Besides old Roku players and some Vizio TVs, Netflix will also be ending support for pre-2012 Sony TVs and some Samsung TVs as well as many Blu-ray players.

Ending support for old devices
We have already reported on Netflix's plans to end support for pre-2012 Roku devices and some Vizio TVs. After contacting other manufacturers, it has become clear that this is a much bigger event. Netflix will also be ending support for many Blu-ray players, old streaming players, old Smart TVs from multiple brands, and old Home Theatre systems.

It is easy to determine if Netflix will end support for your device after December 1, 2019. If you are seeing this message in the Netflix app, you need a new device. If not, you should be good.

- "Due to technical limitations, Netflix will no longer be available on this device after December 1st, 2019," the message says.

Sony confirms to FlatpanelsHD that it will affect 2011, 2010, and 2009 TV models as well as many Home Theater, AV, and Blu-ray players. Samsung says that it will affect "some older Samsung smart TVs". Toshiba says that it will affect many Blu-ray players sold in the US and Canada. That is in addition to 2008-2011 Roku players and older Vizio TVs.

It appears to be part of a streamlining exercise. In October 2019, Netflix also began requiring iOS devices to run version 12.0 or later and Android devices to run version 8.0 or later.



Will not affect many Europeans
Netflix explains that this is "due to technical limitations" in the older devices. The change will not affect many Europeans. That is because Netflix has never supported these devices in Europe. When the service began expanding to Europe in 2012 and later, it only provided official support for more recent TVs and players.

However, some devices in Europe may still lose access. For example, Philips has informed FlatpanelsHD that it may affect some of its Blu-ray players (but not its TVs).

Old game consoles such as PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 will continue to be supported. Nintendo Wii lost access to Netflix in early 2019 but for a different reason.

Why is Netflix phasing out support for many older devices just as Apple, Disney and others are preparing to enter the field? We can only speculate. It may signal a new user interface or features from Netflix in the near future. Or it may just be some house cleaning.

- Source: Netflix, Sony, Samsung, Philips, Toshiba, Roku