PS3 Owners Report Blu-ray Problems After 1.5 Upgrade

By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published January 31, 2007, 10:47 AM

An unusually high number of reports of intermittent playback freezes during Blu-ray movies and some games have been posted to Sony's PlayStation 3 forum, as well as to the AVS Forum and other sources, after PS3 owners upgraded to version 1.5 of the system firmware.

Tests run by these users since having noticed the bugs appear to eliminate Blu-ray discs themselves as the cause of these freezes, most of which are said to be momentary and not terminal. Time codes displayed at the time of freezes are dispersed, indicating that the discs are not defective.

The common elements among those reporting problems appear to be the use of the wireless controller for navigating the BD, and wireless connection to the Internet. Though Sony itself has given no official justification for the problem or suggestions, expert forum contributors are suggesting that users reconnect their wireless controllers, and attach their PS3 to their Internet router with a direct Ethernet cable.

The key purpose of the v1.5 firmware patch was reportedly to eliminate scaling problems users experienced when playing PS2 and older games in compatibility mode, with lower resolution being scaled up to high-res displays. The firmware also adds new support for online functionality - which, ironically, may be the indirect cause of the freeze problem.

The level of exasperation expressed by some users only two months after the console's North American release reveals that patience among early adopters in consumer electronics doesn't compare with the levels of ten or twenty years ago.

"We shelled out $600 big ones for this console and were loyal to buy the console as soon as we could get our hands on one," one owner wrote on Sony's forum. "We should not have to rig the PS3 by making sure we have our controllers off and the wireless setting is set to work only on Tuesdays and the sun has to be shining and it can't be colder than 30 degrees outside then our Blu-Ray reader should work properly."

Users who have already contacted Sony's technical support report that agents told them this was the first they'd heard of the problem, and are being advised to disclose their troubles to the PS3 forums online to see if expert users can help.

One contributor to the AVS Forum wrote, "I just called in [to Sony] and got the same soft reset recommendation. I assume this is their standard script, as I got no sense this was a recommendation tied to this particular problem. I probed on whether they were aware of or tracking the problem, but I got nothing beyond generics."

At least one upgrader to version 1.5 received an e-mail back from Sony technical support advising him to upgrade to version 1.5 to see if that fixes the problem. Some upgraders, however, are reporting no trouble whatsoever, though some admit they have a direct Internet connection and not a wireless one.

Comments

Anybody know what's in firmware 1.51? I'm currently still downloading the firmware...

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1.51 fixes the Blu-Ray issue.

In typical Betanews fashion however, they post about the problem, but fail to follow up that it's fixed.

As many other here, it's obvious to me that the owner of this site had allegiances, and posts selective news to strengthen those, and damage his foes..

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So, have any of you faced the fact you blew 600 bones on a bomb?

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Not at all, I'm having great fun playing Resistance FOM and Motorstorm..

Personally I would be more concerned if I had a blew $500 on a Xbox360 that's obsolete after a year, and stuck with a dead HD-DVD add-on...

Don't believe the Sony Hating Xbox fanboys:
http://mag1.olivesoftwar...e=TPV&OnePageMode=1

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As my friend described the game selection best - "swords and sports". Blu-Ray players cost how much as a standalone? Oh yeah, almost twice more than a PS3?!?

Enjoy your delusions!

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I agree with hollywood_

I love my PS3 more than I do my 360.
I wonder how long it will take for the wiifanboys to realize that they overpaid by $150 for a GC with a fancy controller.

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Blu-Ray is currently outselling HD-DVD 2:1, and looks like overtaking HD-DVD's year headstart in total media sales, in a few weeks...

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/456

I hope people like their existing movies on their HD-DVD add-ons, as I'm pretty sure new movies will dry up later this year... Seems the HiDef format war is finally over, and we have the winner..

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Anyone noticed the fanboys have stopped linking to:

http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/

as it now shows Blu-Ray dominance?

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BWAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAA! I haven't done a single update on mine and it's fine.

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Doesn't surprise me.
This thing will be full of problems for quite a while.

But then, bearing in mind the 3yr 'normal' lifespan for a Blu-laser, combining a movie player and game machine in an all-in-one always did seem a really dumb idea to me.

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You guys act like your wii's and xbox's are better than the PS3. Paying top dollar for a 360, ps3, or an overpriced wii and expecting it to be perfect is not what gaming is today. Back in the SNES, N64, PS1 times, you didn't have the luxury of downloading updates. So it had to be done right the first time. But back then these machines were only for games, and in the case of the ps1, also for playing CD's. It sucks yes but that's what it is. IT shouldn’t be this way but it is. Every system is this way. Even the PC… especially the PC! You buy an upgrade to your PC and the first thing you should do is upgrade the BIOS.

The 360 had it's shares of problems but so what! Look at it now. The 360 is a great system. The PS3 is good now and has a crap load of problems, but in a year... wow! People seem to forget that this is a new system.

Oh, yes I said overpriced wii. Fun little system it SURE IS! But what are you really getting? A Game Cube with a new controller.

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So if one company messes up and puts out a POS product, its ok for another company 2 do so?

And of course, the past is the past...

As it is now, 360 ( 1 year older ) works.

Wii, overpriced?...works.

PC, needs upgrades when u upgrade...:-\ ...works.

PS3...works, but not always if you upgrade.

Latz, SB

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Well of course it's not OK to put out a crappy product. But it's not the end of the world. Seriously, I would rather have a kick-ass machine that upgrades itself to make things better. And everyso often an upgrade fixes one thing and messes up another... so what. Then another upgrade is made to fix it. As long as these machines arent bricked after an upgrade, then so be it.

And yes Wii overpriced.

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" I would rather have a kick-ass machine that upgrades itself to make things better. "

Yeah, I have a 360 too :)

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Firmware patch that needs patched...suddenly Microsoft's console isn't looking quite as buggey...

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But your spelling of "buggey" could use a patch. :p

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The both of yous needs a "grammar" patch. =p

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Microsoft bricked some consoles with upgrades too, so no one is spared. However atleast Microsoft did so trying to stop piracy. Sony has no excuse for issues, specially with $600+ price tag.

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Bricked Wii's? Yeah, there were less than 250 of those according to Nintendo, and the issue has been resolved and is OVER now..

PS3 Sucks, get over it.. Sony can't code themselves out a wet paper bag.. Talk about quality control...

and no , you aren't FORCED to upgrade, but that's an ignorant viewpoint, if they release a bad product, it's sony's fault, not the consumers.

and FWIW, if sony would stop screwing the pooch on the PS3, they would stop getting bad press.. Their fault entirely, no one elses.

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Everything about this console screams to me to stay far away. And so I shall.

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Wow, even the voices in his head don't like him.

That's gotta suck.

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LOL

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Didn't you also predict that the PS3 failure rate would by sky high, with massive overheating problems?

Seems you are talkin' out your butt...

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Are owners being FORCED to upgrade? I don't think so...

Need I mention Red Rings Of Death, or Bricked WII consoles during updates...

Seems again Betanews have been trawling the net looking for any bad Sony press...

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Yeah, I mean..why would an update to a major console on the market causing problems be news?

Dude, take off the fanboy hat for just a little bit, mmKay?

Just in case some of us were thinking of updating our firmware (ya know...so we can be, like, up to date n' stuff), we've now been warned that this is causing problems for a large number of folks.

But of course, in your eyes, nothing that reflects negatively on Sony could help *anyone*, right?

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Well said, Sir!

I bet you like being called 'Sir', don't you?

Anyway (fave word), it's hardly surprising there are 'teething troubles'. Surely even the fanboys must have expected them?

If they didn't, they need their heads tested. Which they're probably in need of anyway.

As for upgraders to 1.5 being advised to upgrade to, erm, 1.5....

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You need not go very far to find more bad Sony press. Have they done anything right lately?

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I bet you like being called 'Sir', don't you?

I prefer "Lord, Most High, Emperor and Ruler over all the Lands of Tamriel", but "Sir" will do in a pinch. :p

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Sure, they broke Blu-Ray.

*grins*

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Not very hard to find bad Sony press...It is everywhere. Stop crying and face facts that Sony is "far" from perfect.

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"I bet you like being called 'Sir', don't you?

I prefer "Lord, Most High, Emperor and Ruler over all the Lands of Tamriel", but "Sir" will do in a pinch. :p"

rofl!

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"Have they done anything right lately?"

Of course they have!!! They make a mean cassette player. lol

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Well, look at it this way--I'd estimate that 90% of press is negative, and that's because it attracts a larger audience. Sadley, it makes news seem mostly one-sided...

...however, betanews actually does report positives a little more often than newspapers and TV do IMHO, and they do try to spread the bad press in proportion to the amounts they are given by every other online tech news company. What's better is that they are almost always factually correct in their statements--unlike 3/4ths of them (theinquirer.net comes to mind)

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Your absolutely right, they all have/had issues. But like the article says, if you pay $600+ for the 'best' system in the world, it better be problem free.

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LMAO

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Are you suggesting that betanews has never posted any negative news about sonys competition and they are delibratly targeting sony?

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