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BD-UP5000 BD-Live/2.0 prospects and call to action

post #1 of 42
9/28/08 at 1:45am
Thread Starter 
Since I saw this happening for the BH200, I thought I'd spearhead a campaign of sorts for BD-Live on the BD-UP5000, especially for us early adopters (all 3 of us still remaining ) who spared little expense to be the first kids on the block to have a DF player and would appreciate a bigger bang for our buck. This may be a possibility for this player, we just don't know due to unknown flash memory capacity. But we do know that Samsung tends to take the squeakiest wheel approach to firmware upgrades and for all those owners still holding on to their precious, why not jump over here and get to squeakin': http://ars.samsung.com/customer/form...=1&PROD_ID=788 (I guess we might call this a "proposal." )

Of course, I know someone will mention the prospect of DTS-MA decoding and the proper treatment of 4:3 standard def material as being just as important, if not more so (as well as disc playback problems). Mention these in your correspondence by all means.
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post #2 of 42
9/28/08 at 5:21am
I don't think either the LG or Samsung are capable of on-board DTS-HD MA decoding and unlike Profile 2.0, neither company have said anything to imply it is possible.

As to 4:3 stretching. I'm pretty sure both companies don't consider it a bug and thus have no plans to fix it. Good luck with Profile 2.0 though.
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post #3 of 42
9/28/08 at 6:55am
Thanks for finding that page, Vinnie. Consider my message sent!
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post #4 of 42
9/28/08 at 7:06am
Samsung already fixed 4:3 issue in the newer, but using the identical chips, BD-P2550. We just need a new firmware. As for DTS-MA decoding, someone pointed out to a revised Broadcom documentation that states only DTS-HD HR decoding capability, not MA.

BD-Live is a different story. I haven't seen any company put resources/expenses into a discontinued product for latest technology.

Even Sony's latest BD-S350 only get BD-Live update last week.
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post #5 of 42
9/28/08 at 11:59am
sent mine. 2.0 would be nice. I'd also like to get rid of that blasted 'Angle' pop-up without turning off ALL information
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post #6 of 42
9/28/08 at 12:30pm
Thread Starter 
^Yea, I agree on the "angle" icon. It also doesn't hurt to ask for any of this.

That Broadcom chip may indeed not have the horsepower to handle DTS-MA...that doesn't bother me since I use bitstreaming but I know it's important to some. I don't even care about 4:3 stretching all that much since my DVD collection is minuscule but, again, it's a commonly requested "fix."
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post #7 of 42
9/28/08 at 4:03pm
Thanks for the thread vin, I'd be happy if they just fixed the 7/29 Paramount disc issues, bonus view icon appearance and the SD 4:3 stretching issues. Everthing else would just be the cherry on top.
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post #8 of 42
9/29/08 at 10:10am
Bad news.

I just got this email from Samsung in response to my nudge for 2.0:

Quote:
This unit has an uipgrade to make it a Ver1.1 model but BD-Live is a 2.0 feature. This unit is not upgradeable to 2.0
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post #9 of 42
9/29/08 at 10:46am
Thread Starter 
That's interesting...I got no response to my request (but maybe I confused them by mentioning the needed bugfixes ).
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post #10 of 42
9/29/08 at 1:03pm
MY ORIGINAL QUESTION:

Quote:


BD-UP5000 Firmware

Is BD-Live (2.0) a possibility with this player, and if so, is it being worked on at all? Also, there are problems that remain with htis unit after the last (much needed) firmware upgrade - like the 'ANGLE' window that persistently remains unless you turn the whole display capability off. Are ANY fixes coming?

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.



...AND THEIR RESPONSE:
Quote:



The BD-Live feature is only available on 2.0 Version players which this unit is not. It does not have the hardware specifications to allow it to be upgraded.

I didn't get a response about any of the other fixes either.
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post #11 of 42
9/29/08 at 2:18pm
You shouldn't put more than one question in an email. They barely read them as it is. They're likely to selectively read only the first question or whichever is the easiest to answer and ignore the rest. Very typical.
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post #12 of 42
9/29/08 at 2:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckelly33 View Post

MY ORIGINAL QUESTION:





...AND THEIR RESPONSE:


I didn't get a response about any of the other fixes either.

LOL. That is such ********.

What exactly is missing from these players that 2.0 requires? An ethernet connection and internal storage. That's the only difference from Profile 1.1, and this player has both of those.

Gotta love Samsung.

I keep waiting for them to redeem themselves for their Blu-ray atrocities. Apparently I'm deluding myself.
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post #13 of 42
9/29/08 at 6:55pm
I just sent em an email to at least give us a firmware fix to keep the BLU portion updated.
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post #14 of 42
9/29/08 at 7:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PowerPC View Post

LOL. That is such ********.

What exactly is missing from these players that 2.0 requires? An ethernet connection and internal storage. That's the only difference from Profile 1.1, and this player has both of those.

Gotta love Samsung.

I keep waiting for them to redeem themselves for their Blu-ray atrocities. Apparently I'm deluding myself.


I don't think the Samsung has 1G of persistent memory (required for profile 2.0), does it? The LG could a least be made BD-Live (profile 2.0) ready since it has a USB port to add more memory. The Samsung sadly is also missing this feature so Samsung for once could be telling the truth.
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post #15 of 42
9/29/08 at 8:28pm
Thread Starter 
We still don't know what level of persistent memory it actually has...and I'm not ready to believe that canned response about the so-called hardware limitation from low level tech support either. From what I understand, the LG has the 1GB on-board memory required, so it wouldn't be a stretch if the Samsung is similarly equipped.

I'll be shooting them another mail in a couple of days and focus on the HD DVD/Blu-ray disc playback problems since they likely did overlook those requests in my message.
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post #16 of 42
9/29/08 at 8:40pm
I get the feeling this unit has been dropped from any further R&D. There's not even any rumors of any future fixes. One thing about it - I've learned my lesson on yet another brand of consumer electronics....no more Samsung for me. Can't say I wasn't warned though, Sammy just doesn't care about their reputation.
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post #17 of 42
9/29/08 at 9:12pm
Thread Starter 
They *seem* to care when it relates to certain product lines like their TVs. Too bad a firm like Panasonic or Pioneer wasn't interested in building this type of player...I have a feeling the outcome might have been different. However, I doubt they would provide an upgrade to 2.0 for such a player at this point in time. If LG does come through, they will truly be the golden egg-laying goose in all of this.
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post #18 of 42
9/30/08 at 4:58am
Quote:


There's not even any rumors of any future fixes.

Actually, I don't think that's true. We've gotten confirmation from more than one support person that a firmware update is in the works. November maybe?
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post #19 of 42
9/30/08 at 5:08am
I think the LG has 1GB total memory, but it's divided between HD-DVD and Blu-ray, so each format potentially only has 512MB.

But, the LG has a USB port, so users can plug in a USB thumb drive and quickly have way more storage than the 1GB mandated for profile 2.0.

That being said, I don't see any reason Samsung couldn't add profile 2.0 support (enable all the web functionality) despite the unit not having the minimum required storage. It wouldn't be officially "2.0 compliant", but who cares. People would have to delete content more frequently, but that would be the only difference I think.


Quote:
Originally Posted by vinnie97 View Post

We still don't know what level of persistent memory it actually has...and I'm not ready to believe that canned response about the so-called hardware limitation from low level tech support either. From what I understand, the LG has the 1GB on-board memory required, so it wouldn't be a stretch if the Samsung is similarly equipped.
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post #20 of 42
9/30/08 at 7:15am
Quote:


I think the LG has 1GB total memory, but it's divided between HD-DVD and Blu-ray, so each format potentially only has 512MB.

The same is true for the Sammy, isn't it? Has to be close, because the setup menus show nearly 500 MB of storage for HD DVD stuff. (Doesn't specify for BR, but you'd think they would at least give that side as much as HD DVD)
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post #21 of 42
9/30/08 at 6:02pm
Given how many ppl today got hang up on Blue Ring of Death (the player needs to download a large file from over crowed server for over 10 minutes to even 30 minutes) on BD 2.0 players simply try to play Iron Man movie, I'd say we're the lucky ones that don't have BD-Live 2.0 support.

Now think back, I usually disable the network feature on my HD DVD player as well to avoid the lengthy download for most HD DVD discs. It's such a useless feature that the only purpose is to annoy those who just want to enjoy a movie
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post #22 of 42
10/1/08 at 8:44am
Email sent.

I basically said "even if it does not have the full amount of storage required to make it officially compliant, please consider supporting BD-Live functionality."

It seems to me they should be able to support it to some extent, even if it's not officially "compliant".
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post #23 of 42
10/2/08 at 10:43pm
Thread Starter 
^good idea...even if it does prove to be fruitless.

I never got a response from my first email, so I contacted them again, this time only focusing on the biggest bugs (Paramount HD DVDs/Blu-rays).

I may send another mail next week similar to yours, Pat, worded similarly.
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post #24 of 42
10/7/08 at 6:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinnie97 View Post

^good idea...even if it does prove to be fruitless.

I never got a response from my first email, so I contacted them again, this time only focusing on the biggest bugs (Paramount HD DVDs/Blu-rays).

I may send another mail next week similar to yours, Pat, worded similarly.

I also have never got a reply when contacting Sammy about DVD-R playback problems that I have. I suppose I should keep sending until I get a response.
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post #25 of 42
10/7/08 at 6:43pm
Thread Starter 
I ended up emailing them again about the Paramount HD DVD/Blu-ray problems and got this canned shiz:

Quote:


Due to the advanced technical nature of this issue, we feel it would be best for you to speak to a live agent who can better assist you. Please call 1-800-SAMSUNG and have your model number and serial number ready when you call.

I'm not particularly interested in following them up.
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post #26 of 42
10/9/08 at 6:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinnie97 View Post

I ended up emailing them again about the Paramount HD DVD/Blu-ray problems and got this canned shiz:


I'm not particularly interested in following them up.

I just got my canned responce today also which must be a form e-mail just saying I need to talk with customer service about the audio and freeze-up that I now have after 1.3 upgrade. So I wonder if it will be a live person or R2D2 that I will have to deal with?
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post #27 of 42
10/11/08 at 7:08am
Sorry, but I don't think the Samsung is going to get 2.0.

Like mentioned earlier, it does not have a USB port which is pretty much required for 2.0 (unless it has 1 gb memory). It almost certainly does not have the 1 gb as most newer models (BD-P1500, BDP-S350, etc...) don't even have the required memory, which is why they have USB ports.
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post #28 of 42
10/11/08 at 1:20pm
Thread Starter 
Yes, well, this is a combo player (that initially MSRP'd for $1000) and a different breed than a low-end BD player offering from the CEs you referenced.
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post #29 of 42
10/11/08 at 6:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinnie97 View Post

Yes, well, this is a combo player (that initially MSRP'd for $1000) and a different breed than a low-end BD player offering from the CEs you referenced.

Yes, well the BD-P1000 had an MSRP of about $1000 when it first came out; doesn't mean it will even be 1.1.

Or maybe one of the Denon BD players that retail for close to $1000 but can only do 1.1

Granted the BD-P1500 or the BDP-S350 may be low-end BD players, but they were released in the age of possible 2.0 upgradability.

The BD-UP5000 and the BH200 were released when Profile 2.0 was just a light at the end of the tunnel, so the reality is that these companies have done more than enough by giving us 1.1.

My 2 cents.
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post #30 of 42
10/11/08 at 7:19pm
Thread Starter 
yea, they've done their part. That said, I want a universal player that can handle BD-Live dammit.
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