Hmmmm...can't actually see what this has changed. 4:3 aspect ratio bug still there.

Hi EmcG67. What is happening to your 4:3? Is it being cropped or stretched in some way instead of showing correctly in its original 4:3 aspect?

Channels such as CNN, Tiny Pop, Kix etc. used to display in anamorphic widescreen even though they are transmitted in 4:3. Now they appear as 4:3 and changing aspect ratio has no effect.

Hi,
I've been considering buying this box for a while now but have been put off by some of the earlier reported problems.

Following the two recent software updates how stable is the box now ? Are all issues resolved ?

Also, how do the boxes handle scheduled recordings when in standby ? Do they continuously monitor the epg checking for any changes or do they hope the program is never going to be a lot earlier than scheduled and simply wake up a little ahead of time ?

The only other box I'd consider is the new Humax, quite a bit more cash though.

Thanks
Paul

Paul1962,

it seems the box is far more stable with the latest updates plus ITV player now works. However, you'll need to do the updates via USB as no 'over the air' updates have been issued. I have only once had the 'lost library' issue since I got the box in Jan 2012. I know some people were getting this issue every few weeks so they would be better able to tell you if it's been sorted.

As for recordings from standby. I noticed that the box wakes up about 5-10 mins before the scheduled time of a show. Some channels send a signal that tells the box a recording is about to start (such as BBC, ITV I believe) and some don't (such as Channel 4).

Thanks EMcG67,
My main concern was the library loss. It's strange it affects differerent boxes by different amounts so that still remains a worry.
I'd be interested in other peoples experiences since the update.

Being unable to pad recordings is also a negative.

It's good Samsung appear to be paying more attention to this box.

There are some good deals on this box at the moment so I'm very tempted.

Paul

If you can get it for £170 or so then I'd go for it. I see that Richer Sounds has a few left + 'guarantees lowest price' and if you got a 5 year guarantee with it then that would offer you some protection if you get one of the boxes that suffers from repeated 'missing libraries'.

Watching my Sammy box here at my caravan in South west Scotland. This is my second box as I had Library problems and freezing but replaced by Argos without a quibble!! Great picture quality - like HD even on SD!! Don't like the EPG but that is a small let down.....worth every penny!!

How's the new box been since the firmware update? Assuming that you have updated it.

Someone with keener eyes than me has spotted that the new update has added a small grey line to the bottom of the channel info bar with the genre underneath it ie. entertainment or drama etc. Also the program synopsis in the epg doesnt scroll anymore so you can actually read it.

Its been reported that for those of you who have a ‘Auto' or 'Just Scan’ setting on your tv, set your aspect ratio to this (not 16:9) and the Samsung box will do the rest. HD programs will now fill the screen to their native resolution and even 4:3 channels adjusted to 16:9 fill the screen better.

I got my sister one of these a year ago for £130 from Amazon as an open box return. I need to do the update for her.

Nearly bought one new for £150 just before the recent software updates, can't get anywhere near that now.

I do like the Humax but having had a play can't help thinking it's been released before it was ready

Does anyone have this problem with BBC iPlayer on the Samsung? When a programme ends instead of iPlayer returning to the programme info. showing options like 'more like this' etc. the screen goes black, the coloured button options appear at the bottom of the screen and 'Loading....' appears at the top? The iPlayer is unresponsive and you have to change channel and then go back to channel 901 and re-enter the iPlayer.

Yep always done this since day one... just press exit and it gets you back to the channel you're on (i.e. BBC1) and red again... Bit of a pain. Had 2 boxes nearly a year apart to definitely firmware issue - and running on a 20Mb FTTC broadband.

Has the new firmware been pulled already? All I can access via the Samsung website is the downloads for the manual and DoC, no matter what I do...

You're correct, it has disappeared. I contacted them yesterday re: my iPlayer issues and they said to download the new firmware to sort it. I told them I had done this and it hadn't solved the issue. Now that firmware has gone. Odd. Hopefully, there will be another update to follow.

Perhaps they should formally setup a beta test group, as we seem to be doing it informally for them...

Just very keen to try and get rid of the library issue, not too bothered about iPlayer. Does anyone still have the software update file and instructions that they could send out?

Thanks,

Andy

I do and I installed it successfully onto my son's box last week.

However, until we know the reason Samsung have withdrawn it, I think it would be unwise to copy it to anyone else. I know it's very unlikely, but, if Samsung are aware of a danger that the box could be bricked, where would liability lie?

If it was taken down accidentally by Samsung, I'm sure they will make it available again at some point. If they removed it intentionally, it might be wise to wait until they provide a version they consider to be ready for use.

It's back again on the Samsung site.

Exactly the same version as was there a few days ago, so presumably Samsung removing it was just a mistake.

My box has just asked me to download new firmware, it has taken me to firmware version 0.39/1.43
software version 007.000.0379
It took around 10 minutes to complete.

Me too... Not sure what's changed...

Looks like exactly the same file to me. Both the 30th October one and today's have the same MD5 checksum.

b9afa691c5312c704a23159e5e08fc0a for those that are interested.

Switched my box to Standby at bed time last night, passed by a few minutes later and found Software update in progress. This morning, I too have 0.39/1.43 showing in the settings menu - all automatic, hope it was worth it.