Avatar blu-ray discs glitch.

[Batmex]

Good thing I waited for the next release later this year :


http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-talk-avatar-blu-ray-consumers-cant-watch-DVD.html

 

[TheGunheart]

Unless you get your firmware updated, you won't even be able to run it then.

 

[Temple Fugate]

I've always suggested to people who consider what Blu-ray player to buy to go with the ones that have an internet connection, for exactly this kind of situation. I still tout the PS3 as the ultimate answer to Blu-ray concerns, but nowadays there are a lot of cheaper machines that fulfill all the Blu-ray needs without the extra stuff that some people won't care for.

This is not a glitch. It's an inconvenience that comes with the territory. Everyone is going to need to update their Blu-ray players eventually. And for that very reason, for goodness sake, make sure you buy a Blu-ray player with internet capabilities.

 

[defunctzombie]

I'm just curious, why exactly does this disc need special updates? I update when I remember to, but I've yet to run into a disc that won't play without an update.

 

[Trevor]

I've always suggested to people who consider what Blu-ray player to buy to go with the ones that have an internet connection, for exactly this kind of situation.

But still that only works for people who have broadband internet, which most people in cities have, but for people who live out in the country where they either get dial-up or internet via satellite (with satellite, while the download time is fast, about broadband speed, the upload time during which the player is going on the internet to search for the update is about as slow as dial-up), it could be quite a pain, especially when the manufacturers don't put the updates on their websites for even download to a CD/DVD. But even then, it still takes a while to download the updates to CD/DVD on dial-up.

I'm just curious, why exactly does this disc need special updates?

I remember that when I bought my Blu-ray player a year ago I had had Star Trek The Original Series Season One on Blu-Ray for a few months, and when I bought my player I thought the discs would play fine. Unfortunately, while the discs did play, the episodes kept getting stuck in loops, almost like the disc was scratched. The discs would play anywhere from 2 minutes to 10 minutes, and then repeat the last 10 seconds to 10 minutes for no reason. And when I tried to watch the Starfleet Access features, a lot of times my player would go past the point where the pip and ac was suppose to pop up and then the player would repeat the section with the pip commentary. And that was on a player that had been bought after the BD set had been released.

I would assume that Avatar needs a similar update, even though from what I've read in the store it is a pretty much "bare bones" release.

 

[Bird Boy]

The update is just due to Fox's anti-piracy security thing on it. All of their discs have caused firmware update issues for as long as the formats been out; it's just that none of the releases have sold as wide as Avatar, so it's more of a publicized issue. There's rarely a new Fox release that my PC's Blu-ray drive doesn't choke to try to play, as there's invariably a new software update out to better handle whatever security they have in place on the discs (because that security works so well and helps prevent people from copying it, of course).

I find it mildly humorous that my parents cheapy $99 Insignia (Best Buy's in-house brand) Blu-ray player they bought on Black Friday read the disc fine. It still has whatever stock firmware it had on it when it was manufactured too, as I never updated it. So while Insignia players play the disc fine, the $1500 Denon players are choking.

-BB

 

[defunctzombie]

Isn't Insignia just last year's stuff rebranded? I have an Insignia tv, and if I remember correctly, the remote code was Zenith.

 

[Bird Boy]

Isn't Insignia just last year's stuff rebranded? I have an Insignia tv, and if I remember correctly, the remote code was Zenith.

I'm not sure; I think I heard the guts of this particular Insignia Blu-ray player was a Samsung. It's just like the Olevia TV I bought years ago--the panel in it was an LG one, so it's not like brands even mean anything anymore unless you're one of the actual manufacturers of the hardware. Then you pay not only for the LG panel but the LG name as well.

-BB

 

[Bic]

Stupid Fox. Basically, Avatar cost my Dad aprrox $91 just so his HTPC can read it. $24.95 for the Disc, and $67 for Arcsoft Total MediaTheater Platinum 3 as there was no fix for version TMT 2 and Arcsoft is not updating 'legacy' versions of the program. Version 3 though still needed an update to play the disc. Just imagine what Fox's release the Star Wars Movie Blu-Rays are going to do to players when they come out.

But Holy Moley, it's a gorgeous transfer.

 

[Craig Crumpton]

I nearly went against my own gut instinct and got the Target DVD/BR combo pack because it was such a great deal.

I would've only been able to watch the DVD, so I'm glad I went with my instinct. I'd rather have the special edition release in November anyway. This is the kind of film that I'm more interested in the behind-the-scenes materials than I am in sitting through a 3-hour flick...no matter how visually spectacular it is.