Sony releases firmware update to disable TVs via HDMI CEC

Sony has released new firmware to fix an HDMI CEC issue for a large number of televisions released from 2016 to 2019. The bug prevented users from turning off their television from external devices.

It concerns firmware update v6.7165 for, among others, the A1, AF8 and AG8 OLED TVs from Sony. The list also includes Sony’s 2016 LCD top model, the ZD9, in addition to the 2017 XE90 and the 2018 XF90. came out in the second half of 2016 or in 2017, 2018, or 2019. The bug started late last year when these televisions got an update to Android 9.

According to the manufacturer, the firmware solves the problem that the television does not turn off when a device connected via HDMI is switched off via Bravia Sync. Bravia Sync is Sony’s implementation of HDMI CEC, part of the HDMI standard.

HDMI CEC causes problems more often, because the different manufacturers have often implemented their own implementation. As a result, there are often combinations of devices where the management functions such as switching on and off or increasing the volume via a single remote control do not work properly.

Sony ZD9