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donoreo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
North York, ON

donoreo

Premium Member

So why does my Blu-Ray have updates all the time?

Any time I check, there is a software update from Samsung. There are no details, just an update. Six or seven times since I got it in December. Why?

Dustyn
Premium Member
join:2003-02-26
Ontario, CAN
·Carry Telecom
·TekSavvy Cable
Asus GT-AX11000
Technicolor TC4400

Dustyn

Premium Member

I don't have a hardware based player, but I have a software based solution that I use on my computer. I have never once had to update the firmware on my Blu-ray drives. Does your hardware based player require these updates to function or can you just disable them?

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz to donoreo

MVM

to donoreo
Baseless paranoia on the part of the MPAA, no other reasons. They're constantly revoking keys as they're discovered by the public, and they need an update to revoke the keys and provide new ones.

If you don't update, any blurays released after that date may not play. Disabling the updates is not an option.

shaner
Premium Member
join:2000-10-04
Calgary, AB

shaner to donoreo

Premium Member

to donoreo
I would suspect it's a samsung thing. It seems they are trying to have an ecosystem of connected samsung devices in every home. My daughter's Samsung android phone constantly wants to update the "samsung apps" even though hers is a truly basic phone.

urbanriot
Premium Member
join:2004-10-18
Canada

urbanriot

Premium Member

That's part of what it is, updates to the smart-hub system and Allshare abilities, and possibly decoder updates as well, and probably what Guspaz suggests too.
Phorkster
Premium Member
join:2004-06-27
Windsor, ON

Phorkster to donoreo

Premium Member

to donoreo
Wait, people still use dvd and bluray players?
zod5000
join:2003-10-21
Victoria, BC

zod5000 to donoreo

Member

to donoreo
Yah I still use a bluray player (my ps3). There are no legal online alternatives that offer quality as good as bluray. Services like netflix offer pretty subpar hd quality.

Illegal internet downloads can have really great quality though. Why isn't the paid product ever as good the pirated one

WhaleOilBee
What a long strange trip it's been
join:2011-08-02
Manotick, ON

1 recommendation

WhaleOilBee

Member

said by zod5000:

Yah I still use a bluray player (my ps3). There are no legal online alternatives that offer quality as good as bluray. Services like netflix offer pretty subpar hd quality.

I've been told that Illegal internet downloads can have really great quality though. Why isn't the paid product ever as good the pirated one

Fixed it for ya

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz to donoreo

MVM

to donoreo
Netflix' 1080p quality is "good enough", but it's hard knowing what titles will be 1080p, and many devices don't do 1080p netflix.

iTunes has pretty good 1080p quality. Not completely bluray, but from comparisons I saw when iTunes started offering 1080p movies, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference in practice.

The fact is you'll probably never find an online service that can match the quality of an offline storage medium. It's just a matter of capabilities: BluRay has a maximum AV bitrate of 48 Mbps, and there's nothing stopping them from saying "Hey, now we do 4K video on BDXL disks with higher read speeds". In fact, I suspect that's exactly what will happen.

If we all had Google Fibre, this might not be the case, but the average person's internet connection isn't up to doing 48 Mbps, so instead we get ~4 megabit for 720p from Netflix, and whatever they do for 1080p. And it looks pretty nice, definitely better than DVD, but still limited by what the average person can do.

donoreo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
North York, ON

donoreo

Premium Member

I did look and there are "new" icons beside some of the Samsung software, but I did not go look.

My BluRay will also be my Netflix source if and when I decide to get it.

Pauly
join:2004-05-29
canada

Pauly

Member

net flicks requies an internet connection which will cost you $30 - $40 per month and upwards, where as a blue ray player you rent or buy the media, you do not need internet. the software updates you might be able to contact sam sung and they can ship you a dvd or blue ray disc with the updates on it so you do not always need an internet connection to update it.

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz

MVM

You need an Internet connection either way... Unless you're suggesting people can get along without one these days?

I doubt Samsung will send you discs for updates. Most bluray players let you do offline updates from a USB stick or burned disc.
GeoStar
join:2011-02-10
j2e6f5

GeoStar to donoreo

Member

to donoreo

You should send samsung a bill for taking up valuable download electrons and time from your dsl account ....

Pauly
join:2004-05-29
canada

Pauly

Member

u dont need an internet connection to watch blue ray on a standalone player, and a reputable company should send u software updates free. why should u need a usb stick to load them? the blue ray player can read blue ray and dvd disks, why should u have to copy the software updates to a usb? that seems like programmers didnt do their job when they made the unit
BobSagget
join:2005-06-23
Barrie, ON

BobSagget to Phorkster

Member

to Phorkster
said by Phorkster:

Wait, people still use dvd and bluray players?

Of course they do.

I got me a $50 blu ray player from Walmart that plays discs from any region. I have bought so many super cheap blu rays from Amazon.co.uk. Way cheaper than any price in Canada or the US.
zod5000
join:2003-10-21
Victoria, BC

zod5000 to Pauly

Member

to Pauly
said by Pauly:

u dont need an internet connection to watch blue ray on a standalone player, and a reputable company should send u software updates free. why should u need a usb stick to load them? the blue ray player can read blue ray and dvd disks, why should u have to copy the software updates to a usb? that seems like programmers didnt do their job when they made the unit

Many units can be updated via burning the firmware update on a disc. There's usually multiple ways to update a player. Internet, USB, or burned media.

I do agree that the constant updates are annoying. I blame most of it on the evolving nature of bluray copy protection. The problem is that the new keys are routinely hacked with ease. The end result being that it annoys bluray customers more than it annoys pirates.

It's the never ending battle of copy protection. Someone always hacks it. It ends up hurting the paying customer more than the freeloading one. It's like sitting through all the FBI warning notices before watching a movie. They only warn the people that actually bothered to pay for the product.. its pretty annoying.

Big Brother
@bell.ca

Big Brother to donoreo

Anon

to donoreo
So they can keep track of what you are watching.

...but I feel its because they never fully test their products, "just fix it in firmware"; these fixes soon stop after a new model is rolled out, and you are encouraged to go out and buy the new one.

digitalfutur
Sees More Than Shown
Premium Member
join:2000-07-15
GTA

digitalfutur to Guspaz

Premium Member

to Guspaz
Most players also have a USB port for downloaded firmware updates from the manufacturer's website. A lot more convenient to connect the player directly to the net though.

I can't see how those advocating downloads can get around monthly bitcaps when a 1080p 30 fps bluray movie is 15-30gb, depending on length.

That's why blu-ray DVD sales continue to increase. Quality isn't free.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

said by digitalfutur:

I can't see how those advocating downloads can get around monthly bitcaps when a 1080p 30 fps bluray movie is 15-30gb, depending on length.

For those who don't have bitcaps, it's still a viable option.

Sadly, in this country those people are few and far between. This is what you get when content providers, BDUs, ISPs and television networks are all vertically integrated into each other under four or five different megacorps.

elwoodblues
Elwood Blues
Premium Member
join:2006-08-30
Somewhere in

elwoodblues to Big Brother

Premium Member

to Big Brother
said by Big Brother :

So they can keep track of what you are watching.

...but I feel its because they never fully test their products, "just fix it in firmware"; these fixes soon stop after a new model is rolled out, and you are encouraged to go out and buy the new one.

WDC is really bad for that, they've abandoned all support for all buy the WDTV live and Live Hub.
elwoodblues

elwoodblues to digitalfutur

Premium Member

to digitalfutur
said by digitalfutur:

That's why blu-ray DVD sales continue to increase. Quality isn't free.

Sure is.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

If anyone knows that, it's you

elwoodblues
Elwood Blues
Premium Member
join:2006-08-30
Somewhere in

elwoodblues

Premium Member

said by Gone:

If anyone knows that, it's you

I've simply heard that, I suggest you speak with Angelo for the real facts.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

Hah