topic Re: Bravia virus ? in Android TV

Bravia virus ?

f6dqm1 — Mon, 13 May 2024 07:05:54 GMT

Hello. There's something weird about my TV Bravia KD32W800. On one TV channel, always the same channel, there is a transparent panel that is superimposed on the image. This panel contains the text : "Welcome to nginx! blablabla". There are a lot of posts on Internet about this nag. They most apply to PCs and smartphones but not for Android TVs. I would like to know how to get rid of this panel. Is this a virus ? When I restart the TV, the panel disappears for a while but always re-appears after some delay. The only way to clear it is to stop the Wifi connection to my Internet router. But this is not the solution I would like.

The TV channel which is concerned is received from a local TV emitter, from outside, not from internet. I have tried to clear the datas of the maximum applications which are installed in this TV but no way !

It is a virus, which sort of antivirus can I install and run ?

If it comes from a particular application, which one is it ?

Thanks for answers.

Re: Bravia virus ?

royabrown2 — Mon, 13 May 2024 07:21:46 GMT

@f6dqm1

Which Freeview channel is affected, number and name?

Re: Bravia virus ?

f6dqm1 — Mon, 13 May 2024 07:27:32 GMT

It is a free french digital TV channel named "L'Equipe" (sports channel). You can find it live on Internet but I don't use internet to watch it. I watch it from the external TV antenna.

Re: Bravia virus ?

royabrown2 — Mon, 13 May 2024 07:43:27 GMT

@f6dqm1

That’s the name, fine, but what channel number does it come up on?

And then what happens if you temporarily turn off the WiFi or Ethernet connection on the TV?

The likelihood is that the channel is transmitting the signal from a system on which nginx is incompletely setup, rather than you having a virus on the TV, which if you did, I would expect to affect every channel, not just this single one.

Re: Bravia virus ?

f6dqm1 — Mon, 13 May 2024 07:55:20 GMT

Well, on all french Internet providers, the channel is 21 (Orange, SFR, Bouygues etc). Also same number on the free air DTV. Now if you are looking for this channel on other streaming platforms such as Netflix, I can't tell.

Re: Bravia virus ?

royabrown2 — Mon, 13 May 2024 08:01:15 GMT

@f6dqm1

You are showing a UK flag. Are you in the UK, or in France? This is a UK Community.

When you are watching this channel, if you disconnect the aerial from the TV, does the signal stop?

Re: Bravia virus ?

f6dqm1 — Mon, 13 May 2024 08:08:26 GMT

I am in France. You know, in Jersey and Guernesey, lot of english people watch to the french TV channels !

I did not try to disconnect the TV antenna. I will try it. But what will this teach us ?

Re: Bravia virus ?

royabrown2 — Mon, 13 May 2024 11:49:17 GMT

@f6dqm1

That if the signal stops and the screen goes completely blank, then you have definitely been watching a TV over the air channel on which this nginx message has been superimposed by the broadcaster.

And you should contact them to query it.

But if the sports picture ceases, but still leaves the nginx message showing, then this is something your TV is doing, for whatever reason.

Re: Bravia virus ?

f6dqm1 — Mon, 13 May 2024 17:35:07 GMT

I did the test : When I disconnect the TV antenna, the TV image disappears and the superimposed image is still here.

If I switch to another channel with TV antenna still disconnected, the superimposed disappears and I get the expected warning saying that no signal is present, check your antenna cable etc.

If I reconnect the antenna, the image comes back and when switching to the channel L'EQUIPE (21) the superimposed image comes back again over the TV image. Only on this channel.

So this nginx message image does not come from the emitter but is generated by some application inside the TV and comes from Internet. But this was my initial idea because when I switch off the Wifi connection, the nginx message disappears.

I would like to know which application generates this message ONLY on this channel !

I have this sort of message on the ARTE channel (franco-german TV channel) but no so annoying : When switching to the ARTE channel, I get a small image asking me to install the ARTE application by clicking the red button. But it lasts a few seconds and disappears. If I disconnect Internet, the image does not appear.

There is in this Bravia TV set an app which surveys what I am watching and which generates notifications according to the channel I am watching.

Re: Bravia virus ?

royabrown2 — Mon, 13 May 2024 20:12:22 GMT

@f6dqm1

I’m running out of ideas, but this is an excellent job of qualifying the problem.

As a last gasp (!) can you try deleting that app (having first checked that you can get it back later from the Android TV Store), and seeing if that clears the problem? As it seems more than possible that this app, or one operating in this way, could be what is doing this?

Re: Bravia virus ?

f6dqm1 — Tue, 14 May 2024 07:04:15 GMT

The problem is know which app generates these notifications !

When opening the menu Applications, most of them cannot be uninstalled. I can just clear their datas (cache or history maybe). I have done this but it does not solve the problem.

There was also 2 apps that I had installed (browsers). I uninstalled them without any result.

Maybe this app is not an app but is included directly in the Sony software. In this case, I can just conclude that the Sony software is a real SPYWARE that can monitor my TV and Internet habits and distribute them for any purpose !

I would then recommend any user of this Bravia TV to never connect it to Internet ...

By the way, I have done another test : My TV set is also connected to a satellite receiver through an HDMI input. From this satellite receiver (ASTRA satellite), I receive also the digital french TV channels. When watching the channels L'EQUIPE and ARTE, I have no notifications. I have looked on the hundreds other TV channels that are retransmitted by this satellite. Never I have seen any notification on any channel.

A priori this may mean that the Sony software spies only the DTV/ATV inputs but not the HDMI inputs, or that it is unable to detect the names of the TV channels that are decrypted from the satellite receiver ?

Re: Bravia virus ?

royabrown2 — Tue, 14 May 2024 07:47:22 GMT

@f6dqm1

Yes, I expect that Sony is monitoring your viewing habits. But not for any purpose; just for the purposes set out in the Sony Terns and Conditions that you had to agree to when first setting up the TV, for it to work.

If you don’t like those, then as you say, turn off the internet on the Sony TV, or buy one of a different make with T&Cs that are more to your liking. If you can find one.

Your options now, perhaps, are to ask your friends or neighbours if they can reproduce this issue; does it happen on any smart TV, or just Sony TVs, or perhaps just your TV?

And I would certainly ask the broadcaster if they have come across this issue, or had it reported, and they may have some insights into it.

Re: Bravia virus ?

Anonymous — Thu, 23 May 2024 15:36:18 GMT

Hey @f6dqm1, can show us the issue in picture, you can try to reset the TV to the default settings and if it disappears.