No love anymore for Fox Blu-Rays (1 Viewer)

Okay - after the last 3 Blu-ray discs from Fox that I have bought - Young Frankenstein, Futurama-Bender, and Conquest-Apes, I AM OFF FOX BD TITLES.

Having both an up-to-date Samsung BD-1200 standalone player and LG GGC-H20L with PowerDVD Ultra 7 (both also up-to-date), that do not play the latest generation of Fox titles has me steamed. No display on the PC, and the standalone displays an onscreen page from the disc a message akin to "your player needs to be up-to-date to play this disc", after getting me as far as the warnings, trailers and menu - I can't run the main feature. I have done all the firmare updates and software updates the manufacturers have provided, and the LG drive is still a current product on shelves at places like Best Buy and Future Shop.

Next gen players may be going down in price, but this makes my player a boat anchor, and who knows if a software update to PowerDVD Ultra 8 will resolve my issues on the PC side.

Not at all impressed with Fox, here...

Sorry to hear that. Yes, it is a huge problem. My friend has a newer Sony(can't remember the make) that doesn't read Fox discs. He also had the latest firmware update. I'm puzzled by this.

I have no issues with any of Fox's titles or any other studio's for that matter with my PS3. I have a Samsung BD-P1000, it is, hands down, a POS. It has issues with many of my Blu-ray discs. I will never buy another Samsung product again because of this and to top it off, their customer support is horrible. I had to wait near a month to get updates so I could watch some Blu films, totally unacceptable.

Sell the player and buy something better then you can watch Fox's films.

I don't think selling the player would be of any benefit to a potential buyer, with the issue as I've described. Besides, I'm still going to have problems with my LG drive.

I feel for yah, Keith, but I tend to agree w/ Ron-P anyway (though not sure about the suggestion to sell the Samsung).

Similar things happened in the early days of DVD too though not quite as often/much. I think we just cannot trust reliable playback of a relatively new format (especially w/ complications like BD-J involved) on these relatively fringe solutions -- and yes, I'm definitely counting any pre-Profile-2.0 Samsung player as "relatively fringe" along w/ whatever PC solutions this early on. In fact, personally, I wouldn't even wanna depend on a pre-Profile-2.0 Sony standalone player, FWIW.

I guess you might just have to chalk this up as an inconvenient, expensive lesson for being an early adopter...

_Man_

I'd like to add my two cents.

I have a PS3 also, and haven't had any problems at all.
As far as I know, PS3's are the only surefire way to have complete compatibility with Blu-Ray software.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is "PS3"?

Dick, you've been a member for 10 years, have over 2,600 posts, and have never come across the Playstation 3?

Except, both my Sony 300 and 350 play PotA just fine!
I did have trouble with load times on the Bond discs on my 300. Its fine with the newest firmware.
Sony is top notch with the firmware releases.
I have nothing but great things to say about both my Sony Blu-ray players.
FOX Blu-rays, well...thats another story.
I agree, if FOX wouldnt muck the discs up with JAVA, or whatever they are doing that requires a firmware update, things would be better for the consumer that wants to load and play.
FOX prices are my main sticking point. Still proud of the fact i can hold out for good prices. I have not paid over $23 for a FOX Blu-ray. Still could be lower, but i weaken when its under $25.

I have to agree here. I resisted getting a PS3, but as it was the only way I could test preview my own blu-ray discs, I ended up getting one. I've been very satisfied, and have had no issues playing any blu-ray discs.

Doug

Good for you! Me too, and I've managed to get all the Fox titles I want for $20 by waiting. That's enough for a stripped title IMO. I have to say, the discs do generally look pretty good (M&C less so) and sound very good. I use a PS3, never had a BD that "acted up" with any title. Sony seems to be proactive in that the PS3 firmware updates are out there well before the BDs that need it. I do seem to get those cards that suggest you may have to update your player firmware in all the Fox BDs, so they must know something's up (though some others have them too).

I remember issues needing to be resolved when Fox issued The Longest Day and Patton, neither of which would play on any of my setups until firmware and software updates were put into effect.

If it happens regularly w/ Fox titles, seems to me it's hard to know who actually to blame for it. Fox may just be using whatever BD feature in the specs as intended, but many player makers are just not making sure the firmware is anywhere near bulletproof. Who knows? Maybe it's just a matter of certain maker's firmware having some encryption key or whatever hardcoded and need to be updated whenever Fox makes a change on their end even though the spec may have allowed for it to be changed -- or something along those lines...

_Man_

Another vote for the PS3--I know it may not address the OP's problem (it's not like these things are available for 39.95$ or anything) but more as a recommendation to anyone who hasn't purchased a player yet and favours stability and compatibility.

PlayStation 3. I take it you have no interest in videogames.

Yep I know what you mean. I have the same PC drive and always Fox cause issues. You must however always make sure your PC has newish graphic card drivers as these also get AACS updates. Even then I have had trouble with Die Another Day last week. Finally it works but only after I had to download the latest LG specific fix from Cyberlink as well as update my ATI drivers. CyberLink Product Support - Download Software Updates & Patches and User Guides

If in doubt download Cyberlinks BDAdvisor but even that does not always work as it should!! This should be easy but its hurting the consumer more than ever. My PS3 plays BD just fine although I keep that firmware up to date so Sony at least are able to co-ordinate & communicate internally whatever they need to ensure newer discs play.....

I own both the panasonic 30 and ps3.. never had a problem with either one of them.

Jacob

Well, I have no interest in video gaming and associate Playstation with that exclusively, so I'm not up on the lingo. More recently, it seems as though the format has other applications, so I may have to start paying attention. Does this hook up to a t.v. the same way a Blu-ray player would? Has it the same optiions?

^ Many of us here use the PS3 mostly just for playing BD. I myself have never played a video game, not since the 70s anyway. I hear they've improved?

You can hook the PS3 to a display/AVR using a single HDMI cable just like other BD players. There is a component video option, as well as optical for non-lossless surround sound.

I bought the PS3 because, at the time, it was the best player on the market in terms of performance and compatibility. There may be some players that equal it or even surpass it in one or another aspect, but I've yet to see one that is better in even most performance respects--much less all (I admit I've not seen any of the 1500$ and up players in action--but then, at nearly four times the price, I should hope those are better).

I have two games (one came with the player--I loaded it out of curiosity but have not tried it again; the other one is for my kids--a Disney title they find amusing on the rare occasions I let them play it). I may add a hockey game. But I could just as easily go without games altogether and still be extremely pleased with my purchase.

Now, as time goes by, obviously something better (and more traditional from an A/V perspective) will outclass it in all respects--including price--but that day is not yet here, IMO.