone through over the ages, and probably have only encountered three or four bad ones in my life. Still use the Sony version of Sound Forge for audio editing almost daily. I love my Bravia—it was the fourth television I went through over a couple of months, and has been with me for nearly three years now. But Sony has got to get it together with the software, or the small base of Sony TV enthusiasts is going to REMAIN tiny.

Here's a challenge for all—take a few minutes out of your busy schedule to e-mail Cheryl Goodman, the head of Corporate Communications for Sony. Her e-mail address is selpr@sony.com. Politely express your frustration with Sony's ongoing failures with their consumer televisions, and detail your issues at length. We might be a small base of dedicated Sony customers, but you'd be amazed at how even a few voices can wake up a corporation. And if you like, barrage them on social media as well—that's what it's there for. It has worked for the Playstation crowd, and I bet a bit of respectful shouting would work wonders for us as well. :)