Sony Bdp-S480 Problem

[bernievink]

Hi Folks

I recently upgraded my Sony BDP-S360 to a BDP-S480 and now discover that a movie that played fine on the older player fails on the newer one. the movie is "the count of monte cristo" UPC 786936-800517, Region ABC.

It seems I am not the only one because there are other people in the US and UK with this player and they are also experiencing the same problem.

When the disc plays you see two separate splash screens for Touchstone pictures.

but before the main menu or previews show up the player turns itself off and restarts the whole procedure again, and again.

I also own a Toshiba BDX3200KY and at the spot where the Sony turns off the Toshiba splashes a short message saying press top menu now or you will see previews, and then successfully proceeds to either menu or previews depending on how fast you can find the remote and press top menu button.

it looks to me to be a firmware problem, any others out there with this player and this movie?

please let me know your experiences.

Regards

this bottom section from a US owner.

I got two copies of the 2002 version of The Count of Monte Cristo starring James Caviezel, from Netflix. They were both in pristine condition. They both stopped playing after the second splash? screen (less than a minute). Research on the net found others with the same problem. It is a Sony-BDP-S480.Firmware updated about six months ago. It is the first Blu-ray that has not played on this player.

Anyone else have this problem?

Edited September 18, 2012 by bernievink

[Tweet]

Sorry I can't help you with the above causation but firmware updates are a major pain in the bum for everyone from time to time.

Not to highjack your thread but I am myself going through such a quandary with my Panasonic BD 65. Even after the latest firmware update it refuses to play some Blu-ray's without a lockup half way through. Such as Alien, Aliens, Kingdom of Heaven, King Kong, Salt, etc.

Is it any wonder people 'rip' their Blu-rays to a hard drive to play with a media player or a HTPC to avoid the inevitable firmware upgrade to make their Blu-ray machine playable, that is, if there is a firmware upgrade available.

The whole Blu-ray format is a sequence of firmware upgrades in itself, it's a money spinner all round for manufacturers of such products.

As such I can only give thanks that my 'frig' doesn't need any firmware upgrade for the door to open.

C.M

[bernievink]

Hi C M

I don't think the Player companies are fully to blame. the companies who interpret the BD specs add quirks into their discs and the player companies have to upgrade their players to make them work properly again.

once the standards are set there should be no "improvements till all agree and have their firmware capable of handling same.

having said that my Toshiba region A machine plays the disc fine even though the Sony turns itself off at exactly the 00012 marker in the preview setup.

PS I have contacted Sony and they are going to check their machines with the disc in question.

Edited September 19, 2012 by bernievink

[Tweet]

"The whole Blu-ray format is a sequence of firmware upgrades in itself, it's a money spinner all round for manufacturers of such products."

The point is, manufacturers of Blu-ray players generally cease to support firmware upgrades to their products after a year or two of their ceasing the production of that model.

Sooner or later the user of that player will need to buy again a more recent machine simply out of the lack of support given to it.

C.M

Edited September 19, 2012 by Tweet

[709er]

We should have a thread for playback glitches/refusals where members can include information on their players and firmware versions.

I have a firmware update phobia and am not game to do it on any of my 5 BD players! Fortunately, I have only had 1 minor issue with the Oppo 93, though we don't go in for BD live or have the internet directly connected.

[David Williams]

I have a Sony bd player as well - a US import and it won't play Boardwalk Empire. Sony are aware of the problem but have done nothing for a year. It's still a current model too. (sx1000 I think - its a Bluray Walkman thing)

[bernievink]

I have a firmware update phobia and am not game to do it on any of my 5 BD players! Fortunately, I have only had 1 minor issue with the Oppo 93, though we don't go in for BD live or have the internet directly connected.

Hi 709er

I am the complete opposite of you, whenever there is an update available for any of my players/TVs I am immediately updating them, sometimes I even risk putting in an update for US machines in our aussie ones.

All my units are Ethernet connected to the internet 24 hours a day and most will inform you an update is available the moment you turn it on the first time per day.

My house has been completely wired for Ethernet, and with up to 15 devices vying for access through the Billion router, plus the wireless part allows both our notebooks access and visitors as well, after I have input my access code into their items/units.

Edited September 19, 2012 by bernievink

[709er]

Hi 709er

I am the complete opposite of you, whenever there is an update available for any of my players/TVs I am immediately updating them, sometimes I even risk putting in an update for US machines in our aussie ones.

All my units are Ethernet connected to the internet 24 hours a day and most will inform you an update is available the moment you turn it on the first time per day.

My house has been completely wired for Ethernet, and with up to 15 devices vying for access through the Billion router, plus the wireless part allows both our notebooks access and visitors as well, after I have input my access code into their items/units.

Wow! I feel techno inadequate. If we ever get ADSL in our area, I might get more adventurous.

It sounds like you have "mission control" in your house Almost "big brotherish"

[bernievink]

post deleted, too self serving

Edited September 19, 2012 by bernievink

[bernievink]

Hi Folks

I received an email from Sony Australia, post-sales support

"Our AV team will investigate your enquiry and will be in contact with you directly in 3 to 5 working days.

As part of the investigation, please take clear photos of the front & back cover of the movie in question along with any other Blu Ray titles you may be having simular issues and to have the photos attached to this email"

Edited September 21, 2012 by bernievink

[bernievink]

Hi Folks

I received another email from Sony Australia,

Thank you for your patience whilst awaiting a response.

I have now referred this inquiry to our TSD team.

As soon as they find a resolution for your inquiry, I will forward onto you.

Thank you for your patience.

Kind regards,

Level 2 Support

Sony Australia and New Zealand

Edited September 28, 2012 by bernievink

[bernievink]

Hi again folks

Sony are still deliberating but as the problem disc was a UK disc.

I checked out sony support in the UK and guess what ?

they have a later firmware for my player than the one available in Asia/Pacific.

Our latest version is BDP-S480/S485/S580/S780 Firmware Upgrade Version M07.R.0600.

but in the UK it is BDP-S480/S485/S580/S780 Firmware Upgrade Version M07.R.0624.

they even had an other update in between BDP-S480/S485/S580/S780 Firmware Upgrade Version M07.R.0615.

So like the risk taker that I am I downloaded the latest firmware for my player from there.

followed the directions from their download page (identical to directions on our Asia/Pacific page)

and upgraded the firmware of my Sony BDP-S480 to version M07.R.0624.

Yes, you guessed it, the player now plays that problem disc perfectly, and everything else as well.

the only downside is that this firmware has Cinavia in it I am not sure if the previous firmware did too or not.

But as I never play burnt copies anyway this should not affect me.

Regards

Edited September 29, 2012 by bernievink

[bbar]

Only other thing is DVD's if you use it for DVD's as you may only be able to play region 2 DVD's now.

[bernievink]

Only other thing is DVD's if you use it for DVD's as you may only be able to play region 2 DVD's now.

Hi bbar

the second thing I checked was to play both a zone 4 locked DVD and a zone 1 locked DVD and they both played fine. To the best of my experience firmware never affects Region or Zone settings, only the ability to change these, if the ability was/was not there before.

Regards

Edited September 30, 2012 by bernievink

[bbar]

Hi bbar

the second thing I checked was to play both a zone 4 locked DVD and a zone 1 locked DVD and they both played fine. To the best of my experience firmware never affects Region or Zone settings, only the ability to change these, if the ability was/was not there before.

Regards

Now that I did not know.

[bernievink]

Hello again folks

to those people with a Sony Blu-ray player, if you want to make sure you have the latest firmware.

compare the firmware code in your machine with this site. ftp://ftp.vaio-link.com/PUB/HAV/BDP/FW

but be careful because there are firmwares here for every Blu-ray player made by Sony.

you need to be sure you have the correct file, ie in my case my unit had M07.R.0600 firmware

and there were files on this site for M07.R.0600, M07.R.0615 M07.R.0620 and M07.R.0624

the latest of course is 0624, but any file not starting with M07.R is not for my unit.

so the file I needed was UPDATA_M07R0624.ZIP

Regards

Edited September 30, 2012 by bernievink