Panasonic BD-35/55 Firmware Update Available

Hi Ralph,

Thanks.

The Panasonic web site only mentions that the upgrade is for "Playability and Stability". Have you had a chance to observe any improvements? I don't suppose there are any new menus, etc?

Larry

Thanks for the alert. I'll update my BD35 tonight and hopefully it will fix the stability issue as intended.

Issue I had w/BD35:
May be it is a one fluke thing (I haven't tried to reproduce it). I was watching the 'Journey to the center of the Earth' and then all of the sudden the player stopped responding to the remote command. The eject button on the player didn't respond either. Only the power button was responding; I pressed it and the player reboot. The remote works after that...

Why a separate thread for this topic?

Doesn't this belong in the owners thread?

It is very common on this forum for firmware threads to be seperate.

Are you a mod? A separate thread is helpful as the owners thread is huge!

Just a heads up to everyone. I was having a helluva time getting accurate calibration of my 67 at 0%(black) & 100%(white) using the ramps on DVE. I was told(wrong!) that the Yamaha RX-V663 clips BTB/WTW(it doesn't). I am running monoprice HDMI 1.3 cat2 cables from my BD35 to the 663, using the 663's HDMI video out to my sammy. The BD35 has its own set of adjustments and once I set these to the correct levels(not all default settings are accurate btw), I could see ALL ramps including BTB and WTW. This allowed me to dial in the brightness/contrast almost perfectly.

HOWEVER, I did notice that switching from standard to movie mode RESETS the dynamic contrast/black to high even though it says off? Gonna be a real pain once I get my Harmony One sync'd up. Not sure how to reset it w/ a H1

Anybody else notice this? Maybe the new f/w will fixit? I just bought the 67 last week with f/w 1006.1 so it is the latest.

I've only had this unit an HD35 in the house less than 24 hrs, this thread SAVED my a bunch to time for sure, I've D/L the Firmware and up-dated my new player since I got home from work, kind of neat, from "my point of view"
YMMV I'm sure. Thanks.

P.S. Thanks to the OP for the links as otherwise I would not hav seen it! A big tip of the cap!

Updated my 35 today with no issues at all. It now plays all my HD-DVD's, as well as my 8-tracks. Kudos Panasonic!

does it also do laser disc now too?

No, but it does do LPs. It's just that you have to hammer the LP in that small DVD slot.

Nice! Let us know how thos 8-tracks work out for ya!

I picked up my BD35 today at lunch. This is replacing my Pioneer 51FD (most likely). The 51FD replaced my BD30.

Panny, Pioneer, Panny. We'll see how this one fairs compared to my 51FD.

I DL the update and it a bit over 27 megs. Panny's update site identifies it as a bit over 28 megs. Is this a problem?

The firmware update for the BD35 is available via the player's ethernet port. The update process works very nicely -- there's a percent complete indicator during the download phase (it seemed to jump in 5% increments) with a clear statement that the screen will go blank once the firmware upgrade starts upon completion of the download. During the actual upgrade the player's front panel reads "UPDx/5" where x is 1-5; and then "FINISH" after which the player restarts.

Upon restart, a message briefly appears stating that the firmware had been updated.

All settings were retained and the whole thing took ~5 minutes.

A very nice upgrade procedure.

Yup, you guys laugh all you want, but it's really the only way to listen to the Bay City Rollers.

lol, SVS CS, huh? Boy I sure do enjoy your products! Been through a 20-39PCi, PC-Ultra (TV-12), and now the PB13-U!

Anyway, back on topic, it seems that there is a lack of LFE with LPCM through HDMI. I tried Chicken Little on my Pioneer 51FD and then hooked up the BD35 and there is a noticeable difference. Probably -5dB on the LFE.

Hopefully they fix this soon.

Updated with a burned CD, no problems (as usual).

I have a question : by applying the US firmware file to a region B / zone 2 player (bought in Europe), would that make the player switch to region A / zone 1 ?
It works with the sharp unit (BD HP20) (not reversible though). Does it work the same with panasonic players ?

Maybe this firmware will fix my BDlive problems.

That was quick.

No, you will get a "UNSUPPORT" error and the player will not update.

Hmmm... Updated (successfully) by burned disc, last night.

No perceivable difference at all.... However, my Samsung Display now occassionally flashes the dreaded 'hot-pink', (reminicent of Sammy 65 Series board issues) during LOAD transitions.
S'pose it could be coincidental... but in almost a year, it's not done it before.

Ack. Thats a bit worrisome. What is the Samsung model?

Has anyone figured out a way to make a copy of the original or installed firmware version prior to running this new or other upcoming firmware updates. Nothing worse than running an update only to find out your system worked better with the old firmware.

It wouldn't help if someone figured out a way to make a copy.

Noted on the DMP-BD55 Firmware V1.5 Download page:
The Display on the Panasonic BD Player will read:

UNSUP / PORT

Paul

i'm sure panasonic would be willing to send you a copy of the original firmware if it became neccesary.

i'm betting that the firmware is thoroughly tested before being distributed to the masses though, so i doubt there would be a need to revert.

I am trying to upgrade my 55 and it fails each time after 40%.

The power resets and it suggests trying again.

Any recommendations???

Unfortunately, Bandito, that won't work..read the post just prior to yours.

Good point. Having worked with pc's for a long time I developed the habit of keeping the older firmware just in case the latest and greatest wasn't so great. I think I will take the conservative road and not update until well after others have installed the update or I am having some problem that would seemingly only be fixed with an update.