Getting tired of error code: 408bc504

I fel the same way (and still find any opportunity to vent) - it's hard to sit down and enjoy a movie when, in the back of your mind, you're wondering at what point it's going to screw up. You about have to make a disclaimer to anyone else watching explaining that the movie could stop at any time and that's just how your $900 player works.

Your best recourse probably already passed: returning it. That's the best message that can be sent to Toshiba that we aren't going to accept these unfinished products. In this case, waiting for a firmware update without any knowledge of what it will fix just keeps you waiting outside your return window. Hopefully, for your sake, the firmware update turns it into a usable HD-DVD player. If it had come out before my 30 day return window was up, I might've given the unit another shot (despite not being able to notice any PQ difference over the A1).

I have turned into an XA2 basher for sure, and the whole experience has really started to turn me off of HD-DVD. I'll still be buying any Universal/Weinstein titles I'm interested in, but the more I can avoid having to play HD-DVDs in a Toshiba player, the better (yes, I have a PS3 and have never had one problem playing a Blu-Ray movie in that player). The A1 doesn't lock up, but it was prone to syncing/stuttering issues from time to time (still, way more reliable than the XA2 and nothing that really was a deal killer for me).

Yeah man I feel for you. The top of the line HD DVD product is less than acceptable. It amazes me it took this long to pump out 1080p, and it still chokes on it.

Unfortunately, it sounds like an inherently defective product design.

I hear you, I just returned my XA2, too. I kept getting the error code 408bc504 when playing Superman Returns. Used to own A2 and Xbox 360 and it played the movie through. I felt stupid but purchased another copy of Superman Returns (one of my favorite HD movie) because my 30 day return policy was over and sure did, same error code. Oh well, I did end up getting it on Blue-ray and it played flawless on the PS3. This is an excellent player expecially upconverting standard dvd a few glitches here and there but it's a new technology. I had a hard time deciding to keep it but I didn't want to gamble and wait for firmware upgrade to see if this gets fix. I bought this so I can make use of it now, not later. The old lady seem to be happy that it was going back. Any ways what's the deal with the cheap power cord...

Unfortunately, my $sub 200 add on can play movies without a hitch. (audio glitch present, but liveable) They need to at least give top of the line adopters an equally enjoyable performance of A1/2 , addon owners. Many would argue, the experience needs to be better than the budget or medium line hardware.

Not cool on toshiba's end, hopefully a 3rd part can make a top product for HD DVD, like LG or panny.

I agree with all of these posts. I returned my 2nd XA2 and went with a PS3. I will be buying only HD DVD exclusives for my A1.

s..t!

Just tried a brand new Batman Begins disc on my brand new XA2 player. Guess what...in the middle of the movie playback stopped, played another 4 frames in 5 seconds and then 408bc504...

No response. Turned it off. Reloaded the disc. Chapter jump to the scene where it stopped (thank you for NOT providing any resume play...) and...same procedure again. Note: the disc is brand new, in pristine condition, PERFECTLY clean surface.

Most embarrassing thing: I had the HT full of guests.

Robert keeps raving "that this is the best disc player he ever had". Well, in all honesty, my personal experience is that it is the most troublesome player I've ever had (even my G1 A1 had less issues given regular problems with lip sync and audio troubles in general (sometimes I just get distorted sound with HDMI output, 1080p IVTC issues - see my thread and now even refusing to play perfectly fine discs). It embarrassed me in front of my guests. How do you explain to them that you have just spent $20,000 on a HT setup and have to deal with issues nobody of them know from their bargain "DVD/TV-set" equipment.

Being "New" technology is not an excuse for this!

These things seem to be getting that error code at about the same point in each movie they happen in. Anyone see that error code earlier than 1:30 (or so) into a movie when this is the first movie you've watched after powering up?

The first time I got the error with "Hollywoodland", I rebooted it a few times and tried to get past the point where it stopped. No go. I took it to my A1, popped it in, went to the same spot and it played fine. Took it back up to the XA2, repeated, and it worked.

So, after trying it a few times in a row with it locking up at the exact same spot every time, it made it through after getting a very brief "rest". I was able to watch the rest of the movie without another interruption.

After the player has been off for a bit, try to jump to the same scene right after you power up the player and see if it plays through.

I'm totally guessing, but some people have experienced the "power off" issues (I never did) - maybe some of us got the error code in place of that, but are still having some kind of overheating/cpu issue.... (when I had the XA2, it couldn't have been more ventilated - totally out in the open and not in a cabinet of any kind).

Anyone update to the new 1.3 firmware for the A2 and XA2 to see if it fixes the issue?

I got this error on chapter 26 on Firewall. The playback starts getting choppy and it eventually craps out with error 408bc504. I was able to reproduce this 4 times. I upgraded to 1.3 today and the problem went away. Looks like the update does fix some playability issues

Good to hear. I'll update and report back. Thank you.

Did you watch the whole movie from beginning to end after upgrading or did you skip right to chapter 26 and it played fine?

There have been other reports from people who still run into the error message with 1.3.

Here is my timeline:

1) watched it on sunday, when it finally hit chapter 26, it started getting choppy then it threw the error.

2) rebooted player, skipped to chapter 26, it did it again. (did this sequence one more time).

3) Right before the upgrade yesterday (after a fresh reboot, etc.) I reproduced the issue by going to chapter 26 directly with the same results. (did it again for good measure, same thing)

4) Upgraded the firmware, skipped to chapter 26 and it played through fine.

5) Thinking it may be a fluke, i sat and trudged through the whole movie again and it played fine.

By reboot do you mean unplug the player? Never had this error until last night watching Field of Dreams. I was 2/3 through the movie and it choked, sputtered, and than got the error. Never happened before. This was after I updated to 1.3 (the update went fine-no problems). I initialized the player after. Then popped in FOD then got the error 2/3 through. Should I unplug and reboot?

Last night I went home and looked at my disc (Field of Dreams) I noticed 2 rather deep scratches on the disc. Since I never had a problem with playing this before I never looked. I think my problem is the disc itself. I love this movie so I have ordered via Netflix to see if I have the same problem in the same place.

Yeah, when i got that error, i couldn't shut the player off by holding down the power button for a few seconds, so i had to unplug it.

Will give it a shot. This was very surprising to me. I have had the player since late January and no problem like this. Field of Dreams played fine on my A1. Never had a problem like this on my A1 come to think of it ever and owned that since May of 2006. Oh, and thank you for your response.

I just called Toshibas cutomer service # . They sent the update disc for my XA1 at no charge. Took 3 days to get it. Dave

I have an HD-A1 with every possible problem you could dream up, same as the A2 guys. How can this even be acceptable to any of us??? Every time I call Toshiba and speak to their reps they act as if I am the 1st person ever calling them with these issues!! I always tell them, "Just go onto avsforum.com and do a search on all the problems!" and they ignore me as if they are trained to do so.

I invite friends---fellow audiophiles and videophiles----to come over to see/HEAR this player and I am always thinking, "Please God, don't let it skip, freeze, or come up with an error code tonight"!

THIS IS REDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We need to start a petition of sorts, for Christs sakes---------TOSHIBA PRACTICALY INVENTED THIS FORMAT AND THEIR OWN PLAYERS CANNOT PLAY THE DANG DISCS CORRECTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where does that come from?


Hmm, no doubt Torid's experience proves your point, eh Blu?

thetman you should be disgusted, spending that kinda $ on anything that errors out constantly is a disgrace, I don't care what anyone says.
Even spending even 1/2 that amount of $, with those kinds of problems is pathetic.

I wish they would once and for all get their act together, they created the format, and their own players have MAJOR issues working properly, and these aren't cheap $50 players!!

I will never suggest to friends to buy one of these things the way things stand, that would be like getting your bum brother in law a job at your workplace, all the while knowing that he's gonna screw ya by oversleeping, slacking, and taking days off....

I don't care if they drop the $ to $150, what good is it if ya have to pay 20-$35 for a movie, only to find out it won't play in your machine, but it will in your brothers.

Now I saw somewhere here that states that Combos ( the BANE of HD DVD) may be incompatible with these players!!
Maybe Tosh should tell Warner that!!
O wait, I'm sure they did, Warner doesn't give a damn about anyone, you bought it, too bad if that overpriced garbage doesn't work, thats YOUR problem, not ours.

Talk about Guinea pigs, I think I'd rather be abducted by aliens, I heard they at least wipe away the anguish.

I just got an A2, upgraded to the 1.3 firmware and I get the 408bc504 error about halfway through Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Right before it happens, I get a breakup up audio, video and then eventually I get 408bc504. Very frustrating. I called Toshiba and told them, but it's too bad we are all beta testing their HD DVD players for them!

Stephen

Is it a rental disc? Any obvious scratches? Regardless, did you try cleaning the disc? Did you try it on another player?

I got the 804bc504 on a Netflix Miami Vice disk at around 1:04 into the movie. This is the first movie I've tried watching since updating to 1.3 firmware. It's also the first actual playback problem I've had except for the audio error that went away. My player would eject the disk after a wait and there were some scratches on the disk but nothing that seemed really bad. Even after unplugging the player it would not play that area. I was just going to watch the SD side, but it was discolored and wouldn't work in either of my players. For now I'll write it off as a bad disk.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a brand new dvd that I just took out of the package. No scratches, nothing.

Stephen

I know a few others who are experiencing the same issue with that code!

After having a glitch free A1 for 5 months and a glitch free XA2 for 2ish, last night my player locked up for the 1st time..... dreaded 408bc504 error.
I was watching HollywoodLand and it occurred in the 2nd to last chapter (during the Karate film clip). Total lock up had to unplug the player

I tried watching the last 2 chapters over and over unfortunately my XA2 locks up over and over, but always in a different spot.
I tried again today, after the player was shut off all night, same thing

Thanks for the combo, was able to see the ending.

Version 1.0 here, I guess I am forced to upgrade... even though I am HDMI all the way through.

I have an HD-A2 and After 1.2 firmware upgrade I did when I first got the unit I have had no issues with Serenity, Mission Impossible, Mission Impossible II, NIN concert DVD. I also played a trouble spot on Miami Vice that I had on my former gen 1 player and its been fine.

Are these error codes specific to the titles mentioned or do they occur with any movies ?

What I noticed today when trying to play Charlie and the Chocolate factory in the same spot where I was having problems, is that I started to get breakup of audio/video. I skipped a head a bit and then the audio/video where out of synch.

Robert, can ou ask the engineer at Toshiba that you have contact about this? I have the A2 with the 1.3 firmware.

Stephen