[Bazarama]

Hi

I have the Sharp BD-HP21 player, had it for just over a year. A few problems playing films from time to time but when it does, the quality is great.

I received my copy of Avatar yesterday and wanted to watch this morning. Player doesnt like it! I checked for fimrware updates and from what I can gather the last update was November with no further plan to offer any more.

Gutted!

Any suggestions what to do? Or indeed an inexpensive option to buy which is easy to operate and potentially I can connect to my router for easy updates?

Thanks in advance

Barry

[dassser]

Ahh.. Sharp are known for having issues with some recent releases.
My advice would be to upgrade to Sony or a Samsung model.

[skimminstones]

Not entered the world of bluray yet, still on dvds, but surely a disc is a disc isnt it? Im not going to be happy if i end up buying a blueray player only to find out they need constant updates to play new films.

Wouldnt the player or disc just be faulty?

[booie]

its probably worth contacting sharp then they will be aware of the issue. They may then put out a new firmware update.

[rolypolyman1]

Although the Sharp brand can normally be relied upon to be good quality , it seems that Sharp have allowed their badge to be used on one of the supermarket models that is also known as Curtis , Tevion and some others.

There are playback issues in these players with several discs including both Snow White Bluray discs and one of the dvd discs included with The Prisoner Bluray set.

There have been updates to correct some disc issues but not with either of the 2 I mention last time I checked

So Sharp themselves may not actually be able to do anything although it may still be worth letting them know about it

While changing to a Sony or Panasonic may be considered upgrading , buying a Samsung is not .
The brand is still a budget brand compared to some other makes even though their flat panel tv's are reasonable

[-GONZO-]

Originally Posted by skimminstones

Not entered the world of bluray yet, still on dvds, but surely a disc is a disc isnt it? Im not going to be happy if i end up buying a blueray player only to find out they need constant updates to play new films.

Wouldnt the player or disc just be faulty?

Yes a disc is a disc, but its whats on it thats the problem and whether or not the player can understand what the disc is telling it so updates are needed to give the player the info needed to understand discs that are created in a different way to other discs.
With the addition of BD live, players are connected to the internet and inform you when a new update is available for your player and dowloads direct to player with the push of a button.
My only concern with Bu Ray player updates is if you dont have the internet which im sure there must be many that buy a player only to find discs dont work and have no way of updating.

[rolypolyman1]

I've had a fully multiregion Panasonic player for a year and a half and never needed an update.

The myth that players need regular updates to stay playing discs is precisely that - a myth.

A Profile 1 player won't access any Popups.
A Profile 1.1 player (like mine) will not connect to the net.

BD-Live is possibly the most worthless feature ever to appear on a home video format.

Net connection can be useful for downloading additional content like you can with the PS3 but until standalones have some storage capacity the net connection is of minimal use.

Updates to allow playback of certain discs has been pretty much contained to cheapo brands although there was a glitch with Pioneer players on the Star Trek discs and even the PS3 had a minor glitch on one of the Star Trek movies.

But total playback failure has been restricted to the likes of Curtis/Tevion- and now Sharp too

If your player won't connect to the net it's simple to download updates on your PC then burn to cd but you should never really need to

[jjesso123]

can updates not be placed on the disc ? but do i think most people investing hd movies would most likley have internet but do feel its not fair for small amount of people that cant/dont have internet. the problem with blu ray is it keeps getting new features iam sure this will slow down.

[skimminstones]

Ive never been fussed by the extras on dvd and wont be by them on blueray either. I just want to buy a player, buy a disc and know the thing will play in it. Cant believe some discs wont do so. Thats a fairly big flaw in my eyes.

[rolypolyman1]

Originally Posted by jjesso123

can updates not be placed on the disc ? but do i think most people investing hd movies would most likley have internet but do feel its not fair for small amount of people that cant/dont have internet. the problem with blu ray is it keeps getting new features iam sure this will slow down.

No it doesn't .
Apart from the 3 profiles mentioned there are no additional Bluray features you need to worry about.
You do not need to be connected to the internet .
All players will now be Profile 2 but a Profile 1.1 player is good enough.

Originally Posted by skimminstones

Ive never been fussed by the extras on dvd and wont be by them on blueray either. I just want to buy a player, buy a disc and know the thing will play in it. Cant believe some discs wont do so. Thats a fairly big flaw in my eyes.

It's not a flaw because it's not supposed to happen.
Buy a decent make and you will have no problems
Those that bought budget branded dvd players found similar problems in the early days.

Budget brands cut corners.

[jjesso123]

Originally Posted by rolypolyman1

No it doesn't .
Apart from the 3 profiles mentioned there are no additional Bluray features you need to worry about.
You do not need to be connected to the internet .
All players will now be Profile 2 but a Profile 1.1 player is good enough.



It's not a flaw because it's not supposed to happen.
Buy a decent make and you will have no problems
Those that bought budget branded dvd players found similar problems in the early days.

Budget brands cut corners.

thanks for explaining that i use ps3 so never had to worry about updates. the only decent update would probs be 3d later on in the year. but i have read some missleading leading things about standalone players not playing certains movies without updates every few months. you are right about sticking to know brands sony,toshiba,lg,panasonic buy one those and i think you would not have to change for long time.

[rolypolyman1]

The PS3 is better for updates than a standalone but the regular updates it gets are usually for other features of the PS3 .

I have a PS3 and use it for everything except gaming.
But I had to get a multiregion standalone to play my US dvd's and Region A Blurays.

[jjesso123]

i just got bd drive my pc 59.99 pounds works like a treat for multi region blu rays.

[rolypolyman1]

Originally Posted by jjesso123

i just got bd drive my pc 59.99 pounds works like a treat for multi region blu rays.

Is that just a player or is it a burner too ?

[emptybox]

Blast!
When I saw the thread I was hoping it wouldn't be about Sharp.

I have the Sharp BD-HP20, so it's even less likely to play Avatar, and I was looking forward to buying that.

There's absolutely NO excuse for any Blu-Ray player (including a profile1 like mine), not playing the main feature.

The only problem I've had in the past was with 'Wall-E', and an update fixed that.
Sharps are very easy to update via USB stick, so I hope an update is forthcoming to fix this.

[jjesso123]

Originally Posted by rolypolyman1

Is that just a player or is it a burner too ?

its here i didnt like the idea of getting burner just yet as would rather wait for better cheaper faster ones and really not not liking the prices of the blu ray discs. ripping blu ray disc would take up to much space and lower quality.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...pf_rd_i=468294

[pocatello]

Frankly you should go after sharp. Its unacceptable that a bluray player can't play a bluray, i'd call their customer service line right away, they owe you a working player, they sold you something that doesn't work. unacceptable.

[Bazarama]

Well, I have emailed Sharp to query the issue, and will wait to see what their response is but I'm not holding my breath to be honest.

[Chorley Matt]

I have a Pioneer BDP120 (also made by Sharp I believe). This would not play Avatar when I received it on Saturday, but a quick update via USB from the Pioneer website rectified the problem immediately.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by rolypolyman1

I've had a fully multiregion Panasonic player for a year and a half and never needed an update.

The myth that players need regular updates to stay playing discs is precisely that - a myth.

Sorry, that's complete rubbish, it's no myth - older players that don't have the later software won't play some modern discs because they require software of a later date than the player. Just because your almost brand new player hasn't required an update so far is no guarantee it won't in the future.

I do upgrades for customers, and some I've done multiple times as more and more new features are used on the BD discs.

If your player won't connect to the net it's simple to download updates on your PC then burn to cd but you should never really need to

Again, an older player is almost certain to require updates, net connected BD players make this simple, or (as you said) you can download an update and do it via a CD-ROM.

I've got a pair of 'homeplugs' I use specifically for updating BD players - makes it nice and easy to do, and not restricted to been near the router.

[Gadget Guy]

I have the Sharp Aquos player but think it maybe the older hd-cp20. Will have to check when i get home.
I have played my copy of Avatar on it and it looks fantastic but after a while it started occasionally putting up a postion marker on the screen and the chapter icon. I assumed I had pressed something on the remote accidentally. I will try it again when I get home later after unplugging for a while which i do from time to time as the player is a little quirky. I did update the firmware when I got the player as a matter of routine but have had no problems on the few BD discs I have played on it but can confirm that Avatar did play fine..

[mrstella]

Hi

I am having the same issue with the digital time marker and scene icon showing during playback.

I have a samsung ht-bd2 system with the latest update if you get a workaround I would love to hear about it.

[goodkarma]

i had a similar problem with my LG 360 Blue ray player, the movie 2012 would not play. Connecting to the internet and updating the firmware sorted the problem. But i was very annoyed with such problems

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by goodkarma

i had a similar problem with my LG 360 Blue ray player, the movie 2012 would not play. Connecting to the internet and updating the firmware sorted the problem. But i was very annoyed with such problems

Why would you be annoyed?.

How can you expect a player to support something that didn't exist when it was made?. At least the manufacturers seem to be pretty good at providing updates.

[Glawster2002]

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Why would you be annoyed?.

How can you expect a player to support something that didn't exist when it was made?. At least the manufacturers seem to be pretty good at providing updates.

I agree.

As any technology develops there will always be a need to update software, a PC is a perfect example of that. If I install a new piece of hardware, one of the things I look for is a software update - for no other reason than I know the box must be connected to the network correctly!