I recently bought a Samsung BD-F8500 as a 'smart' player for a 'dumb' TV and perhaps ignorantly thought the TVNZ On Demand app would be available for the 2013 model.
The Samsung website says the app is available for the 2011 and 2012 models but I can't find it on my 2013 model's Smart Hub App store.
The TVNZ Ondemand app is available on a selection of 2013 BluRay players.
However, that particular model (BD-F8500) is not available to us when we select which devices to deploy the app to in the Samsung admin interface.
We will contact Samsung to try and find out why."
So, that's weird. It seems Samsung are blocking the TVNZ On Demand devs from deploying their app to the device's profile. I wonder if it's because it is a Freeview box as well as a Blu Ray player?
For those of you who are reading (anyone ;) ) Samsung are apparently going to be releasing a firmware update for all 2013 models which should fix this (and other?) issues early next week.
trig42: Good luck. I find the TVNZ OnDemand App in my (2013) Samsung TV really handy - especially when I get told off for not recording Mr Selfridge :/
Yeah, still no TVNZ On Demand app :( I'm wanting it for pretty much the same reason ;)
Any other thoughts on this machine given you've had it a while now. I'm trying to decide between this machine and a Panasonic. The Samsung seems to have better features but also quite a few complaints about usability and reliability.
It's relatively fast ui and recent firmware updates have made it perfectly fine for us. It's by no means amazing but as an all in one box it is certainly a very good option.
The Panasonic is what you buy for reliability, the Samsung is the unit to buy for the 'smarts'. It's not as smart as a tablet / PC though, so whatever suits I suppose.
As an update for those weighing up between the Samsung and the Panasonic Bluray/DVRs I initially bought the Samsung BD-F8500 but took it back because:
The UI was very slow and poorly designed.
The live rewind was an absurd design where you had to tell the machine you might want to use live rewind every time you sat down to watch TV or else it wouldn't work.
It didn't have a series record function (this seems so bizarre maybe I missed something however there was nothing in the manual about series record either)
The TVNZ on Demand and TV3 Now apps were good to have but once again they were very slow and the fast forward and rewind functions did not work for me on either of these apps.
I exchanged for the Panasonic DMR-PWT530 and am much happier with this machine - albeit $150 poorer.
As a note to other cable cutters who are considering dumping SKY - you can't really beat that MySky HDI box as a PVR. The Sky machine is an awesome piece of kit and way better than the Panasonic from a usability perspective. Just one thing to consider!
Although you can series record with the Samsung. You use the coloured buttons on the remote when in the guide. I think it's green, but it does say on screen which colour does what.
I never found the gui to be that slow but it's not quick either.
I just wish sky took a cue from igloo in regards to their gui... Or anyone else for that matter. The sky guide is the least pretty thing I've used after teletext...
I have a lower spec Samsung BD player with "smart' hub (BD-E5500). I have been extremely disappointed with it.
Certain default apps are not removable - you tube, facebook, twitter and others. Between this, the firmware and the TVNZ OD app, 95% of available memory is used.
These apps are not very good - for example the you-tube app is hard to search in (principally due to lack of a keyboard) and when playing has lower quality than viewing from you-tube website over a laptop running via the same router (BD wired to router vs laptop on wifi).
It's slow as.
It often freezes
At start up it tries to update the firmware, but says it can't because the internet is not connected. It is: I can access TVNZ OD and play videos.
I can't get the TV3 Now app on my device. When I contacted Samsung, they said that was the network's choice, not theirs. Either way it's BS. Am I going to do get another BD player just so I can have the TV3/4 OD app? I think not.
Video playback via the smart hub is shabby - much better picture quality using Surface Pro to TV HDMI and accessing on-demand content via TV network websites. Also better performance using my Galaxy 4 to TV HDMI
FF during video playback e.g. of TVNZ on demand is just odd. Each press of the button forwards about 30 seconds. If you get to an ad-break while FF'ing it just crashes, and you have to restart smart hub to resolve.
BD playback gets into all sort of difficulties with series link function. If you stop while playing a set of discs with series link (e.g. GOT 3), when you press pay again it gets locked up, seemingly trying to reach the same place in the disc. Unplugging the device is the only way to stop this.
Music playback through this device is poor quality - tinny, whispy sound lacking nay real bass richness.
Samsung, based on their reply to my email, couldn't care less about these problems I am experiencing.
Would I buy another one? Hell no!
Could work better with: -
A more powerful processor
More on board memory
A keyboard ( I am told some of the Logitech wireless keyboard will work straight out of the box)
Freedom to choose any Samsung app.
A full browser
A manufacturer that cares about after sales service.
Of all the above I think #4 is biggy. This approach of Samsung's that certain apps are only available to certain devices is preposterous, and a rather transparent attempt to get users to upgrade their hardware frequently. I've never encountered such a device selective approach in windows, apple or google app stores other than with Samsung apps.
Maybe the up spec units perform better. I'd still be concerned about them stopping working over time.
Mike
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