1146 replies to this topic

[jrdoo7]

I have a blu ray and i never had any problems with any movie not playing. I think this is a case of sony screwing up the discs not the player itself. I think it an overreaction to dump the blue ray because of this problem.

[NVT]

Can anyone who has some of the blue ray films do screen captures so we can see the quality difference between the HD and SD?

thanks

[DamnCoffee]

I was in my local newsagents today and I saw the current issue of PSM3 magazine. It came with a free disc - Bond on Blu sampler, for all six movies plus the trailer for Quantum of Solace.

[Loomis]

Well, after all this time talking about the Bond on Blu's it's unfortunate to have to report this but... there seems to be MAJOR issues with the Blu-rays (namely that they don't WORK).

Here's some links to various sites where discussion is ongoing about it...

AVS Forum

Home Theater Forum

I can add my experience: I bought "Dr. No" and "From Russia With Love" and couldn't get either to work on my brand new Sony player. Exchanging them for new copies yielded the same results so I ended up eBaying them for about a $10 loss. As excited as I have been for the past few months for these, it looks like I'm going to have to wait until I hear of some resolution to this

Your brand new Sony player is not the bdp s350?..I have ordered this model myself and also if it is have you installed the latest firmware 010?

I'm glad I'm re-reading this thread, because I'm seriously considering the Sony BDPS350. Should I not bother?

Also, what's this business with "firmware" and having to install it? I'd have thought that if you were to lash out a couple of hundred quid on a Blu-ray player you'd be entitled to expect to be able to plug the thing in and that it would, well, play. Without the need to tinker about with it in any way. What's the story?

[Turn]

Well, after all this time talking about the Bond on Blu's it's unfortunate to have to report this but... there seems to be MAJOR issues with the Blu-rays (namely that they don't WORK).

Here's some links to various sites where discussion is ongoing about it...

AVS Forum

Home Theater Forum

I can add my experience: I bought "Dr. No" and "From Russia With Love" and couldn't get either to work on my brand new Sony player. Exchanging them for new copies yielded the same results so I ended up eBaying them for about a $10 loss. As excited as I have been for the past few months for these, it looks like I'm going to have to wait until I hear of some resolution to this

Your brand new Sony player is not the bdp s350?..I have ordered this model myself and also if it is have you installed the latest firmware 010?

I'm glad I'm re-reading this thread, because I'm seriously considering the Sony BDPS350. Should I not bother?

This is the model I own and I haven't had any playback problems yet. I read a review of it in a review magazine and their comment that it was the only Blu-ray player you'd need for some time was enough to clinch it for me.

[Doctor No]

I own a PS3 and haven't had any problems with the 3 I bought(DN, FRWL, TB). I was reluctant to get any of them(already bought the 2 previous DVD sets) until the good reviews started popping up. So I got FRWL to try out and was very impressed. I've decided to get the Connery films,along with OHMSS and TLD since they are suppposedly color correcting them.

[Loomis]

Well, after all this time talking about the Bond on Blu's it's unfortunate to have to report this but... there seems to be MAJOR issues with the Blu-rays (namely that they don't WORK).

Here's some links to various sites where discussion is ongoing about it...

AVS Forum

Home Theater Forum

I can add my experience: I bought "Dr. No" and "From Russia With Love" and couldn't get either to work on my brand new Sony player. Exchanging them for new copies yielded the same results so I ended up eBaying them for about a $10 loss. As excited as I have been for the past few months for these, it looks like I'm going to have to wait until I hear of some resolution to this

Your brand new Sony player is not the bdp s350?..I have ordered this model myself and also if it is have you installed the latest firmware 010?

I'm glad I'm re-reading this thread, because I'm seriously considering the Sony BDPS350. Should I not bother?

This is the model I own and I haven't had any playback problems yet. I read a review of it in a review magazine and their comment that it was the only Blu-ray player you'd need for some time was enough to clinch it for me.

Cheers, Turn.

[Ellis Quarterman]

The cover art looks fantastic, im gonna have to get some of these when i get my Blu Ray Player.
Here - since they arn't going to do CR in this style on bluray - heres a cover i did in the B-R cover art style : http://ellisquarterm...lueRay-full.jpg
Took me about an hour in Photoshop,
Have fun

Edited by Ellis Quarterman, 30 October 2008 - 01:08 PM.

[Ellis Quarterman]

I did one for QOS too - here : http://ellisquarterm.../qosBR-full.jpg
I know I changed where the title of the film is but i had barely any pictures of Olga and didnt want to cover her up.
Whatya think?

[eddychaput]

I may be complaining about something that really doesn't matter in the long run, but it's a bit of a shame that Casino Royale (on DVD or Blue-Ray) doesn't come in packaging that fits with the rest of the series. I know it has to do with the companies that distribute the Bond films changing hands, but I find it funny to look at my DVD shelf and see the first 20 Bonds nicely collected together in Ultimate Edition packaging and Casino Royale sticking out like a sore thumb (even though the Collector's Edition packaging itself is nice looking).

[Arbogast777]

I may be complaining about something that really doesn't matter in the long run, but it's a bit of a shame that Casino Royale (on DVD or Blue-Ray) doesn't come in packaging that fits with the rest of the series. I know it has to do with the companies that distribute the Bond films changing hands, but I find it funny to look at my DVD shelf and see the first 20 Bonds nicely collected together in Ultimate Edition packaging and Casino Royale sticking out like a sore thumb (even though the Collector's Edition packaging itself is nice looking).

I'll tell you what I've done with my collection - when I got those Ultimate Edition sets, since they're just empty boxes, I put all my Bond films in DVD sleeves and put them in the boxes. So they can change the packaging all they want, I never notice. SD, Blu, I just put the discs right in those boxes and on the shelf they go!

[NVT]

Joining in the fun!!!

[dee-bee-five]

There seems to be an awful lot of negativity on this board.

When one has wasted £60 on three discs that won't bloody play, one tends to get negative.

[manubond]

Hi all!!

I'm new here, and I'd like to know if the new edition of the Thunderball UE dvd is exactly the same as the one released two years ago, especially if the colour has been corrected, as I noticed a few problems with that UE that have been commented here before, and I'm considering buying Thunderball again in the new edition. By the way, awful packaging in those new UE dvds

Thanx a lot.

[Professor Dent]

I'm glad I'm re-reading this thread, because I'm seriously considering the Sony BDPS350. Should I not bother?

Also, what's this business with "firmware" and having to install it? I'd have thought that if you were to lash out a couple of hundred quid on a Blu-ray player you'd be entitled to expect to be able to plug the thing in and that it would, well, play. Without the need to tinker about with it in any way. What's the story?

There is discussion & some links on the BDP-S350 in this thread.

http://debrief.comma...p...90&start=90

zencat bought one &, from what I remember, is happy it it. You might want to consider the BDP-S550 since it is the newer model.

The public relations spin on the the firmware updates is that since the Blu-ray format is still evolving, the updates keep your player compatible with the latest features & capabilities of new movies. In other words, it keeps your player from becoming as obsolete as quickly as it might otherwise have. Sounds like a "value added feature" but it doesn't explain why some people can buy six Bond movies on the same release day that all have the same feature set but have one disc that just won't playback. These updates are just a way of life with Blu-ray (& HD-DVD was no better, either).

[Arbogast777]

For owners of the Sony BDPS300, Firmware update 4.30 is now available and it enables the player to play all the Bond discs perfectly. Go HERE to download it, or if you're a Mac user like me you can have it sent to you via CD (in my experience it should arrive within a few days)

[kbob]

SHARP BD-HP20 FIRMWARE UPDATE

...now available at http://www.sharpusa....086,229,00.html
The update is dated 10-29-08, but it wasn't released to the internet until November 3, 2008.

I tried the new update with Dr. No and ... IT WORKS!!! Finally!

[jl151080]

How significant is the improvement between the Ultimate Edition sets and the Blu Ray discs? I've read conflicting reviews, where some say the improvement is not massive, others say it's amazing.

[eddychaput]

I'm really sorry to read that so many people have had problems with their Bond Blue-Ray. I don't have a player so I'm still enjoying those Ultimate Edition DVDs, but it's rubbish that brand new Bond Blue-Rays are causing so many headaches.

[I never miss]

I considered buying a blue ray player, but having investigated these firmware update problems I have decided to forget it for a year or two. Instead I'll be buying an upscaling DVD player from Samsung that should maginally improve the looks of my UE DVDs on my 1080p TV (hopefully!). As I need a new DVD player anyway, I think that this is the way to go until blue ray sorts itself out.

[stamper]

How significant is the improvement between the Ultimate Edition sets and the Blu Ray discs? I've read conflicting reviews, where some say the improvement is not massive, others say it's amazing.

I have them all, so here goes (and trust me, I know what I'm talking about)

If you own the R2 UE, then the improvement is MASSIVE. If you own the R1, it's a bit less (R1 had already some bugs in color timing fixed when compared to the early, rushed, R2 versions).

You might know there were 80+ pages threads on DVD websites pointing out all the problems with the UEs, image wise and sound wise. As far as we can tell, THEY WERE ALL FIXED.

Now, the second reason to get them is that John Cork re-edited all his documentaries in full 1.77 HD, ie in essence, they are brand new cuts of the original documentaries you could find in the UEs, and much better made too boot, with improved images, inserts, movie excerpts and titles layouts.

I have no clue, thought if the DVD versions of the recents Blu-Rays, re-published with the brand new art, are the same as old, or remade versions.

[kbob]

How significant is the improvement between the Ultimate Edition sets and the Blu-Ray discs?

Quite significant. It's almost like comparing apples and oranges: DVD (480p) quality vs. Blu-ray (1080p), which some say increases the resolution at least 4-fold. The colors and details on these new Bond Blu-Rays are incredible!

I am flabbergasted! (Do people still use that term?)

It's rubbish that brand new Bond Blue-Rays are causing so many headaches

Well, they WERE causing problems because MGM/Fox didn't notify the manufacturers of Blu-Ray players ahead of time so that the firmware updates were ready when the new Bond discs were released. I had to wait 10 days for my manufacturer to get out the update (Oct 21-Oct 31), but now I am in "7th Heaven."

By now, I would think most manufacturers have updates that allow the Bond discs to play as originally designed. In my opinion, the Blu-Ray players and Bond Blu-Ray discs are well worth the investment!

[Arbogast777]

I considered buying a blue ray player, but having investigated these firmware update problems I have decided to forget it for a year or two. Instead I'll be buying an upscaling DVD player from Samsung that should maginally improve the looks of my UE DVDs on my 1080p TV (hopefully!). As I need a new DVD player anyway, I think that this is the way to go until blue ray sorts itself out.

The only problem with that is that the need for firmware updates isn't really a problem that needs sorting out - it's part of the technology by design. Blu-ray was made to be an evolving technology. Waiting a year or two isn't going to change anything - we're still going to be doing firmware updates then. Personally I'd say forget wasting money on the upconverting player and get a Blu (which you said you're going to get eventually anyway). For the record, I've only had to do a firmware update once in a year and a half (to play the Bond titles) and all the effort it took was to wait 30mins for the player to do ts thing.

[I never miss]

Thanks Arbo, that makes me feel a little happier with the idea of buying a blue ray player. I am very interested in the re-edited John Cork documentaries, I must admit. How do these compare to the SE/UE versions?

[Turn]

Thanks Arbo, that makes me feel a little happier with the idea of buying a blue ray player. I am very interested in the re-edited John Cork documentaries, I must admit. How do these compare to the SE/UE versions?

Simply put, even though I had watched these making-ofs many times, it's what I've said about the films after watching them on Blu-ray -- it's like seeing them for the first time again even when you know what's coming.

Having the documentaries upgraded was a nice bonus.

[Loomis]

Will someone please explain what a firmware update is. I gather that it's an update available from the internet, but how does it get from the internet to your Blu-ray player?

[eddychaput]

Will someone please explain what a firmware update is. I gather that it's an update available from the internet, but how does it get from the internet to your Blu-ray player?

I was just about to ask that very same question.

[Peckinpah1976]

You have to download the updates, burn them to disk and then install them on the player.

[Bondian]

Are you chaps on Virgin, Sky or BT etc?

[Loomis]

You have to download the updates, burn them to disk and then install them on the player.

Which is quite a lot of trouble to go to. What if you don't have the equipment to burn something to disk (as I don't)?

If I were to buy a Blu-ray player, I'd expect it to be able to play the darn discs, without my having to faff around on the internet and burn disks just to make the thing do what you'd expect it to be able to do in the first place. This seems a major drawback to me.