Blu Ray DVDs not loading

Hobbes1982,

I apologize, I should have noted that this was for the U.S. region, which is the only region I can technically speak on.

I usually don't report to other regions and have no control on that, but I'll be happy to ask someone who might.

(This applies for both UK and Canada - I'll see what I can do)

--HDTech

Thanks HDTech, please let me know how you get on.

Hi Guys,

I'm not near my BD-P1600 but have managed to find a previous XEF (European) version of the firmware!

http://www.samsung.de/webdownloads/infomedia/bluray/BEv2.02_090827_BDP1600_XEF.zip

I realise it that if it works it will roll the player all the way back to 2.02, but hopefully it will start to play disks again?

I'll let you know how it goes whan I have chance to try it!

Cheers,
Hobbes

Are there any plans to re-release 2.07 on the Canadian site?

Hoping to get a resolution for us Canadians asap.

Thanks in advance!

is that correct? for the time being we are to downgrade our 4600's to the 2.07 version?

I have had zero luck rolling back firmware from 2.09 to 2.07. I have tried the 5 sec. ff/skip and menu "1" process, but still get "error in update data, try again" when trying to install firmware. same result on both my 1600 and my 3600. I have tried usb, cd and live update and all end in "error in update data, try again."

So what good are the rolled back firmware postings if Samsung has locked us from being able to roll the firmware back??

And for those that have had success rolling back firmware from 2.09 - how have you done it?

My email to Samsung ...

Firmware 2.10???

I am one of the many owners of a BD-P1600/3600 that had their player borked when firmware 2.09 was pushed out in late May 2010. Forums (such as CNET and AVSforum) are stacked sky high with people that have experienced the same exact issues with their players since updating to firmware 2.09. These problems include ....
1. AVCHD playback via disc no longer works
2. DD5.1 and DTS playback no longer functions correctly with many discs/files
3. Many Warner Bros. discs no longer play correctly (or at all)

All these problems began immediately after updating to firmware 2.09. I have been patiently waiting for a fix to be issued via firmware update. The wait is now exceeding 2.5 months. I find it unacceptable that Samsung can push out a firmware update that bricks functions in your player - and then just take their sweet time getting a fix out. I am growing tired of the scripted 'it is coming soon' that chat and phone support constantly repeat.

This past week, Samsung pulled the 2.09 firmware for the 1600/3600, and replaced them with rollbacks to 2.08 and 2.07 respectively. The problem for those of us who have 2.09 is that there is no option to rollback to an earlier firmware. We are stuck with a broken machine from firmware that was pushed out by Samsung. The very fact that the 2.09 firmware was pulled from the Samsung website indicates that Samsung is aware that a problem exists and no longer wants people to upgrade to 2.09.

I appreciate Samsung's efforts to constantly update their players and innovate with adding new features. I also understand that sometimes a problem may occur. I can be patient. What I don't understand is why it is now closing in on 3 months with no solution in site. I have been hearing 'a fix is coming soon' and 'they are working on it' since early June from Product Support.

I have now owned this unit for approx. 7 months. For a 3rd of the time that I have owned it, it has been screwed up by firmware 2.09. If a fix is not out soon, I would like to request that my unit be repaired or replaced by Samsung (at no expense, since Samsung pushed out the firmware that screwed up my machine in the first place.) I would be willing to wait until the end of the month of August for a firmware fix - otherwise, I would like my unit repaired. If firmware is on the way, can you please provide me with a specific target date (i.e. August 27th, 2010) and not just 'soon'?

I own a BD-P3600, a BD-C5500, a 40' Samsung LCD and a TL225 Digital Camera. I have become a loyal Samsung owner of late after many years as a loyal Sony owner.

Please assist me with this issue.


Samsung's response ...

Dear Jeremy,

Thank you for contacting Samsung Electronics.

With reference to your e-mail, we understand you have issues with the Blu-ray player after installing the
firmware version 2.09.

We apologize for the inconvenience. We can understand your disappointment and frustration in this regard.
Our development team is working on this issue and a fix will be made available as soon as possible. You
can understand our limitations in this regard.

If you require any further information, feel free to contact us.

Thank you,

Samsung Support.

For me it's the process of upgrading BDP1500 firmware and ending up with a Blu-ray player that does not play Blu-rays anymore. Sorta like a large black, shiny BRICK!

Sometimes, it's best to follow the old saying: "If ain't broke, don't fix it"

Still waiting for an email telling me to send my BRICK into Samsung for free, out of warranty repair or replacement. I quit holding my breath, however.

Good luck to all with your Samsung products!

Rex

Wouldn't it make sense to just rename 2.07 to 2.10 and send it to the masses? Can their own engineering department not figure that one out on their own accord?

I agree that this wait is unacceptable. I am giving them another week and will be rounding up affected users to submit a class action lawsuit.

If we wanted dysfunctional bluray players we would have bought an LG product. Instead we went with the trusted company who has let us down.

As someone who has spent thousands on Samsung products and recommended the brand to everyone I know, this predicament is no longer excuseable.

Here's to wishing we'd never done what should have been a simple update.

... that would make entirely too much sense. Leave it to engineering to overthink a problem. Sometimes the easiest solutions are the most obvious and the most quickly overlooked. I've tried to hex edit the .ruf file to homebrew my own 2.10 - but no luck!

The American site has put previous firmware revisions on their website, and there's been no such development for us Canadians...

How hard is it to do this? As someone with web design experience, it should have been completed by now.

Looks as if Samsung has grown too large for its own good.

The matter is far from resolution, so why leave us alone when we asked such a simple request : equal treatment from the same company which is accommodating our American neighbours.

... even having access to previous firmware via the U.S. site, it still is no help. Many of us can't roll back our firmware from 2.09.

... and don't forget. "They are working on it" and "a firmware update will be released soon." So I guess we are actually the unreasonable ones. Why can't we all just be content with our half-bricked units??! Seems a reasonable expectation on Samsung's part.

I bought the BDP-3600 in January for $218.00 and have watched a maximum of 10 movies. After the firmware upgrade that broke my unit in so far that it can't play a good number of movies, I will NEVER purchase another Samsung product. I'm tired of waiting for a firmware upgrade, so I'm going to Best Buy today and purchase a player that actually plays Blu-Ray.

i have made my displeasure known to product support. i have informed them that if a fix is not in by the end of august that i am demanding a no cost (and most importantly) 'working' replacement. i will stay on the phone for as long as necessary and talk to whomever i need to. i will break them and force them to fix this issue. i suggest others do the same.

even so ...
by jeremygary - 8/11/10 3:34 PM In reply to: So I take this silence as abandonment. by groovyfa
... even having access to previous firmware via the U.S. site, it still is no help. Many of us can't roll back our firmware from 2.09.

Copy 2.07 firmware to a USB an empty USB drive. Plug the drive into the Samsung (3600 in my case) and turn on the unit. Pick the option to replace the firmware.

i have tried rollback via usb, cd, dvd and live update. always end up with "error in update data." seems others are having the same issue. i have even tried redownloading the firmware, just to be sure it is not a corrupt file. never works. product support has no solution.

i will try again tonight one last time.

IMHO SAMSUNG IS NOT DOING A GOOD JOB KEEPING THEIR CUSTOMERS INFORMED! This is something I will consider when I purchase my next electronic device and when I discuss electronics companies with my friends.

Despite our dismay and disappointment, it still may be a good thing. The very last thing we all would want is for them to release a fix that screws up some more things. I personally was surprised how often they have made changes. If I was running their Quality Department, I would not permit another "Quick Release". I would force the engineers to stop! and do a major Firmware review. Fix what is broken and TEST IT until it had no other bugs. FIRMWARE Problems bite a lot of good companies if their engineers do not follow and the quality department does not insist on following accepted firmware modification guidelines.

Thanks for all the postings. I am having the same issue with my Blu Ray player and the Book of Eli Blu Ray from Netflix. Was fiddling with it and have now lost my sound I guess I will try to reload the older firmware and see if that helps. Now I am wishing that I didn't buy 3 of the same players. Another model would have helped me watch my movie.

I went to the local electronics store and purchased a Bluray player from a competent company. My new Panasonic DMP-BD85 is fantastic!

Low and behold there was a firmware update dated from last week and I ran it without issues!

If Samsung ever fixes this current disaster I will hook the player up to update it and sell it online with kijiji.

I'm not saying that Panasonic will never have a firmware issue, but I highly doubt that they would take so incredibly long to correct the issue. I also would like to think that they would care about their Canadian consumers as much as their American followers...

To those who are fed up with the lack of a proper quality control department and a competent firmware department, I would strongly encourage you to join me in liberating yourselves from this mess.

This Panasonic player is an absolute delight and has all the features of the BD-P3600, plus it sports superior video as well as audio reproduction.

followed your advice (sorta) & just replaced the unit with the oppo remedy. this has been my first & last samsuck product.

i am going to go out of my way to recommend any alternative to this pile.

if anyone does go forward w/a class action put my name in the hat too.

I'm totally HORRIFIED! With SAMSUNG. I can not believe they are NOT apologizing daily for their problems. What is unforgivable is that they are NOT talking to us!!! Not even the SAMSUNG TECH!

I wonder if CNET is documenting the SAMSUNG customer support for future reviews? ARE YOU THERE CNET?

After a couple tries, I couldn't get the USB upgrade method to work on OS X 10.6.4. Finally got it to work by making sure the USB stick was formatted for Windows (FAT-16) and had the correct partition map (Master Boot Record) and making sure there were NO files on the USB stick other than the .RUF firmware file. Perhaps this is overkill but this is what worked for me:

FORMAT CORRECTLY IN DISK UTILITY
-----

1. don't use "erase" because by default this will format using the Apple GUID partition table.
2. instead go to the "partion" tab and select 1 partition.
3. then select MS-DOS format (FAT)
4. then hit options and choose "Master Boot Record"
5. then erase

TURN OFF SPOTLIGHT for the disk
----
1. go to System Preferences -> Spotlight -> Privacy
2. add the USB drive to privacy

COPY the .RUF firmware file
------
1. in the finder, copy the extracted .RUF firmware file (not the .zip file you downloaded) to the USB disk.


REMOVE all invisible files in Terminal
----
these steps might not be necessary but since Samsung is so damn stupid that they require the .RUF file is the only file on the drive, I removed all invisible files in terminal

1. open up the Terminal application
2. where DRIVE is the exact name of your formatted drive, type:

cd /Volumes/DRIVE/

3. list the files by typing:

ls -a

you should see a list of several files that begin with a period, including .Spotlight, .Trashes, and .fsevents (or something), maybe .DS_Store

4. be careful on this one because we'll use wild card * to remove files. make sure you're looking at the list for the drive as in step 3 above
for each thing on there type in terminal:

rm -R .PARTIAL_FILE_NAME*

(where .PARTIAL_FILE_NAME* refers to anything that begins with that file name, ie for the Spotlight index:

rm -R .Spot*

for Trashes:

rm -R .Trash*

for the .fsevents file or whatever:

rm -R .fs*

for .DS_Store

rm -R .DS_Store

you may be asked to verify
after each one type:

ls -a

again, you should see it's gone

5. type:
cd /
to exit that directory so you can eject the disk

NOTE: There may be other utilities you can use to delete invisible files without needing to use terminal. This is easier for me tho.

PLUG-IN USB DRIVE AT THE CORRECT TIME
-----

One more thing Samsung doesn't make clear enough: you apparently need to plug in the USB while no disc is loaded AFTER the menu comes up. You cannot apparently plug it in before turning on the player, or it will attempt to check the network instead...

So do that, then go to USB->System->System Upgrade

What a monumental time suck. Hope this helps someone.

I am a Mac OS X user too, and the only thing I did was format the USB flash drive as MS-DOS FAT, which is FAT(32). This defaults to Master Boot Record under options. None of the terminal work is required. I did clear the drive of other files first, but I think the only thing that is important is to have only one .RUF file on the flash drive.

Make sure there is no disc in the player, and be patient while the player verifies the file, it takes a few minutes.

Wish Samsung would issue an update ASAP that either corrects the 2.09 problem or essentially rolls people back to 2.08. There are many who won't check this forum or understand how to do a USB upgrade.

Samsung.... you are not earning yourselves a lot of points here!

The instructions posted were very complete, and although I followed them to the letter, my player would not accept the file to downgrade to version 2.07 for PD-P3600. (There isn't any version 2.08 for my player.)
It is a mystery as to why some people are able to downgrade to the previous version and some aren't!

I was able to successfully load the 2.08 Firmware on my Blu-ray player and was finally able to watch the Book of Eli. I even got my sound back. Yeah.

Are any of you from Canada?

If yes, can you please post a link here to download the XAC for whichever version (2.08/2.07 etc) for the BD-P3600.

Thanks!

Followed instructions to the "T" - and still "error in update data." Seems some units just cannot be rolled back. Sucks for us!