Firmware Update Guide For New Toshiba HD DVD Owners

[Gordon Werner]

Originally Posted by Kosty

AACS copy protection is the big issue for main movie content playback. The firmware has the latest keys needed by newer discs if the AACS protection has been breached for older releases.

now this I buy ... the rest I don't ... might be true but I find that to be kind of ridiculous.

[Pellaeon]

I have had one hell of a time upgrading this A2. My Bourne Ultimatum didnt work so I figured it was because I didnt upgrade to 2.7 yet (currently at 2.5). For some reason I can NEVER get this sucker to update via the internet, always get stuck around 19-23, sometimes before that. Still wondering where that Toshiba update disc is. I have never had such issues upgrading my PS3, it has been flawless everytime I have tried, via wireless Ethernet.

[Kosty]

Thought these links might be useful.

If anyone wants to copy and paste them or post them if someone has a firmware problem, feel free.

==============================

Toshiba links

Ethernet setup guide
http://tacp.toshiba.com/tacpassets-i...cksetguide.pdf

Info on using ISO images and downloading firmware
http://tacpservice.toshiba.com/Consu...andnotices.asp

Try burning the ISO image if you continuously have an issue with downloading. You may also want to use your computer for a moment as your ISP might be breaking the connection to your modem and if you say refresh a web page you may keep a stable connection.

Say if you have stalled download, unplug the cable ( or use another one ) and user your web browser to go to another web page. You ISP may be timing out the connection. Then plug the cable back into the HD DVD player ( better if you a second cable)

[mstewart]

Hi,
I recently tried to update my HD-A30 Toshiba HD player to Firmware 1.3
I tried ethernet and iso CD image, and get the same error code
2007c00f, about 1/3 thru the update. I called Toshiba and no luck,
Any ideas?

Thanks Mike

[peterhefer1]

apparently it's a disc error code often related to the way you burned the disc, try using a different program and or brand of disc and use cd-r's nor dvd-r's. I use Nero express with a 52x Sony CD-R, my burner (LG) with this disc allow's 8x burning as the lowest, I've burned disc's and updated twice and no problems.

[mattbell007]

There are two reasons why firmware updates are required:

(1) Because they are possible. Because firmware updates are possible, companies do not feel they have to get the firmware even close to perfect before releasing it. This leads to buggy firmware that has to be updated in order to fix firmware that was broken (not thoroughly tested) when it was originally released.

(2) Because the copy protection scheme requires firmware updates. The player firmware contains encrypted keys which are required to decrypt copy protected discs. If a player's firmware keys are "cracked", then future discs can be made to be impossible to decrypt with that version of the player's firmware. One cracked version of a player's firmware can mean that the copy protection on future disks is changed so that none of those players with that firmware can decrypt the new discs. That protects the copy-protected content, but it potentially renders thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of players useless for the new discs. If firmware updates were not possible, the company that sold those players would have all of those people angry instead of just the ones who are mad about having to do the firmware updates.

There are two dirty little secrets about copy protection. The first secret is that it never works on a long-term basis. All copy protection can be cracked. In fact, both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray copy protection schemes have already been cracked. Even the vaunted BD+ copy protection scheme has been cracked. These days, new cracks appear within hours or days of when updates are issued to "fix" previous cracks. Real pirates who make money copying copy-protected material are not stopped (nor even much slowed down) by copy protection. It is illegal in the US to make and sell devices that can crack copy protection precisely because it can be done. If it weren't possible to economically crack copy protection, there would be no reason to make laws against it.

The second dirty little secret about copy protection is that it is designed to prevent "fair-use", not to prevent piracy. Copy protection is plenty strong enough to prevent ordinary consumers from making a backup copy of a disc or to convert it to another format for viewing in an alternate device. No one in the content industry will admit that copy protection is not designed to prevent piracy, but it isn't. Copy protection is designed to make you have to pay again if your disc gets scratched or broken (not too uncommon in households with children), or to make you pay again if you want to watch the same content in another format.

I attribute the desire of content providers to prevent fair-use to greed on their part. Thus, they have created a miserable firmware-update / copy-protection scheme. My opinion is that your pain and misery at having to do firmware updates is due in large part to their greed.

Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do about it, except support with our dollars content providers who choose to eliminate copy protection (which is beginning to happen in the music industry, but shows no signs yet of happening in the movie industry).

[TIMS2SENSES]

I have heard many issues with people doing their firmware upgrades and many problems arise after doing them with playback of DVDs. I have done about 10 or so and never have I heard of problems from any of the machines I have worked on. This thread will hopefully help those or any others in the future.

1. Initialize your machine. It is in the same menu as firmware update. You are clearing all memory which I believe is the cause of much of the problems, especially those people that use online features.
2. Reboot your machine, full off then on. Fresh start up.
3. Have firmware update on CD-R disk (iso. image and burn it slow at 6x or 8x for a good copy) and put in tray. You can do it from a direct internet connection, but it is not as fail safe. Also I recommend putting your machine on a UPS (battery) back-up during the firmware update process.
4. Close tray and wait for update to be done. 10-20 minutes.
5. Take out disk and turn off machine (usually turns itself off) and reboot. (Those with HD-XA# models need to leave disk in for a 2nd. step where update actually finishes, then reboot.)
6. Check firmware Version. Should be right.

Now you can breath and keep enjoying your HD movie collection.

[Luke]

A troubleshooting tip for the thread.

I have burned about 5 discs to use for updating, none of them ever worked. Every time I inserted the disk, I got the message: "Disc is not DVD format. Cannot play." or something very close to that. I tried several different types of burning software and different brands of disc. Always the same message. I emailed Toshiba and asked about it, they never responded.

I tried again tonight and it did the same thing. I used the "tip" at the very end of the first post in this thread and it finally worked. Apparently I was the only person having this problem since I never could find a post on any forum about it. So if anyone else ever comes across this, there's your solution. On your remote click "setup", go to the "maintenance" tab and click it, go to the "initialize", click it, then select "yes." After doing that, then insert the disc and go through the steps. I thought I was not burning the disc correctly, but I used one of the same that had given me the error in the past.

I'm on step 5/5 right now and with the luck I've had with it so far I wouldn't be suprised to have it never finish or never work again. So lets keep our fingers crossed.

[5thDanMaster]

My preference is downloading via ethernet connection. I have had zero issues.

[project-blu]

I've not yet been able to burn one and have it work, 3 attempts. I contacted Toshi to have them send me a firmware disc, a month ago, and so far ain't seen shit.

Kinda pisses me off, honestly, that they aren't actually sending them out like they said they would.

[MidnightWatcher]

Originally Posted by n8boss87

I've not yet been able to burn one and have it work, 3 attempts. I contacted Toshi to have them send me a firmware disc, a month ago, and so far ain't seen shit.

Kinda pisses me off, honestly, that they aren't actually sending them out like they said they would.

Make sure you burn to a CD only and not a DVD, and always burn as an ISO Image (not as a data CD). Use the slowest burn setting you can, it's not a big file so it won't take long to burn.

[MidnightWatcher]

Originally Posted by Luke

I'm on step 5/5 right now and with the luck I've had with it so far I wouldn't be suprised to have it never finish or never work again. So lets keep our fingers crossed.

I trust that everything went well?

[Scrotorr]

First out of the box update on my A2 I did on disc... All following were done over ethernet... no issues with either, just the way I chose to do it each time.

[Liqwid]

I downloaded V2.8 for my A2, but the ISO won't mount in "Disk Utility" on my Mac like it has for the past two updates.

Anyone know of a solution?

[Centauri]

What is the message you get when you try to mount it?

Do you have Toast?