Digital Home Thoughts: High-Def Playback: The Firmware Gotcha

"We've all gotten a bit spoiled by DVD: We pop a disc into a player, and it works. The same isn't always the case for Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, though, as early adopters are finding out. In this connected world, no product is ever final when it's shipped out the factory door. Instead, manufacturers are relying on firmware updates to keep high-definition players current. The idea that the hardware you bought six months ago may actually get new life every now and then has some appeal--no one wants to own the most expensive doorstop on the block. But firmware updates can lead to frustrations too, especially if you need them regularly. Of course, DVD wasn't always perfect; ten years ago, in the format's early years, incompatibilities occurred. When The Matrix debuted on DVD, its complex menus brought many a DVD player to its knees. And it wasn't the first, or the last, title to do so."

Firmware updates can enhance your gear. For example, my Oppo DVD player gets better and better every time I update it. And as some of you may know, Toshiba's first-generation HD DVD players sped up disc load times after their firmware updates. But it seems to me now that companies feel that they can now release somewhat limited products with promises of updates later on, something like the Beta tags on all of Microsoft's/Google's/Yahoo's online products. And us consumers are essentially trusting the manufacturer to release those updates, with no actual guarantee of that happening. One thing I will say though - I wish firmware updates were easier to install. Most of them require one to burn a CD and run it. I wish it could be done over the network.