Having trouble with your high-def disc player? Will certain movies just not play? Before you return the player to the store, you might want to check its firmware. That’s the term for the software and programming inside of your movie player, and all high-def disc players (both Blu-ray and HD DVD) can receive updates to this firmware. Though some past updates have added new software features, the usual reason for a firmware update is to fix a technical problem.

Rest assured, if your player works fine, you can safely choose not to update its firmware--unless specified by the manufacturer, such updates do not usually add bells and whistles to your player. However, once problems start popping up (significant delays in playing titles, some not playing at all), a firmware update will often do the trick. The process is meant to be simple and do-it-yourself, and it will not void your warranty, but be sure to follow every single instruction to the letter to avoid harming your player; you may want to allow up to 30 minutes of time to complete the update.

There are several ways to get updated firmware depending on your player manufacturer and model number.

Some manufacturers supply a postcard with their players, allowing you to sign up to receive new firmware update discs by mail. Others provide them when you call their customer service centers to request one. The upside about getting firmware updates this way is that it requires the least amount of technical work on your part; simply put the manufacturer’s disc in your player, and it should automate the process. The downside is the delay in waiting for the disc in the mail.

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Most manufacturers do a good job of putting firmware updates on their web site in a timely manner. In order to load this firmware into your player, you will need to download it and burn it to a disc. Make sure you follow the burning and installation instructions exactly, as there are very specific steps that have to be done. The upside of getting firmware this way is you don’t have to wait for a disc to arrive in the mail; the downside is you need to make the disc yourself, which can prove difficult if you do not have experience with burning discs on your computer.

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If your high-def disc player has an Ethernet port, connecting it directly to the Internet is the most streamlined way to check for and install updates—though this requires that you connect an Ethernet cable from your Internet connection to your high-def movie player, which may prove difficult depending on your setup. Since every player is different, refer to your owners’ manual for instructions on how to connect your player to the internet and how to update the firmware. With some players, you may have to power cycle the player after changing network settings before you can download firmware.

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(Note: All links are current as of January 2008 and are subject to change. For additional information on firmware upgrades for HD DVD players, please visit http://www.thelookandsoundofperfect.com.)

HD-D1, HD-A1, HD-XA1, and HDV-5000: http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/...hddvdfirmware.asp
HD-XA2, HD-A20, HD-A2, HD-A2W, and HD-D2: http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/...hddvd2firmware.asp
HD-A3, HD-D3, HD-A30, HD-A35: http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/...hddvd3firmware.asp

All combo players: http://us.lgservice.com/index_b2c.jsp -- Click the "device driver" icon. In the following page's "Product" menu, select "DVD&VIDEO&SET TOP," then click "Search."

BD-UP5000 combo player: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/...nm=BD-UP5000

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(Note: All links are current as of January 2008 and are subject to change. Please contact the manufacturer directly for further assistance.)

All combo players: http://us.lgservice.com/index_b2c.jsp -- Click the "device driver" icon. In the following page's "Product" menu, select "DVD&VIDEO&SET TOP," then click "Search."

BD-UP5000 combo player: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/...nm=BD-UP5000
BD-P1000: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/...nm=BD-P1000
BD-P1200: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/...nm=BD-P1200
BD-P1400: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/...nm=BD-P1400

All Models: http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/bd/index.html

All models: http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/...txt=blu-ray

All Models: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/...Blu-rayDisc+DVD.Support

BD-HP20U: http://www.sharpusa.com/products/TypeSoftware/0,1086,229,00.html

BDP-S1: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=BDPS1&region_id=1
BDP-S2000ES: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=BDPS2000ES&region_id=1
BDP-S300: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=BDPS300&region_id=1
BDP-S301: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=BDPS301&region_id=1
BDP-S500: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=BDPS500&region_id=1
Playstation 3: http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/About/SystemUpdate

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