Samsung 950 issues - firmware fix

[paulmcp2403]

Samsung 950 issues - firmware fix - folks for a long time we have been moaning about this player and samsungs refusal to recognise its failings via a frimware fix.

I suggest we try to establish common faults here with a view to samsung taking notice.

please list as follows for ease of reference -

Common faults -

1 - no visual display on the front of machine to indicate wether disc in machine is NTSC or PAL - thus meaning switching via menu requird - in this day of multi region this is a joke. Surely they could incoporate an LED screen message to say wether the disc is NTSC or PAL.

2 - machine very temperamental with scratched discs - even slight abraisons

3 - tendancy to lock up / block / pixellate after playing for more than 2 hours - dependant on media inserted.

Please feel free to add to this list folks :O)

[nadsta]

maybe its just me, but...

display brightness issue (have to reset it to dim after power cycle)

can't get 768p over HDMI (despite YPbPr being off and using RGB instead)

that HDMI audio message

divx upgradability

[senu]

I think the fairly bright panel on the 950 is a hardware issue I for one will be pleasantly suprised if firmware can fix it but......
Samsung have just annouced the 860/ 960/ 1080 .
here
will they be keen to support " discontinued " products?
Only time will tell

[swbrown]

Just bought one of these and having a problem with tray opening/loading.

If the player is switched off, pressing "open/close" (remote or front panel) and it says "Hello" then "Open", but will sit there ad infinitum. There is also NO display shown. If you just press the power button, you get "Hello" then "Load" but again nothing - no display or load.

This situation exists until you unplug the unit from the mains.

Is anyone else experiencing this? If not, I suspect this player is faulty.

Thanks
swb

[MagicSteve]

My dad has this player and has the same problem as swbrown.

[DJ100]

My only issue with the player is that startlingly bright blue LED when the machine is off . . . apart from that mine seems to be behaving - using 720p HDMI - JVC 26LTDS6 - so far I am over the moon - bought it last weekend from RS after deciding not to wait for Denon 1920 . . . as a budget player (£119) it is far far better than I could heve hoped.

[kjskot]

I have had one of these since before Christmas and I am delighted with it.

It plays everything I've thrown at it and picture quailty via HDMI is awesome on my Sagem dlp TV.

The only problem I have is no audio when the player grabs the TV input at switch on. Selecting another input then back on the TV remote restores sound.

Then the sound is distorted and I have to change the HDMI upscale setting down to 576 and back up again to clear the sound. These faults could be down to the TV. Anyone else with this combo experiencing similar?

[allanp]

Looks like those new models only offer 1080p as a difference from the 850 and 950. Surely we should all just ring Samsung up and complain, similar to how we got the LCD tvs fixed with a firmware upgrade.

[DiBosco]

The only gripe I have with this machine is that it doesn't play AVIs very well. AVIs that play fine when I use my laptop plugged into the VGA input of the plasma often have horrible glitches on the HD-950 player. It will skip past sentences at a time which is infuriating!

Anyone else found this problem?

[nonsoloinglese]

I have just purchased one of these players and have only been baffled by one thing. Excuse me for being a novice but the component output set to HDMi/Component in the menu only outputs in 480p and nothing higher unlike the HDMI output that upscales to 720p/1080i.

I have just spent £50 on a component video cable and am pondering taking it back as it is quite expensive for not upscaling.

Any suggestions?

[nipbiplip]

Originally Posted by nonsoloinglese

I have just purchased one of these players and have only been baffled by one thing. Excuse me for being a novice but the component output set to HDMi/Component in the menu only outputs in 480p and nothing higher unlike the HDMI output that upscales to 720p/1080i.

I have just spent £50 on a component video cable and am pondering taking it back as it is quite expensive for not upscaling.

Any suggestions?

This player will not upscale via component, unless you disable the HDCP. There was a remote hack available to do this, but it's 'workability' depends on when your machine was released. Samsung removed this hack on newer versions of the 950.

It is possible to downgrade the firmware to enable you to use the hack, but I believe it's a 'at your own risk' type procedure.

The hack can be found at www.videohelp.com.

By the way, if you bought it at richer sounds, go back and ask them to price match Pixmania.com. £95 + delivery.

[nonsoloinglese]

Thanks nipbiplip, I have tried the hack but my telly still displays 480p in the top left hand corner when I switch to it so I don't think it works. I must have a 2006 model and therefore why it doesnt work.

I would use HDMI but have an expensive component cable (which can be returned) but also have to consider that Sky HD is arriving in August.

The firmware downgrade and switch could be a possibility but would invalidate my warranty, but I do have a Richer Sounds extended warranty.

Thanks for thip for the PM!