Samsung Customers Fuming After Learning Netflix Will No Longer Work on Their Older Devices
Fans were furious this week to learn that some older Smart TV devices would no longer support [...]
'Fed Up'
Fed up with #Samsung. I spent
— -.-. .... .-. .. ... -- ..- -- ..-. --- .-. -. (@ChrisMumford99) November 5, 2019
£150 on a special camera to use Skype and after 2 months they stopped that, making camera useless. Now this..Netflix Will No Longer Be Available on Select Samsung TVs. Smart TVs should be able to have all aps. https://t.co/aolWHiytvo via @ComicBook
For some users, this was just the latest in string of indignities. One person on Twitter noted other features they had paid for and then not gotten, such as Samsung's attempt to incorporate video chat on Smart TVs in 2015. Many thought that Samsung should follow through on the apps it promised to support.
prevnextLaziness
First the @samsung tv, now the @sony Blu-ray. Thx all. @netflix pic.twitter.com/NecMwfjRHf
— Steve Maier (@SteveMaier_) November 4, 2019
Some savvy users boiled this news down to a simple factor: laziness. They argued that the folks at Netflix, Samsung or both had simply decided it was not worth it to "write additional code" to keep the Smart TV apps up to date. It is not clear how true this is, as the company's blame the lack of support on "technical limitations," which could be more of a hardware issue.
prevnextSupply and Demand
@Roku time to make money 🙂 https://t.co/TS6QLsvRWQ
— Paul Littlefield (@paullittlefield) November 5, 2019
Some users took an optimistic look at this update, seeing it as an opportunity for other companies to lobby for their money. Rather than buying a new TV altogether, many will likely purchase an external device like a Roku. If those companies can time it right, they could see an influx of new customers.
prevnextTech Support
It was in correspondence with samsung and netflix tech, originally. Netflix pointed to Samsung, Samsung pointed to Netflix. Both were asserting the other had to update firmware. Samsung & Netflix eventually told me they were no longer updating firmware to accommodate my model tv
— Steve Maier (@SteveMaier_) November 5, 2019
While trying to figure out what was going on an what they could do, customers swapped stories of interacting with tech support at Netflix and Samsung. From the sound of it, there was no clear consensus on the root cause of the issue, but either way the decision was set in stone. No amount of customer outrage seemed to sway the companies toward updating Smart TVs.
prevnext'Waste of Money'
If you bought a smart TV and use it for streaming services, you wasted money. What HULU and Netflix are now doing was so predictable. Buy a ROKU device. It'll save you money. https://t.co/LUqf1eXSQD
— Mike Anderson (@m_anderson2015) November 5, 2019
The news that yet more Smart TVs would become normal old screens led many people to one simple conclusion: they just are not worth it. Many figured that this trend would continue, as neither Netflix nor TV manufacturers would put in the time or effort to keep these relatively niche devices up to date. On top of that, if there really are hardware issues here, it would be difficult and impractical for most people to fix them.
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Cynics rolled their eyes at the news, and half-jokingly guessed what would come next: a proprietary streaming service from Samsung itself.
prevnextFull List of Compatible Devices
@NetflixUK @SamsungUK @Samsung Have you got a full list of the smart tv models that will be losing Netflix support? The Netflix website does not have a list I can find!
— Elliott Gardner (@ell234) November 5, 2019
All jokes aside, many users sought out a complete list of Netflix's supported devices, looking to explore their options. Netflix's website actually has a list of these devices categorized by type and manufacturer, but it has not been updated to reflect the changes coming in December. Many users were weary about buying a device that could lose support within a month.
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