BH200 firmware watch... - Page 3

I'm liking the BH200 more and more, but find myself using the PS3 for DVDs because it remembers your place on every DVD you put in it, doesn't require me to change my TV to 480p for 4X3 DVDs and plays them all without issue. BH200 still wins on my Region 2 PAL DVDs though. PS3 will never play those.

I've been very happy with my BH200 for HD DVD and Blu-ray with no audio drops yet, but will use my PS3 for any BD discs with DTS-HD MA. I'm not missing out on lossless audio after waiting so long for the PS3 to add MA decoding.

Okay on the verge of death/slowly dying .


I doubt it. Most people don't give a monkeys (care) about Profile 2.0 features, it's very much a techie thing.


Minor or not it's still too high, given how many people are interested in it. Look at this way, it would be here by now if it was coming .


Surely, you're not for real?

Yes a select few "possibly" still will, from the likes of Pioneer and Denon but ALL players. No way!

p.s - I'd still prefer they spent their time fixing the bugs the BH200 has instead of possibly adding new ones by adding Profile 2.0 .

Didn't the BH200 ship just 6-7 months ago? The PS3 shipped years ago, and it just went Profile 2 in March. Using your reasoning, it should've been Profile 2 in early '07!

I would assume Sony had the inside track on Profile 2.0 code requirements, and everything trickled out to the CEs from there. If we don't see 2.0 in any of these machines (or hear something from the CEs) by the end of the year, I'd say it is probably a no-go, otherwise it is wait and see.

If anyone is assuming just because LG has not updated the BH200 to 2.0 yet that it won't be is likely very mistaken. Even though Sony did update the PS3 many weeks ago, Sony's brand new standalone player model that isn't even available as of right now is shipping without Profile 2.0. It will be added with a firmware update in the next couple of months. The same is true of the most recent Samsung model. The 1500 shipped just a month or so ago as "2.0 Ready" and the firmware update hasn't been released yet either.

I presume you mean early 09?

Not that that has got to do with anything. The PS3 and BH200 Combo are entirely different products, going for different markets. Most people initially (and probably still) buy the PS3 for it's gaming capabilities first and foremost.

The BH200 is a product LG themselves have said they're discontinuing. The two cannot be compared.


Obviously it's possible. It's possible Angelina Jolie will realise Brad isn't for her and shack up with me by the end of the year but it's not very likely is it .


They're still viable market products that haven't been discontinued by the manufacturer.

As I keep saying a Combo is not the same as a BD Player, even if it to play BDs too. Most people simply don't want a Combo Player, even at any price. "Most people" being the crucial part here.

Wait a minute--the PS3 might remember its place on every Blu-Ray when the BH200 doesn't. However, I recall that the BH200 even remembers its place after I eject a SD DVD. I might have to double check that. I concur on the 4x3 stretching. I still have to wonder WTF!

With the latest firmware the PS3 remembers the place on every DVD as long as you exit to the XMB before ejecting the disc. I'm not sure if there is a limit, but so far it seems to remember every disc I have played and stopped somewhere in the disc even if I come back to it many discs later.

This is a great feature for TV sets. I don't have to remember which episode I watched last. I exit to the menu at the beginning of the next show I'm going to watch and it starts there next time I pop in the disc. Since I'm usually watching 3-4 series at a time this is a really useful feature.

Wasn't the stat that 87% use them primarily as movie players or something? Thought I read that recently...

87% said they had watched a Blu-ray movie on their PS3, there wasn't anything about "primarily"...

But I don't think the difference is whether you bought it for movies or gaming, the difference is that Sony is updating the PS3's movie playback capabilities so it can sell more PS3s. LG won't sell one more BH200 no matter what they do (assuming they really are discontinued), so there's less incentive to keep updating it.

The only incentive for LG is based on reputation and customer goodwill, ie they'll update the BH200 in the hope that we'll eventually buy their next BD-only player or recommend that others do. That may or may not be enough to justify the investment depending on how many of us there are out there and, to some extent, how noisy we are.

Since the latest fw for the BH200, I have not used my PS3 for movies; not even once- the BH200 is just too good visually and sonically I really don't care about online connectivity that much so my PS3 is strictly a gaming machine and a CD/SACD player

This is true, yet the player isn't dead. It's still on the market. Retailers are still selling it. Blu Ray has "won" and it's a superb player for that alone. One would think it would not be that difficult to provide an update for something that the player can actually take advantage of.

Actually after the firmware updates the Samsung and the LG are both enjoying word of mouth as decent Blu-Ray players. The Denon, the Panasonic DMP-BD30 and the Funai players have various issues that are becoming well known. IMHO, the LG BH200 is still one of the top standalones on the market. Profile 2.0 and DTS-HD HR/MA internal decoding would make it neck and neck with the Panny DMP-BD50. LG could then sell it for $600 to the DMP-BD50's $700.

Yeah... I'm waiting for future firmware.

I think you both are valid to some degree, but I lean more towards Tspeer's position on this one bradavon.

I think bradavon is right when he says that not ALL players will have combo capability.

Still I think combo players will be fairly commonplace if and when Toshiba stops charging per player licensing fees for CEs to utilize HD DVD in their players. Just look at the current batch of DVD Players; there are many of them out there that can handle both SACD and DVD-Audio. Both of those are dead formats that once charged nice licensing fees, the format failed, the fees are now waived and both formats are regularly added to DVD Players because the cost is minimal and it adds value. I think HD DVD will end up going the same way because CEs love to add extra logos to their devices and marketing material. Assuming the cost to add HD DVD playback is not prohibitive I think getting a full blown Combo Player will be an option from many CEs in just a few years.

Exactly!

And a LG Profile 2.0 BD Player will likely give them a better reputation than updating the LG BH200 anyway.


LG said they're discontinuing it by the end of the year, actually it may have been the third quarter .


Sadly the LG/Samsung issues are also well known.

It's also worth remembering LG and Samsung still haven't released their Combos (except for the LG BH100) world-wide. Samsung are unlikely to now and the BH200 is only available in a few European countries and not The UK. Which is in the top 3 European economies.

This adds weight to the argument that neither have much faith left in their Combo products .

http://forums.highdefdigest.com/show...52#post1070652

This was posted on a subforum (of HD DVD and not in the Dual Combo section) over on HighDefDigest. Thought I would post it here.

Ohhh, this is great news. Might be time to order another BH200 :-)

Which brands?
Oppo & Denon I know, any others?
Thanks.

Pioneer, Onkyo, Arcam, Cambridge Audio and most other high(er) end brands.

Not to be a wet blanket but look what they said:

"to where it will be compatible with Blu-Ray 2.0 discs"

That doesn't mean this will be a profile 2.0 player, just that it will be compatible (read: play) 2.0 disks. I would be thrilled if they do since I own 3 of them, but I am not counting on it.

It's already compatible with 2.0 discs, isn't it? Just like the Samsung player...

Yeah thats how I thought of it as well. So to point out "where it will be compatible with Blu-Ray 2.0 discs" means something else (at least to me).

I only know what I'm posting and have asked for more information (such as how old is it?):

Source (AV Forums UK): http://www.avforums.com/forums/showt...756827&page=15

Yeah that guy said he seen it over on HiDef Forums. Which is where I seen it. So I posted it over here. The guy who posted it said he got that info directly from LG (he got it directly, he wasnt just passing it on).

Cheers BallX.


Neither are compatible with 2.0 discs. The discs will work but the BD-Live features won't, that's not the same as being compatible .

still no updates as of last night. just did a firmware check via network connection and nothing new

hopefully soon

-----------Reply to Customer Inquiry------------
Dear Bradley, Thank you for inquiring of LG Electronics. Your e-mail has been received. Unfortunately at this time we don't have a release day for the new firmware updated for your unit and the profile 2.0 is not ready yet and we don't know when it will be available but can be upgrade. Have you try the latest firmware updated from 022908a? If you have other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us again either via email, or by calling our customer service division at 800-243-0000 at your convenience. Virginia Q. E-mail Administrator Customer Interactive Center LGEAI


-----------Original Customer Inquiry------------
Received Date : 7/16/2008 09:11:56
The type of inquiry : Customer Service
Product/Model No. : DVD&VIDEO&SET TOP/BH200


A couple of Questions: 1. Will the BH200 be updated to Profile 2.0? 2. Any timeline on the next firmware update to fix bitstreaming of Dolby Digital Plus?

There was a firmware update in February? (022908a). It's not on LG's website and surely would be outdated, now the April one is out anyway.

Cheers volleybradt.

There appears to be a new firmware upgrade on the LG site:0620A

I have just noticed it as well.. anyone knows what it updates?

This is all it says:
#.It was improvement of performance;
New firmware will update the DVD audio signal output error.