***Panasonic RP-91 Firmware Update*** (1 Viewer)

[Andrew V]

Thomas: You should check to see which Firmware you have to determine if you need the Update or not.
To check what version you have, just press (on the Front of the 91): Stop, Pause, Open/Close button at the same time with one hand and press 7 on remote control with your other hand.

 

[Robert George]

Thomas:

You probably don't need this update. The firmware version we are discussing is from a player manufactured in August. Check the back of your player for the date. If it was made before August, check the firmware version you have (instructions in this thread). If you have 155 or 188, you can benefit from this update.

Jeff:

Using the "stop button/remote" procedure for adjusting the horizontal position of the image is not the same thing as fixing what caused it to be shifted to the left in the first place. As soon as your power goes out or you unplug the player, the image position will revert to the factory setting.

I don't know about the "pink tint" problem because I'm not inclined to test for it. As you say, that is easy enough to avoid.

 

[Carlo_M]

I'm rebuilding my PC but when I get done I will try this. I am curious to see if it will help in fixing the problem I had described with the new Wonka disc. It skipped at nearly the same place in 2 discs (returned one as defective, got the other one with a very similar problem). Yet on a 2 Sony players and one PC it doesn't do anything wrong at that same point...

 

[Jeff D.]

Using the "stop button/remote" procedure for adjusting the horizontal position of the image is not the same thing as fixing what caused it to be shifted to the left in the first place. As soon as your power goes out or you unplug the player, the image position will revert to the factory setting.

Oh, I totally agree. But nevertheless, it is an easy fix. My main point was - what is the point of fixing that, only to have to fix a shift to the right?

----

Jeff

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Thanks for posting this, Obi. I downloaded the Zip file and was able to burn a CD-R on the first try using the Adaptec Easy CD Creator software that came with my PC. After applying the update, though, my picture was shifted too far to the right, as others have experienced.

I did panic for a minute when I couldn't get to the U4 menu to reset the interlacing to AUTO2 and 4:3 aspect control to AUTO (only U1 and U2 would pop up). However, I forgot that all setting were reset to factory defaults, including resetting to interlaced output and a 4x3 display. U3 and U4 are not available unless you have the player setup to output a progressive signal.

FYI, my monitor is a Toshiba 56H80. In any case, it's nice to have newer firmware, and the procedure was quick and painless.

 

[Robert George]

...what is the point of fixing that, only to have to fix a shift to the right?

Well, not everyone is having this happen. I have seen three people post that their image was shifted to the right following the firmware update. There are probably others, but I feel this is an issue of how certain TVs react to the video signal being output by the player. The same was true of the earlier firmware with the left shift. Some people did not have this, depending on what TV they were using.

Certainly this "right shift" is not happening to many others. After updating my player, the image was nearly dead center. Using the adjustment procedure, one step to the right centered it perfectly. That is, as I recall, 2 pixels width. Not bad.

Even so, let's not forget this is still Panasonic RP91 firmware, the same firmware that is in players much newer than mine, and everyone else like me that jumped on this player right out of the chute. I don't know everything this updated firmware changes from the previous versions except that Panasonic has found reason to update it at least three times since the first run of players. They must be changing something.

P.S.

For those RP91 owners with a "yen" for R2 software but have been spoiled by the quality of the '91, I have found a guy in the US that does a multi-region mod for $99 plus shipping. This is supposed to offer both automatic region switching and manual switching for those RCE discs that like to get tempermental with auto-switching. Also defeats Macrovision for those whose monitors don't like the Macrovision signal. I should be getting my player back by as early as Thursday. I expect to be reporting to the forum how this serious tweak works in the '91.

Personally, I'm drooling over the rather large pile of R2 exclusive discs that I have accumulated over the past four years. Watching these on the RP91 will be like getting all new discs.

 

[StephenMSmith]

My RP-91 actually shipped w/the HO8850G227 firmware, and I do have to use the left/stop procedure to shift my picture to the *left*, ie. it's right-shifted.

But your right, it's right-shifted compared to my previous DVD player. Add to this that I have a separate HPOS service param for 480p input and it means that right or left shift is all relative.

Also, the 4x3 auto-scaled picture is not centered within the anamorphic screen size, so it doesn't fix that. And the left side of the image is still truncated by several pixels. Any news on either of these issues?

Steve

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

Steve, I'm hoping v236 fixes the shift problems once & for all. Hope CKNA (Chris) (the same guy at avsforum who made 227 available) rips it & makes it available to us soon.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Since my player was running the 155 version I decided to keep current and apply the lastest firmware.
Copied the file from the link in this thread to a Maxell CD-R80XL Pro using the software supplied with my HP9100i CD Writer. Worked flawlessly.
If anyone in Canada is having trouble with this let me know and we'll work something out.
This thread is another fine example of why this forum is so great!
Thanks again guys!
Now, if only someone had a definitive list of what this firmware upgrade does?!

 

[Will]

Version 155, version 188, version 227, version 236, etc., etc.
makes me wonder if maybe Panasonic creates a new and improved
version every other month.

 

[Phil T]

You forgot 208...

I "upgraded" my firmware from 208 to 227. I now have a lovely picture on my Sony 65xbr10w that is shifted a bit to the right instead of the left (easily fixed). Oh well, I'm still completely thrilled with the performance of the RP91 into my RPTV, and I'm absolutely positive this process improved "something"...I just don't know what...yet.

 

[Will]

absolutely positive this process improved "something"...I just don't know what...yet.

Spoken like a true believer.

 

[Robert George]

One of the guys on AV Science forum is reporting the newer firmware has greatly decreased the incidence of combing in badly encoded material. I can't check this myself just now (player is getting modded), but I'd be interested if anyone else can check this.

 

[RAF]

player is getting modded

Grasshopper,

Elaborate, please?

The Master, a.k.a.

 

[Robert George]

Elaborate, please?

Multi-region. Disable circuit that causes non-standard video levels (aka, Macrovision). Full report later in the week (should be back by Thursday).

 

[RAF]

Thanks Obi! I'll be watching.

 

[Graeme Shiomi]

I did the upgrade last night. Before the upgrade, when viewing 4x3 material, it was obvious that in addition to the black sidebars that the RP91 puts in being uneven, there was a strip on the right side in between the picture and the black side bar that was "almost black". In other words, the RP91 was not only sending the signal shifted (hence the uneven bars) but was also shifting the image between the bars. The "shift trick" alleviated the uneven black bars, but that strip was always there.

Now I still have Uneven black bars, but the strip is gone. Definitely still worth it for me.

Graeme

 

[Bob Lee]

Has anyone else noticed that brightness went up post upgrade? I had to recalibrate w/ Avia and turned brightness down a few notches.

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

Yes, I too had to turn brightness down a few notches.

 

[Drea Bruss]

Does any one using a Pioneer SD532-HD5 RPTV know whether or not the new firmware has any effect on the vertical shift I see on mine when in progressive output?? Does anyone have any knowledge on how to fix this period. Either way I'll make the upgrade as I hate to fix the left shift thing, seeing that I live in a rural area, prone to power outages.

Drea