BD-P2500 firmware update

So you want to send the message that the BD-P2500 will not enjoy any new features as they become popular. Just stamp obsolete on your remaining inventory.

Vudu didn't have to engineer a new box in order to offer Pandora.

I understand why Best Buy wants to have an exclusive model so it doesn't have to meet the incessant discounting, but that model is no longer available.

The 1600 is a good choice for $100 less and it has Netflix and Pandora streaming, but the hinged front panel and no memory make it less than ideal.

The 3600 is good as well, but costs $100 more and the controls are on top so you can't stack it or put it on a lower shelf.

Why can't we split the difference and offer a $50 upgrade to get Pandora on the 2500?

By not upgrading 2500's firmware, Samsung is sending a message that they will make new models and abandon their recent products and customers rather than continue to update firmware and enable current customers to enjoy the full potential of their technology. That is not the message I invested in. The message I invested in said that Samsung was developing powerful electronics and want their customers to enjoy the full potential of these devices. The blu ray resource center puts it this way:

"Think of your Blu-ray player as an incredibly sophisticated computer?a purpose-built, super-user-friendly computer, mind you, but a computer nonetheless. If your Blu-ray player had a clear cover, you could peek inside and see all manner of processors and capacitors and diodes and memory?intricate bits you wouldn?t want to have to keep track of. Luckily, your firmware keeps track of them for you.

With a format as complex and new as Blu-ray, though, things change. The format evolves. And sometimes the cart gets ahead of the horse when content providers cook up nifty new features that hardware manufacturers have to release new firmware to accommodate. Keeping your firmware up to date will ensure that your player is compatible with as many of the latest cutting-edge releases."

What's it going to take to get Pandora for the 2500?

but your fantasy won't help you if the maufacturer abandons you.

I believe that Samsung agrees that a blu ray player is a central device in a home theatre set up; so why would anyone not want access to a service like Pandora?

The only reason I can come up with is that they don't know it exists.

sproy218,

I'm not sure I understand where you were "abandoned".

The BD-P2500 never advertised Pandora. It's not a feature offered on that model. Firmware updates pertain to new technology used on the discs, such as Java encoding and scripts that allow you to do different things with Blu-Ray discs. And we keep up to date with those - as well as new movies, and we provide firmware updates on a regular, ongoing basis.

If one unit is standard, and the other has an upgraded feature, then that's the lineup.

Why would there be an implied expectation that both units with different model numbers and different advertised features would eventually have the same exact features?

--HDTech

but they have the same capabilities. Imagine the possibilities.

The only thing standing between the customer and a very attractive use this "cutting edge technology" is the manufacturer's desire to keep a defunct marketing agreement with a big box retailer. (Defunct because the model is no longer available and was scarcely available in the first place.)

This is copied from Samsung's BD-P2500 Features tab:

"Your new Samsung Blu-ray Disc? player won?t be obsolete the moment you bring it home from the store. It?s equipped with an Ethernet connection so you can download the latest firmware upgrade and add new features. If your player needs more local storage to take advantage of these features, simply plug in a memory stick with at least 1GB of memory into the USB port."

Imagine the possibilities: I especially like the "add new features" part. Got any new features you could offer us BD-P2500 owners?

So what about this promise?

Samsung's Blu Ray Resource center says:

"content providers cook up nifty new features that hardware manufacturers have to release new firmware to accommodate. Keeping your firmware up to date will ensure that your player is compatible with as many of the latest cutting-edge releases."

What about this promise?

Is it still that hard to see why a customer, who bought into your imagine the possibilities marketing, would think that a new feature would be part of some future firmware update?

We're not talking about last year's model; Samsung didn't get the bugs out of the firmware until Jan 6, 2009. This is your cutting edge model 2000 series; the 1600 series has internet radio streaming.

And that customer, who's invested thousands in a home theatre system, feels that the manufacturer sold his/her right to enjoy the full capabilities of the technology acquired and has abandoned the model to some preset, inviolable, cut in stone, "can't change this" feature slate.

Believe me, Pandora, or some internet radio streaming alternative, is a "must have" for a HT system: You're telling me I have to go out an buy a new box to get it, even though the necessary hardware is alive and well in my living room.

Thanks for your reply.

sproy218,

That is correct. They don't have the same exact features. The BD-P2550 was an exclusive unit, with exclusive features for an exclusive retailer. The features are different, and that's why the model number is different.

<i>We're not talking about last year's model; Samsung didn't get the bugs out of the firmware until Jan 6, 2009. This is your cutting edge model 2000 series; the 1600 series has internet radio streaming.</i>

We ARE talking about last year's model. The BD-P1600 is a 2009 product, an upgrade from the 2008 BD-P1500, which did not have Pandora.

BD-P1000 - 2007 - Did not have Pandora
BD-P1200 - 2007 - Did not have Pandora.
BD-P1400 - 2008 - Did not have Pandora.
BD-P1500 - 2008 - Did not have Pandora.
BD-P1600 - <b>2009</b> - Does have Pandora

BD-P2400 - 2007 - Did not have Pandora
BD-P2500 - 2008 - Did not have Pandora
BD-P2550 - 2008 - Only Blu-Ray product that introduced Pandora in 2008

BD-P3600 - <b>2009</b> - Has Pandora
BD-P4600 - <b>2009</b> - Has Pandora


<i>And that customer, who's invested thousands in a home theatre system, feels that the manufacturer sold his/her right to enjoy the full capabilities of the technology acquired and has abandoned the model to some preset, inviolable, cut in stone, "can't change this" feature slate.</i>

If you wanted Pandora as a feature, it was available at the time you purchased the BD-P2500. In fact, the BD-P2550, to the best of my memory, arrived two weeks prior to the arrival of the BD-P2500.

<i>Believe me, Pandora, or some internet radio streaming alternative, is a "must have" for a HT system: You're telling me I have to go out an buy a new box to get it, even though the necessary hardware is alive and well in my living room.</i>

With all due respect, I'm not "telling you" that you have to do anything. What I'm explaining is that Pandora was exclusive to the BD-P2550. It was the only player in 2008 that included Pandora, planned and executed. It's irrelevant that the BD-P2550 isn't available any longer, that model had an exclusive feature, and was readily available for, I believe, no less than 8 months at the largest electronics retailer in North America.

If it's a "must-have feature", then that's the model that would have best fit your needs.

Invoking our tagline doesn't change the fact that the retailer had an exclusive agreement, offering one specific feature for 2008. I could also "imagine the possibilities" of customers who paid a premium price for the BD-P2550 suddenly learning that owners of the BD-P2500 got the feature for free. Those customers will demand to know why Samsung "ripped them off" by giving away the feature they paid extra for, or had to shop at a certain retailer for, or any number of complaints.

I can't change it, and I can certainly appreciate that this is an important feature to you. But I'm also saying it with a straight answer, with what I hope is conveyed with dignity and respect, as is intended.

--HDTech

Except you don't believe that new features should be enabled on a capable device. The 2550 was released in October ahead of the 2500 and is now unavailable. All new model numbers end in "00" except the 2550. It is less than six months later, the 2550 is discontinued so this model had the shortest shelf life of any of the devices Samsung has produced. You're just proving that Samsung would rather produce a new device than improve the capabilities on existing devices owned by existing customers.

Respectfully, this is about customer service and delivering on the promise to offer new features via firmware updates. I'm spoiled by Apple who makes sure their customers get the most out of the Apple products they own. Apple sells their stuff at a premium because of this.

The availability of the 2550 was one of the reasons I did not purchase it. Best Buy in both Phoenix and Scottsdale were out of stock on no less than 3 occasions. Have you ever been in a Best Buy between Xmas and New Years? It's a zoo, with 20 to 45 minute lines waiting to check out.

The 2550's were not offered for a premium but for the same $349 list price. But then again they were not in stock.

This is the first upgrade to my HT system since before my kids were born (and my youngest is 24), other than a new DVD player ; my first LCD, first AV Receiver, and first blu ray player. Believe me, wading through all the reviews, marketing sheets and specs to try and stretch my buck as far as I could was bewildering and often confusing. You tech guys speak a whole other language. So I got that the 2550 was a Best Buy exclusive but was never able to actually see one, and thought the model # difference was just a cover so they didn't have to match the end of the year holiday discounting competition.
Yes I am stupid, stupid, stupid. (But I'm not a total imbecile; I got a Samsung.)

However, I've been getting nothing but a run around by customer service. First they told me that there is a hardware issue, then they stopped saying that in favor of saying "it's not gonna happen".

So my question is, if the device is capable of delivering a new feature, and you are capable of delivering the software that unlocks the box (Pandora's box), why won't you?

I believe this is tantamount to selling a computer that restricts the user to one website; who wants that?

The 2500 is the best under $500 blu ray player Samsung makes, why not make it better?

Imagine the possibilities of other future media websites over current Samsung players: think of the consumer loyalty.

sproy218,

Well, I'm not saying I believe anything, and I'm not certain what you've suggested is proven. I do think that if I continue this, the only outcome is that you're going to be angry with me for specifications that were set, and probably won't change.

So what I might suggest is calling 800-SAMSUNG and asking to speak with our Executive Customer Relations department about this. Maybe they'll be willing to work with you on an exchange or an upgrade - maybe not, but it's a step towards doing something about it, rather than just discussing it.

That's the only way that I can think resolution is going to come to this issue.

There was a specification difference. We don't make seperated models that are identical - close, maybe. Not identical. I can see where the confusion comes in.

So consider calling in to see if Samsung will consider a solution for you. I don't get to make that decision, but I am doing me best to point you in the direction of a solution for you.

--HDTech

Thank you, it's good to be heard.

As you can see from Post #10, there's more than one disgruntled Samsung customer that thinks that Samsung would rather fill landfills with their equipment than support and update what is currently in use by their customers. It's not a very environmentally safe strategy.

Lets make firmware upgrades Samsung's Green Initiative: Imagine the possibilities.

And I wouldn't get angry with you; you're doing your job holding the company line. I can tell you are passionate about your job. It's good to see you are compassionate enough to find out that your customers will only be as loyal to Samsung as Samsung is to its products.

Thanks again, HDTech Guy or Gal
Steve

sproy218,

No problem. I'd be interested in hearing if a resolution is possible.

I didn't mean to "wait so long" for this suggestion, it's just that I had to best determine what path would best serve your concerns.

I'll note this exchange and will send a report up to marketing. Before I did that, I just wanted to clarify the status quo. I certainly wasn't trying to engage in an argument, but clarifiy with facts.

Clarification, I hope I've provided. That's what I'm here for.
A solution is up to ECR. That's what they're here for.

Thanks for the kind words. I hope you get the resolve you're looking for.

Keep me posted.

--HDTech

Spent 20 minutes convincing tier 1 support to let me through to ECR then another 45 minutes trying to convince Sean that adding Pandora to the 2500's feature set would (a) enhance Samsung's customer appeal (b) greatly improve the feature set and make all current BD-P2500 customers happy and (c) improve the future sales of this model. Sean was easily persuaded to my point of view (eager to tell me what I wanted to hear) but pretty doleful about the prospects of getting anything done to make things happen. When I asked what else I could do to push this firmware upgrade forward to Samsung programmers, he said nothing; he was the end of the line, the customer service cul de sac. Unless my current unit was defective, there are no deals, no hush monies, no making the customers happy beyond giving ear.

So even though I hate to admit it and think it sounds harsh, dan104's 4/06 post "The 2550 is an obsolete product, in fact it was DOA" hits the nail on the head.

I do believe that Samsung should be more truthful about adding new features on its product pages by replacing:

"Your new Samsung Blu-ray Disc? player won?t be obsolete the moment you bring it home from the store. It?s equipped with an Ethernet connection so you can download the latest firmware upgrade and add new features."

with:

Don't expect any updates because by the time you buy our products we'll be hard at work creating their replacements... so don't get too attached.

Thanks for listening

The 2550 is an obsolete product, in fact it was dead on arrival. The firmware never made it to the specs of the box, but then neither did the 2500. You can have HD Netflix but not high quality sound or you can have high quality sound on Blue ray but not be able to get Netflix streaming.

I would assume that the 1600 and 3600 will suffer from the same problems, I don?t why anyone would want to go down that road, or even think that Samsung will invest a dime in fixing any problems with either 2500 or 2550. They have sold all they plan to and moved on. As for belief in the concept of keeping the product up to date, really do you believe that trash???

I wish I had bought the Sony system. Every contact with Samsung gets the same old BS, ?That?s a new problem?, ?Never heard of that? etc..

Has anybody tested this yet?

I have updated my 2550 with the new firmware via USB. I do not notice any playback difference which I expected; all disks I have played ok on the previous firmware. Only did a short test of one blu-ray title just to be sure my player was still in good working order. If you are not experiencing and playback issues, this update may not be necessary.

I just fired up the BlueRay to watch something from Netflix and got the notice for the update. It took about 10 to 15 minutes to upload and then another 5 to update. Pretty painless other than it took a while. I have not had any issues with any discs to date so I will not have much to compare it with. The biggest issue that has affected my BD-P2550 is when watching Netflix and there is a volume spike in the show, the sound will sometimes be out of sync with the video afterwards. I have to restart the video and fast forward fix it. Blue Rays play as expected (flawlessly) and upconversion is great depending on the quality of the original content provided.

I see several pro/cons to the upgrade...but mine is turning out to be very expensive.

1.) I run my Samsung BD-P2550 connected to Netflix. Since it was basically a free service if you already get netfix I'm pretty tolerant. There have been several selections that would lock up the unit in a specific place... but I would just move on and find something else. Mostly older movies seem to have this problem and probably relates to the 24fps problem I see several places.

2.) I purchaced my unit last Christmas 12/08 along with a 52LNT850A and have been pretty happy.

3.) At the time I purchased there were several firmware upgrades and and few in the following months. However, the best time to be notified is when the you power the unit on. My first update was via USB, since then the LAN.

4.) Last night the worse case scenario. I just finished watching one movie, unloaded it, and put in Band of Brothers disk one of 10. Normally, because the reaction is so slow... I just hit the eject/play and went back to seat, kicked my feet up. The firmware upgrade warning came up and I thought I hit the exit button, as I didn't want to go through the usually precautions and just wanted to watch the movie.

2.) I noticed the movie started to pause for a second or 2 every 15-secs or so. I was starting to think I purchased a bad disk, or it was some strange effect to the move some new edge or age effect (who knows these days).. anyway I went through several menus, start stop the movie etc, but it seemed to be getting worse.

3.) Oh crap, the verifying firmware Dialog popped up. The unit was upgrading while the moving was on. I quickly stopped the movie, but was afraid to do much else as I know powering off is critical/fatal error.

4.) The Do not Breathe unit is updating and will power off automatically came up. Ok, so far so good... more time goes by ... Unit powers off... ok good.

5.) Power unit... Loading (looks good... I though, however why is Netflix and Pandora missing from start up splash panel)
Guess what that's all she wrote... will not go past LOAD on display.
The signal from the Blu-Ray player to the TV stops... TV displays AnynetConnect device disconnected.

6.) panic ensues... I tried power/off eject... OPEN displays, but the door will not open. If I repeated hit eject within first 5 seconds of pwr on it will change several times but then appears to lock up.

7.) Basically, the unit is broke, and I didn't even want to do the firmware upgrade.

8.) Write email to Samsung - Reply Advanced problem ...call..

9,) Attempted to explain problem several times... I think basically the person on the other end is trying to fill in problem from drop down dialogs...

10.) Finally, I get. So do you want your unit serviced? Of course, since past 90day labor is not covered. I have to fax my receipt and then the I have to ship my unit out for repair. I asked if there was any local place, reply no. Did I mention I have to pay for labor...

11.) As I have a 1/10 $100 Bluray disc set I would like to retrieve the disc prior to sending the unit out.
Is there a way to eject the Disc Manually - As I see a Samsung Tech person who actually seems to know about the unit reply in this forum. It would be nice to know.

12.) I did receive a ticket
13.) If anyone can recommend how to upgrade/downgrade the firmware without a screen, or the setup menu coming up. (Yes, I tried hit menu within the first 5 seconds to no avail)... I'd appreciate any pointer.

14.) I also tried putting 2.5 firmware on a USB fob.... It lights up the signal that the USB is there, but it won't update.
- Needless to say the cd is not a viable option since the door won't open.

Needless to say, Netfix users beware. I do not recall a way to disable auto-notification... but its back to the manual... Otherwise, i might sell this off and look for another manufacture. This is too costly a problem, when not even attempting to update.

I got the BD-P2500 because it was advertised with Pandora support. Must have been a mistake on the Fry retailer part. After reading through all these posts I still have two questions:

* Why can't I just buy a "special" upgrade to get the Pandora support?
* Why are the USB flash files the EXACT same file size, yet only one player supports Pandora? This tells me you purposely cripple the 2500 model to make the people who paid for the 2550 model happy.

Couldn't you offer the new pandora upgrade to the 2500 people and if anyone complains about their 2550, you could just tell them that they got it "early" as their "special"? What are you telling them now that you support it on all of your other models? Won't they get mad that ALL Samsung BR players now support it and they paid for a "special" that is not so special any more?

I should also note, I got the 2500 because it has a matching front bezel to my Samsung receiver. I would have gotten the 1600, as it was cheaper, but this made it look nicer in my setup.

Best Buy bought the 2550 as an exclusive in order to avoid the Holiday 'beat my price' competition. Now that they haven't got any of these Pandora enabled models to sell, there is no good reason to keep Pandora off the 2500.
I guess Samsung would rather have its "leading edge" 2000 model blu-ray player lack an attractive feature. After all, they need to differentiate the 2500 from the 2600.

Guys,

I find it interesting that on one hand, we're accused of "not updating when new technology is available".

We did.

Supports DTS-HD HRA/MA Decoding
Supports Netflix VC1-AP HD Stream.
Supports BD-Live

All of those came as ways of firmware. Those were new technologies, and kept with the promise of keeping up with new technologies.

The <b>feature</b> of Pandora was an exclusive to one upgraded version, even marked by a different, exclusive model number. A different model number denotes that one product is different from another. The key word being <b> exclusive</b>.

If you wanted Pandora, or needed Pandora, the option of having Pandora was available on the BD-P2550, which was available for sale before the BD-P2500.

The early adopters of the BD-P2550 paid for a feature that no other manufacturer offered in a Blu-Ray player. That's why they purchased the BD-P2550 from the retailer that was offering it as an exclusive.

hackajar, if that's something a different retailer advertised, I would go back and have them make it right. We don't control their advertising, and if a mistake was made, you may have some leverage through the retailer if they did indeed make an error.

--HDTech

I have no problem with the upgrade policy, like others I bought the 2550 because at the time, it was to support Netflix and the price for the 2550 was the same as the 2500 (Best buy vrs JR).

My discomfort was that when the Firmware was released it was not firm (it is shaky at best, I have yet to try the 2.5 so maybe that might be better). As a Java Architect I suspect the box may not have the memory to support all of the features intermixed at once which could be why it passes QC but is so shaky in the field.

My desire would be to have it play Netflix streams without having to a treat movies like old dubbed Japanese films
(watch the mouths move then wait for the words to come out), heck although it was advertised with a high end sound processor that does not help when it can?t handle normal sound correctly.

I don?t need new features I just want the advertised ones to work 90% of the time.

May I suggest there could be a new revenue source for Samsung and for other hardware manufacturers? You could provide some firmware upgrades without charge, but you could also make available additional features for an extra charge. Apple is doing this with revisions of its software for iPhone/iPod Touch. Apple also has a brilliant idea -- allowing third-party vendors to create apps for their products. Samsung could also do this, test and approve the code, and then make these new features available to consumers. I think many of us would pay to have Pandora and I wonder if we might also get access to other streamed video sources beyond Netflix. This could be a whole new niche business!

We call that hacking, and in my world you find hacks for tons of computer produces. But in order to make it work the vendors have to release their base code, or there needs to enough interest to make a good study of the product.

Blu-Ray is Java based, and the code is tightly controlled. You can assume that the 2500 was based on the 1500 and the 1600/3000 are based on the same code set, so no way would Samsung release it.

Bottom line, don?t hold your breath, if you want Pandora, go figure out how to load 2550 firmware into 2500, I bet it has been done, try the AV forums.

rickinesc,

We're doing that with widgets in the televisions right now. Hopefully we'll see some neat technologies come down the line for the 2009 and forward models, as widgets were not available in 2008 (with the exception of InfoLink).

Currently, the widgets are free - but that may change. I certainly can't guess the future of a technology that has so many possibilities.

Before it is suggested, the widgets will also not be going backwards into 2008 models outside of what was offered in 2008.

--HDTech

I'm sorry to hear that Samsung is not planning anything for previous devices. I urge you to reconsider -- there is a vast untapped market there. This is not hacking that I am suggesting (as one previous poster wrote) but a way to increase the value of "old" products and create a long-term relationship between the consumer and Samsung. I hope you can present the idea to your marketing folks. It's bound to appeal to them on several levels. Thanks.

I bought my 2500 4 weeks ago. After the 2550 left production. My question still unanswered:

Why can you release Pandora Feature for 2500 now that we have left the early adopters phase for the 2550?

Especially since all other players currently sold by Samsung _still on the market_ now support it:

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/details/487399817/samsung-bdp2500

hackajar,

I answered that above:

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-13973_102-0.html?messageID=3028529&tag=forums06;posts#3028529

--HDTech

I haven't been able to play numerous Blu-ray titles. I've updated each firmware update thinking it would do the trick, but no luck.

The two titles I can recall not working were The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and now after 2.5 update Horton hears a who

What gives? Do I need to return this lousy player?