[scavok]

Ok so for the, i don't know... 10th time-ish I've gone to blockbuster the day a movie was released on my way to work, and come home to watch it after a long day.


Low and behold the thing won't play. "This disc can not be played" my trusty samsung bd-p1400 tells me. Now 6 of the 10 times this has happened, I've downloaded the firmware, burned it to a cd, upgraded the firmware, let it load itself, turn off, turn on, shake my right foot all about, then 45 minutes after starting the movie the first time, I get to watch it.


However, for the 4th-ish time the latest firmware still leaves the blu-ray disc unplayable. WHY OH WHY OH WHY would a brand-spanking-smudge/scratch/dirt-free brand new blu-ray disc be unplayable in my freshly updated blu-ray disc player???? WHY OH WHY OH WHY must I go back to blockbuster, plop down another 4 bucks to rent the DVD in order to watch the movie in my BLU-RAY player? Chances are it is because the disc has upgraded menu animations that leave the whole rest of the discs contents unreachable...


Anyway...

I'm now planning on getting a new player. I'm not looking to discuss software features themselves, I'm simply wondering what manufacturer out there is reputable for updating firmware availability for their units BEFORE the movies using said software are released. I don't care if it is for a unit that is 5 years old, avacado green and the size of a footstool. I JUST WANT TO WATCH MY FREAKIN MOVIE. Does such a player exist?


Thank you.

 

[JStew]

In all sincerity, I really doubt Sammy will update their firmware on the 1400 anymore. They made their money and they're going to run with it. Panasonics seem to do a decent job of updating their firmware in a timely manner. I've had your unit as well as a Panny BDP-35 and the 35 was never a problem. I've subsequently moved on to Oppo and they're pretty good about their updates as well. I'm sure others have good advice also.

 

[rwestley]

No such player exists because Fox and other film companies do not send the disks to player manufactures before release. In fact, most film companies do not even test the disks on different players. I called Fox to complain about 12 rounds and they took the position that it was too costly to test their disks on many players. The keep passing the buck with BD+.


That being said Oppo and Panasonic seem to get the firmware fixes out very fast.

 

[Djoel]

just stepped in here because a co-worker's Sammy P1400 isn't playing their movies, I would hate to brake it to them that these machine aren't getting any more support.


It's a real shame if that's the case, he's an older gentleman who doesn't understand this whole firmware thing, and is quite frustrated already.


DJoel

 

[rdunnill]



Quote:
Originally Posted by scavok /forum/post/16827121


I JUST WANT TO WATCH MY FREAKIN MOVIE. Does such a player exist?

The PS3 is probably updated quickly. Barring one of those, I'd say any Sony product, as Blu-ray is a prestige matter for Sony.

 

[Cortiz]

This is a very easy question, just buy any BD player that it's not a Samsung and you will be just fine.......trust me.

 

[rwestley]

Cortiz, I don't trust your answer. I have owned many players and from my experience only a few update their firmware fast. They include the PS3, The Oppo, & many Panasonic models. Pioneer,Samsung,Funai and others have been very very slow. The question is not that easy since there are many other players that might have issues with some disks.

 

[Makaveli Tha Don]

i agree that the ps3 is most likely definitely your best bet. myself and a few other people i know have both ps3's, and stand alone players, and on more than one occassion we have all had discs that would not play in our stand alones but for whatever reason worked on a ps3. i had a disc once that wouldnt play on anybodies stand alone, but on a ps3 just fine, i exchanged it for a new copy of the SAME movie and it played fine on all stand alones. right now the ps3 pretty much IS the de facto testing unit for studios. if it plays in a ps3....they shove it onto the shelf. and on the rare instance there is a known issue with a ps3 and a new release, sony is all over it like white on rice.

 

[mike171979]

I'm truly at a loss to explain this. I've had a Sharp BD-20 player for over 2 years now. The last firmware update it came out in October 08'. And it has played every single new Bluray I've ever thrown in it.


Seems to me, like the Samsung 1400 is garbage.


I've heard good things about the Samsung 1500 and 1600 though.



If you honestly are having that many problems, maybe its a problem with your particular player, and not just the entire line of 1400's.

 

[Yosef 615]

+1 for the Panasonic BD-35/55. Last update was 8 July 2009 for a total of 7 updates since 30 October 2008.


I'm guessing that the newer BD-60/80 would be just as good as well.

 

[JazzGuyy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by mike171979 /forum/post/16995102


I'm truly at a loss to explain this. I've had a Sharp BD-20 player for over 2 years now. The last firmware update it came out in October 08'. And it has played every single new Bluray I've ever thrown in it.


Seems to me, like the Samsung 1400 is garbage.


I've heard good things about the Samsung 1500 and 1600 though.



If you honestly are having that many problems, maybe its a problem with your particular player, and not just the entire line of 1400's.

I wonder if your player is just Profile 1.0? It seems that Profile 1.1 and 2.0 players have a greater need for firmware updates. If all your player does is play the movie and the core soundtrack, it seems to be less affected by the additional features being added to Blu-Rays.

 

[Norem]

PS3. Not once have I had a problem with a disc refusing to play, and I rent the newest releases from Blockbuster/Netflix the day they come out. Still not sure why people buy stand-alones, to be honest with you.

 

[winston9332]

Ideally, you want a player whose software is written in a way that it's adaptive enough not to require a new update every three weeks for a paranoid/crap disc from fox. There are few players with a high hit rate: the ps3 is the best option. Most studios use it as the sole testing mule. Sony and panasonic are reliable in providing a lot of firmware updates, which I see as a reflection of poor engineering from the onset. The pioneer 51/05 had its fair share of disc issues, but seems to be more resolved in the 320/23. The jvc has only had one disc playback issue requiring firmware, which makes me feel better than a product that can't quite cope with each new disc.

 

[KingLeerUK]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JazzGuyy /forum/post/16995483


I wonder if your player is just Profile 1.0? It seems that Profile 1.1 and 2.0 players have a greater need for firmware updates. If all your player does is play the movie and the core soundtrack, it seems to be less affected by the additional features being added to Blu-Rays.

The Samsung BD-P1400 is a Profile 1.0 player, but that has nothing to do with disc support other than "special" features like PiP and BD-Live, both of which I've found to be kludgy and mainly designed for the mouthbreathers or the kiddies. I knew from the beginning that I would not care about the "special" features on 1.1 and 2.0 discs, so I was content to buy a Profile 1.0 player, so long as I could watch the movie and get hi-definition sound from my movies. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the 1400.


The simple Truth is that the 1400 and most of the other "legacy" players in Samsungs line are poorly supported or have already reached end-of-support in Samsungs eyes. To me this is inexcusable and guarantees that I will never purchase one of their disc-based products ever again. They seem to do well with panel display technology, but don't ever by a DVD player, Blu-ray or PC drive from them.


I actually just sent my 1400 back to Samsung for "service" because it would not play certain Blu-ray discs, specifically those known not to play for ALL users due to a lack of firmware support. The last firmware (2.0) was released in December of '08, which makes it just over EIGHT MONTHS AGO. I started calling Samsung back around April '09 and continued to receive the same partyline story "we are working on firmware, expected in 3 weeks". That went on for 3 months and then I demanded an alternative solution. A $330 Blu-ray player that doesn't play Blu-rays after 1.5 years is a breach of implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, and I called them out on that.


To be honest, the current state of support for the 1400 (or lack thereof) is on the verge of justifying a class action lawsuit. Who is interested?

 

[Bengali]

my samsung bd-p1400 is sitting underneath my bed. I too got weary of waiting for firmware upgrades that took forever.


well, what did I upgrade to? a bd-p1600

it was cheap and had the netflix feature. trying to watch the entire movie of watchmen became

a frustration instead of enjoyment. is there a firmware upgrade for this yet? NO!


most likely my last samsung bd player. Frequent firmware updates is a must these days with BD. Hopefully they will pick up on this.

 

[ccotenj]

either the oppo or the ps3... the ps3 has the advantage of being the test base for virtually every movie being released, and the oppo has the advantage of being an "enthusiasts" machine, which means they get harangued immediately by a dedicated community of users whenever there are "issues"...

i have the oppo... i really would have liked to get a pioneer, since i'm a wicked pioneer fanboy... but realistically, they haven't done a good job with firmware updates, and the players are slow...

 

[afrogt]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Yosef 615 /forum/post/16995333


+1 for the Panasonic BD-35/55. Last update was 8 July 2009 for a total of 7 updates since 30 October 2008.


I'm guessing that the newer BD-60/80 would be just as good as well.

Damn, there's been that many updates for the BD-35 since Oct 2008? I've only updated mine once with ver 1.5 and haven't had trouble with any movies since. Maybe I don't rent enough movies?


Wow, I see they're up to 2.0. I guess I'm way behind.