Gregory's ServerThis is the ultimate. My TV is no longer supported by Netflix. They actually expect me to buy a new TV to see their crummy service! Canceling today.
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Emmanuel Goldstein
85 comments
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@RichSPK @goldstein honestly not sure why anyone would ever buy a TV these days instead of just a big computer monitor
Third spruce tree on the left
@RichSPK @goldstein Netflix engineering doles out support to device manufacturers on a % new user conversion basis. If a product line introduced isn't contributing more than its maintenance/support/engineering costs in new subscriber conversion or monthly subscription $fee then support for it gets dropped. Only you and a few thousand others are rocking that 10+ yr <family> of <brand> TVs. To maintain support: $x. Your $subs? $y. $x > $y == "This device is no longer supported" 1/
Third spruce tree on the left
@RichSPK @goldstein When I worked for a certain Canadian fruit tech company we were working on a set top device. That's right = Blackberry TV. *And it was amazing*. Why did it get killed? No Netflix. Why no Netflix? We had it (Netflix) working. We were dropped by Netflix because we weren't forecast to sell enough units *to make it worth their time*. (we were doing all the porting work btw). And you can't bring a set top media device to market without Netflix.. its suicide. RIP cyclone. :/ 2/2
Third spruce tree on the left
@preston_scheuneman @RichSPK @goldstein I miss it too. I joined shortly after the events of the movie, you could say at the end of the gold salad days. But in the short few years I was there, it was fun. Except for continued dumb ass decisions by management.
Third spruce tree on the left
@preston_scheuneman @RichSPK @goldstein My daily drive is still a KEY2. Stuck on Oatmeal Cookie 8.1 but it still works great. Killer hardware, still runs everything I need it to. Maybe not lightning fast, but works. solid.
Tom Stoneham
@tezoatlipoca @RichSPK @goldstein
Ted Garrison
@tomstoneham @tezoatlipoca @RichSPK @goldstein 
mathew
@RichSPK @goldstein Netflix builds the apps. I know someone who worked for them. They prioritize updates based on platform; for example, they don't really like having to make an app for AppleTV, and it tends to lag behind the Android TV app in functionality. (Which for me is good, because they didn't implement the "play promo video whenever you move the selection to a new choice" thing.) 
Alice Dubiel 🔬💉🦠😷🌬
@goldstein try using a tablet to get the stream and WiFi or hdmi it to your tv. I have had a Sony tv >12 years and this setup works fine. #reuse #avoidelectronictrash #creativetelecom
Twisted sweetened tea
@goldstein Isn't that message telling you your Netflix device is no longer supported? 
Blake Leonard
@tala @goldstein They're using an old smart TV, pre Google/Apple/Fire TV. Yes, the device is no longer supported, which means they'd have to buy a new TV or an external dongle to continue watching Netflix.
Heartfelt
@goldstein That seems odd. I haven’t seen that message and my tv is over 20 years old. Could it be your router?
Heartfelt
@goldstein Chalk it up to the wonders of Comcast’s technology. I wondered if I had to have a new tv. The technician who came to install my Comcast connection after my move explained that the tv set was not really a tv, but rather just a monitor that was linked to the cloud through the router. The new remote control was one of those you speak into and he linked that to my various accounts and all I had to do was tell it what I wanted. So far so good.
Joël de Bruijn
@EWestrick @goldstein
Do you watch Netflix on your TV via Chromecast for example? I do the same instead of relying on the smartness of my TV having an up to date app.
🇬🇧British Lunya🇬🇧 :trans_verify: :lesbian_verify:
@goldstein@mstdn.social not saying that this is ok, but you could also just get an android tv box and use that instead of getting a new tv 
commonst
@goldstein we used old laptops and a dumb TV for many years. This year we upgraded to a Raspberry Pi and a newer dumb tv. We stream via browser. Works fine for any streaming service we have tried. We only upgrade the hardware when it dies. I am not sure how much longer we can keep it up, but as long as we can manage it we will. 
JimmyChezPants
Our kid got into Apple devices a few years ago, and my wife has an iphone, and at some point out of a ridiculous urge to shoot self in foot I bought an Apple TV. Anyways the kid had a family-level apple account so we had Apple TV for a while. On the Apple devices, we could search AppleTV. Yah.
Jeremy Jupiter Jones
I have a 13 year old HD Samsung Smart TV which still runs like a dream but is too old to run anything other than HDMI cables to both my Apple TV and Kids' X-BOX. All the apps we need are on either or both devices. You do not have to subscribe the Apple TV's streaming platform it's just a good device for streaming TV, movies, etc. You can even stream from your phone to apple TV.
MrMozz
@goldstein Netflix has the same issue on non-Android-TV Chromecasts. Theoretically it works fine but Netflix just refuses to support it any longer. 
stilescrisis
@MrMozz @goldstein They might lack the ability to test it anymore. Not a Netflix employee, but work on a product that supports lots of old devices, and at some point you just don't have any more 10 year old gadgets that work well enough to keep them in the CI tests. Old devices start to lock up or just don't turn on after a power outage. 
gz
@goldstein
Cam St.Clair 🇦🇺
@godzero @goldstein I looked everywhere for a dumb tv last time around and it didn't make financial sense. In the end I did the same as you by the sounds of things, just bought a smart tv, but basically locked it to a streaming dongle and use none of the inbuilt features.
gz
@Saintcam @goldstein
sbszine
@godzero @goldstein LG G3 works perfectly with no internet access as a dumb monitor. Has 4K HDR, etc, and is relatively cheap right now as they are pushing the G4. Just hook an Apple TV up to it and you're good to go.
Longplay Games :pc_color: 🎮
@godzero @goldstein I bought a nice 1080 dumb screen with a reasonable set of inputs and decent color, called it a day. After weighing the options, 4k and HDR weren't worth it to me when 90% of my content is neither.
stilescrisis
@goldstein @dascandy You should be able to get a 1080p steamer like a Chromecast for $30, which is about 45 days' worth of subscription time.
Matthew Hanson
@goldstein IT is very frustrating. Same thing happened to me. If you want to continue the service, you could always get an amazon firestick as a cheaper/easier alternative, but yeah very upsetting the way things are moving. 
Gabriel Pettier
@goldstein 
Winter Trabex
People still use Netflix? But...I prefer a PS4/PS5 for these sorts of things. It has all the streaming apps you need. 
Mark Newton
@goldstein Your TV was never supported by Netflix, it just happened to have a Netflix client which worked for an earlier version of their service and hasn’t been updated since because your TV vendor gate kept its firmware. A $20 HD Chromecast will make you happy and also add life to an obsolete not-so-smart TV. 
Janis (she/her)
@goldstein I'm using an old Chromecast. The new ones are about $27. Given the complexity of running newer software on older hardware, and the systems that connect them, what we really need is greater transparency around why we need to make changes. Netflix has the decision documentation in-house, there's really no reason for them not to spit-polish it and post it.
Morax
@goldstein Get a Apple TV, Roku, Chrome Cast, setup a plex server and you're off crappy "smart tvs" and their horrible experience  
Peter Mount
@stux @goldstein I stopped using the apps on the TVs, and recently been using just web access. Going to move stay from TVs when they fail & just got to monitor's, get better quality with them anyhow & not getting the "please wait whilst we update" when turning it on to watch something
josh
@goldstein@mstdn.social I feel like that sticker ought to be on my forehead: "This device is no longer supported."
steve mookie kong
@goldstein @stux I never use my smart TVs as smart TVs. I have Apple TVs hooked up and they work great. 
Lauren Weinstein
@goldstein Out of curiosity, how old is that TV? As much as I dislike Netflix, at some point security upgrades can force obsolescence, and a $20 dongle will usually serve just as well, if not better. 
Joe
@lauren @goldstein We use an older Chromecast device with a dumb TV. If your allegedly smart TV has an HDMI input you could go that route, and it is cheap.
Lauren Weinstein
@not2b @goldstein Yeah, I think I saw Chromecast with Google TV HDTV version (which is my primary streaming device), for only $20 a few days ago. There are even cheaper alternatives. Sidenote: I use my old Logitech Revue keyboard as my primary remote!
SuperSluether
@goldstein my parents got the same message on theirs. Thankfully the Plex app still works on it. 
David W. Jones
@goldstein 
Baloo Uriza
@goldstein Blowing my mind since I didn't see Star Trek TNG, DS9 or Voyager in color until *after* the ATSC transition.
Ralf Lenz, BOFH Emeritus 🏴☠️
@goldstein why not just buy a NUC or something and run it that way? Then you'd have the added benefit of having an actual computer connected to your TV. 
Alan Miller :verified_paw:
@goldstein if the TV is that old it's 1080p at most, so any streaming stick or device should work. If you're on iPhone and iPad consider Apple TV, device agnostic Roku, Amazon might still have their version, Google has Chromecast. If you have a Plex or Jellyfin server of your own check on which options have the best support, otherwise just about anything should work.
EarthOne
@goldstein We had this happen with a streaming service before. Smart TVs get into stand-offs with the program apps, no doubt money is involved. We just canceled and haven't picked it back up again. We pay a fortune for cable services now. But for hub's sports addiction, I'd cut it all off but the Internet. 
C.S.Strowbridge
Netflix is no longer releases viewership numbers, so I think they are on a fast race to bankruptcy.
nicholas_saunders
@csstrowbridge @goldstein if nothing else, thanks for the hashtag! Nah, the name alone is worth a ton. Netflix isn't going anywhere. 
Joel VanderWerf
@nicholas_saunders @csstrowbridge @goldstein Or, maybe, they are the Blockbuster of Circuit Cities.
C.S.Strowbridge
@joelvanderwerf @nicholas_saunders @goldstein Bed Bath and Beyond went bankrupt, but Overstock bought the name. That could happen here. The company is gone, but the name lives on.   
Ticktok
@goldstein This is why I want a dumb TV. A TV should ONLY be a display, maaaaaaybe also a speaker, and nothing else. Any smarts need to be in an attached device that can be replaced/upgraded if out dated. 
realcaseyrollins
@goldstein @goldstein
You don't have a streaming stick or something? Using your TV's built-in OS is always a bad idea due to limited software support.
dogzilla
@goldstein @nicholas_saunders I urge you to *never* use any of the onboard services of a “smart” tv. I’ve worked in companies that buy user data for targeting, and I can tell you a smart tv is little more than a really invasive monitoring device. Block its net access
max frühschütz – нет войне
@goldstein happened to my parents as well 2013 samsung tv not supported anymore by netflix (and / or samsung) if they cared more now would have been the time they had to buy a new tv, which is crazy
Steve Loughran
@goldstein Once a Tv has shipped, the manufacturer hasn no interest in keeping its embedded browsersup to date -and it is those which wrap the apps. They’d rather you bought a whole new TV.
BlueTeamSherpa :verified:
@goldstein I’m not telling you if you should subscribe to Netflix or not. That’s not my business. Very easy technical fixes to get a Roku. And additional advantage of the Roku is that your smart TV has a harder time spying on you. 
purple 👊✊💨
@Bandersnatch@mastodon.social @goldstein@mstdn.social i just discovered there are are dedicated music players for my jellyfin server. yarhar, life aint bad.  
Ari [APz] Sovijärvi
@goldstein This is why I have always detested the idea of smart TVs. Technology moves forward so fast that their often already obsolete at launch software just becomes unsupported long before the device itself dies. I've never personally bothered with the build-in features and used an external streaming device from the start. The GUI is often more tolerable that way too. My LG TV at least has a horrible, laggy interface that just got worse after updates they forced on it. 
:blobcatlaptop: gravitos :blobcatcomfsip:
@goldstein well, this turned from funny to just hilarious |
@goldstein Does Netflix deserve the blame or the TV manufacturer for not updating their Netflix app? Not that I have a dog in the fight; I haven't had Netflix for many years.