Firmware 1.56 for 2010 BDPs has been released

[Toengel]

Hi,

Firmware 1.56 was released for 2010 BDPs (such as 7500S2/B2, 8000, 9600). However, at the moment no Download is working...

We also are waiting for release notes...

Toengel@Alex

[Toengel]

Hi,

download are available now...

BDP9600 System Software Version: 1.56

Fixes the following issues:
o Volume setting for multi-channel analog audio output does not work (via Setup > Speaker Setup menu).
o Audio distortion issue found on the certain audio CD’s when played back with Neo6 mode.
o Not able to format 8GB SD cards for the Video-on-Demand feature.
o Stuttering video on certain AVCHD discs.
o Playback of Avatar 3D in 2D mode.

Toengel@Alex

[christopher]

Thx for your information.

[jvpeters]

tried yet? share your exp with us if you can tell the difference. and better save a copy of the old firmware in case downgrade is needed

[Andreas]

I can now safely say that unless I can downgrade from 1.56 to 1.53 or Philips releases a new version I will return my BDP8000 to the store.

Running the new 1.56 firmware it randomly looses network settings for NetTV, which makes it say there is no network connection even though there is. Actually, it changes them to something completely different. It does not matter if I have the router assign the unit a given IP address, it still takes another IP in a different range. Changingback and restart does not help as the settings I enter manually are not saved after a restart.

Most of the time it can still play files from a NAS/networked computer. Using a USB HDD for movies makes stop/pause/ff/rw work only when they feel like. If I start to play a move from a USB unit and let it play for more than 15-20 minutes the only way to safely stop it is by turning the BDP off. Stop, return or Home do not work all the time.

Perhaps the Avatar extended version plays better, but since so much else became worse, I really miss the old firmware.

[Paulo Roberto Elias]

Excuse me, but these issues are not firmware related. What seems to trouble Philips machines is the lack of proper hardware quality control.

My BDP8000 had just been newly installed when I inserted a DVD, the disc went in but did not play. I had to remove it and try again. Why did this happen I still don't know. On later occasions, the DVD playing stalled as described by me in another thread. No explanation either.

Unless other users share the same issues, the manufacturer may not ascertain what exactly is going on with their players. Given that microprocessors are software driven, and assuming that a competent team of programmers are able to test the player under different situations, any new firmware release is expected to improve the player's performance. And in the case of BD-V it has been proven conclusively that new firmware is needed to play certain discs, for any given player or manufacturer!

All we users can do is to make efforts to avoid installation issues. Many years ago, I convinced myself that a power conditioner was mandatory for my A/V receiver. A friend of mine advised me about the power supplies of some receivers. Mine was losing audio momentarily, but after the power conditioner installed its behaviour has been flawless.

Even if the BDP8000 has an unstable power supply (which I doubt) under this power conditioner it should work as intended, i.e. no disc freezing could arise as a result of an unstable or dirty power line.

Local area networks based on wireless settings are also a big source for trouble. I understand from your posting that you are fully aware of wireless limitations and savvy about network protocols, but consider this:

In my installation I use a wide range N router, capable of yielding 300 Mbps with a competent receiver. Both the BDP8000 and my Samsung TV sets are N compatible. However, when I turn my PC and both machines on, my PC can send high definition video clips to the TV via Windows Explorer or Windows Media Player, but not to the 8000. In addition, if I ask the latter to play an HD clip from the PC it will not perform adequately, i.e., it will stutter and play with intermittent sound. Yet, my 8000 connection to the wireless network is rather stable and NetTV works fine most of the time.

In the not so distant past, I realized that wireless networking is incredibly critical. When everything seems to be fine, other components may fail. In my installation there are times when the TV will not connect to the Internet, but the 8000 will. NetTV and similar facilities are all dependent on a server that may screw your networking despite your favourable LAN conditions.

Personally, I don't believe that a new firmware version will spoil your network settings. Wireless networking may not be stable when either there is bad signal transmission or limited range or when the driver associated with the receiver has bugs. Apparently, this does not seem to be the case for the BDP8000, and quite frankly if I were in your place I would not hesitate to carry on with the firmware update.

Just my .02.

[Andreas]

Thanks for your thoughts.

I did use a wired network, beeing fully aware of WLAN limitations. And no, I do not agree with you when you say a thing like loosing settings may not be firmware related. Generally speaking, it is something that may well occour with a new firmware. Just go through some revision lists for any given product and you will find that lost settings is something that is a common problem. Having just one means I cannot say if it was a FW problem or a problem isolated to my unit.

While I have a new unit now, I have not upgraded it to 1.56 as I would either await more user input on 1.56 on the BDP8000 or the next firmware.

[Paulo Roberto Elias]

Well, Andreas, fair enough!

Once going through your experience it is understandable the hesitancy to update your player.

On the other hand, if this is not hardware related to your first unit, I would be surprised. I find it difficult for programmers to introduce network errors in a new firmware version when these errors were not present in the previous releases.

So far, I have done two consecutive firmware updates with my player, from version 1.48 to 1.53, and now to 1.56, none of them altered my network settings or performance.

F.Y.I.: I use a Dlink model DIR-655 wireless router for LAN, and a 15 Mbps ADSL account.

[kvic]

Most of the time it can still play files from a NAS/networked computer. Using a USB HDD for movies makes stop/pause/ff/rw work only when they feel like. If I start to play a move from a USB unit and let it play for more than 15-20 minutes the only way to safely stop it is by turning the BDP off. Stop, return or Home do not work all the time.

I cannot agree more on this observation. I experienced the same! Though with EasyLink on BDP 9600 turned off (my TV is Samsung with Anynet+ HDMI-CEC), I saw this happen less frequently. But I still got it quite often. As a detail minded person, I tried to observe what kind of key combination/scenario will make this problem to occur for sure. But nothing concrete yet.

My guess is that in version 1.56, the process thread of playing back the video/audio completely starves the other thread that take care of regular playback buttons such as stop/fast forward/fast rewind/pop up menu/etc. But it seems that the process thread that handles Standby and Stop (keeping pressed for 2 sec or more to eject disc) buttons still function. Seems this process thread has superior prority that only able to preempt the video/audio playback.

Philips, could you please look into the issue and fix in the next release please? It's very annoying.

thanks