Compatibility, or Failing laser? Tron legacy playback issues on Panasonic DMP-BD601

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by rubystone356

I had problems with both the 60, 80 player. then switched over the 85. the 85 was better but still had problems. the new 2011 models seem much better.

Jacob

Hey Jacob,

That's why I find this extremely strange. The 601, has been a rock solid player since 2009, until i put this disc in it, just about 2 years. Before I decide to buy another player, I'll just have to wait and see if any more new releases this year have problems. If blu-ray players are going to only last 2 years at a time, then I personally don't think the investment is worth it. Maybe I just hit a fluke since the spec wasn't finalized in 2009. Maybe 2010 players and newer, will be more solid, as far as compatibilities with future releases.

Most things aren't a big deal, but TRON is one of those things that HAS to work.

[rubystone356]

it seems that panasonic learns from the old players and then makes the new adjustments on the new players. the alien problem was fixed with the 2011 model. I am having a problem with t2 on the 210 player. sometimes it will load up and other times it will not. the 2011 model certainly gets more right then wrong. the bdlive does work and work very well. same goes with the netflix for that matter. I had bd live problems on the both the panasonic 80 & 85.

Jacob

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by rubystone356

it seems that panasonic learns from the old players and then makes the new adjustments on the new players. the alien problem was fixed with the 2011 model. I am having a problem with t2 on the 210 player. sometimes it will load up and other times it will not. the 2011 model certainly gets more right then wrong. the bdlive does work and work very well. same goes with the netflix for that matter. I had bd live problems on the both the panasonic 80 & 85.

Jacob

Well,

Considering that all I want is a disc player I'll see if my mom will give me back my magnavox player from 2010, and give her the 601. The magnavox is a profile 1.1 player and just a player. She really doesn't watch movies that much and really doesn't care, if they are blu-ray or DVD. So the 60 will be fine for DVDs and the occasional blu-ray. It will also give me the change to test Tron on a 4 player to see what happens.

[rubystone356]

I dont know if it will work on a 1.1 player. did you try turning off bdlive or turning it on to see if that helps?

Jacob

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by rubystone356

I dont know if it will work on a 1.1 player. did you try turning off bdlive or turning it on to see if that helps?

Jacob

Hey Jacob,

Got my magnavox back from my mom and the disc works perfectly. I'm willing to give up speed for stability.

This is just a player and what I've wanted for a while, will give her the panasonic next week when I see her. Problem solved. goodbye profile 2.0 and internet and hello just a simple BD player.

[BP8guy]

I have problems with my panny 85 too here https://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-pl...gled-tron.html

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by BP8guy

I have problems with my panny 85 too here https://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-pl...gled-tron.html

After using the Magnavox a few days, I wanted to say all apparent stability issues with BD playback, that 2.0 players can sometimes bring, has gone away.

Everything I've thrown at it has played. I have the latest firmware on it, as well. So anyway, I just wanted to close my report, saying I resolved my issue. Others are welcome to use this thread if they have any unusual issues with this title, this player, or another player.

[beeshaw]

Originally Posted by akapainkiller

I've been having problems with my Tron blu ray movie also. I've actually been playing it in 3D but when it plays it tends to pixelate in some areas. I see it more so in the high action scenes where there is transitions from very bright light to dark. My wife didnt notice it but I did. Just wondering if anybody else ran into the same problem?

I had this problem with Tangled.

Originally Posted by chumba

I've got a Samsung BD-P1600 and I'm having a problem with mine where it just locks up before even starting, just showing the Disney castle while the timer on the player just shows 00:00. :/

I verified it has the latest firmware, but I can't imagine it's the disc.

And I've had this problem with with (trying) watching Tron in 3D. I'm running a Toshiba BDX3000.

[HDTV1080P]

Originally Posted by MacinMan

After using the Magnavox a few days, I wanted to say all apparent stability issues with BD playback, that 2.0 players can sometimes bring, has gone away.

Everything I've thrown at it has played. I have the latest firmware on it, as well. So anyway, I just wanted to close my report, saying I resolved my issue. Others are welcome to use this thread if they have any unusual issues with this title, this player, or another player.

That is good to know you are having no problems with an old Magnavox Blu-ray player. I am lucky to find time to watch one Blu-ray a week. I know a family member that is retired and they joined an unlimited Blockbuster Blu-ray rental program for around $25 a month. They rent around 30 Blu-ray movies a month since they like new releases. Anyways this person has a profile 2.0 OPPO BDP-93 and a profile 2.0 Panasonic BDP-BD65 that is connected by a wired network. They have had absolutely no problems loading Blu-ray disc so far.

I am sure any Blu-ray player or DVD player on the market might once and awhile have disc playback problems. In the old days there were some models of DVD players that had trouble playing a few extra features on 1 or 2 DVD’s out of a 100. Some DVD players once and a while did have problems playing a DVD.

Now with the Blu-ray format since it is more complicated, it has experienced more playback problems when compared to the DVD format. Most the playback problems are because encryption codes have changed with BD+ and consumers did not update the Blu-ray player firmware (software) to the latest version. Other problems are programmers that write bad JAVA code for a Blu-ray title that affects some models of players.

There is always a possibility that some Blu-ray title might have problems playing on an OPPO, Panasonic, Sony, or even Magnavox brand of Blu-ray players. Personally I have only been recommending OPPO, Panasonic, and Sony Blu-ray players to people do to their long history of offering high quality firmware updates to play the newest Blu-ray releases with the latest encryption codes. Also OPPO and Panasonic have the best DVD upconversion on the market.

I am sure there are other brands of Blu-ray players on the market that offer reliable and quality firmware updates. I am glad you are not having any problems with your older Magnavox Blu-ray player. Most likely the new profile 2.0 Magnavox Blu-ray players with Ethernet connections would offer the same good quality playback as your profile 1.1 player. I wish Home Theater magazine or another magazines would review some of the lower cost Magnavox, VIZIO, and other brands of Blu-ray players to compare how the DVD upconversion looks to the OPPO and Panasonic Blu-ray players. It’s a well know fact that a $70 Blu-ray player will have the exact same picture quality as a $4,000 Blu-ray player when it comes to playing 1080p/24 Blu-ray discs over a HDMI connection. It’s when one plays a 1080i Blu-ray or 480i DVD where the better video processors can be found on the higher-end models.

Now the problem you were having on the Panasonic Blu-ray player was with only one Blu-ray title. It just happen to be one of your favorite titles called “Tron Legacy”. According to your testimony it would require the player to be power cycled and loaded at least a second time before you were able to use the movie. If the problem was really a BD-LIVE (profile 2.0 issue), then you could disable the profile 2.0 BD-LIVE feature in the Panasonic Blu-ray player. It is my understanding you never tried that before swapping players.

If you do not have a SD card inserted into the Panasonic Blu-ray player then the Panasonic Blu-ray player will disable the profile 2.0 BD-LIVE feature and the player will become a profile 1.1 Blu-ray player. Also you can leave the SD card in the Panasonic Blu-ray player and just disable the BD-LIVE feature in one of the menu selections. My point is it might not have nothing to do about the player being profile 2.0. It could be that Panasonic might need to issue a firmware update to fix the problem.

[HDTV1080P]

Do to bad JAVA code some movies require a BD-LIVE player with Internet connection (That means if your profile 2.0 Blu-ray player does not have 1GB of internal storage that a SD or USB flash storage that is a minimum of 1GB needs to be installed). All Blu-ray movies are supposed to load on an old profile 1.0 and 1.1 player but they don’t when the JAVA code is coded wrong by the programmer to require an Internet connection with BD-LIVE.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-players-recorders/170251-starship-troopers-wont-play.html

I have heard of many excellent testimonies from people that have OPPO, Panasonic, and Sony profile 2.0 Blu-ray players with 4GB or more of external storage and an active Internet connection. Every title they have tried has loaded so far (latest firmware installed).

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by HDTV1080P

Do to bad JAVA code some movies require a BD-LIVE player with Internet connection (That means if your profile 2.0 Blu-ray player does not have 1GB of internal storage that a SD or USB flash card that is a minimum of 1GB needs to be installed). All Blu-ray movies are supposed to load on an old profile 1.0 and 1.1 player but they don’t when the JAVA code is coded wrong by the programmer to require an Internet connection with BD-LIVE.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-players-recorders/170251-starship-troopers-wont-play.html

I have heard of many excellent testimonies from people that have OPPO, Panasonic, and Sony profile 2.0 Blu-ray players with 4GB or more of external storage and an active Internet connection. Every title they have tried has loaded so far.

That's the point I've been trying to get across to everyone for a while now. I don't use BDLive, I really don't use the streaming services all that much anymore. At this point after trying what the current profile 2.0 players have to offer, All i find myself doing is watching the movie, or using a feature, that's a 1.0 or 1.1 feature. So in those circumstances I just want a player, that's why I got my magnavox back, it's simple like a traditional DVD player Yes, it's true that DVDs have a glitch from time to time, but I never had to worry if the disc would play or not. With blu-ray I don't have that satisfaction yet. Panasonic seems to have discontinue firmware updates for the older players too. Neither one of mine have gotten a new one in 6 months to a year.

From my experience, it seems to BDLive related that mess with my blu-ray watching, with the exception of tron legacy, it's odd that a panasonic profile 2.0 would choke while the magnavox 1.1 did not.

Oppo looks like a nice player, but way overpriced for the needs and wants I have. My biggest TV is 42" smallest is 32" both 1080p tvs, I can't tell a difference with DVD video at 480, or 1080 upconverted.

[rubystone356]

you were certainly notice a difference between dvd and blu ray with a bigger screen tv like a 50 inch or so.

Jacob

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by rubystone356

you were certainly notice a difference between dvd and blu ray with a bigger screen tv like a 50 inch or so.

Jacob

I realize that with a larger screen the difference is noticeable. Let me remind you though, all my important movies Have been converted to blu-ray with the exception of star wars which will be later this fall. Everything else I have is Television series such as Dukes of hazzard Saved by the bell, full house, etc, those aren't guaranteed to be remastered, but those I don't need in high def, or upconverted. The only series i might convert is stargate. sg-1 and get atlantis, etc.

[wayfarer1969]

I came across this thread after doing a Google search for problems with the Tron Legacy Blu-Ray. I live in the UK and imported the 5-disc special edition thorugh Amazon. After getting over the disappointment that the Identity Disc packaging wasn't all that, I started having a look at the discs. Tron was fine. Tron Legacy just sat in my Panasonic SC-BT200 player whilst the motor made an unusual noise which culminated in an error message.
Now, i had never updated my firmware, so I disconnected the router from my PC upstairs and plugged it in. I went from Firmware 1.3 to 1.9

This didn't solve the problem. I had no other Blu-Player to try. I emailed Disney about it but after reading this thread it doesn't look hopeful. I'll try switching the player off and then on again, with the disc in and will easily live with that solution if it works.

Thanks to those that posted their issues as it has helped ,in a way.

[HDTV1080P]

Yesterday I tested Tron Legacy 2-D version on three different Blu-ray devices and it loaded and played perfectly fine. The OPPO BDP-93, Panasonic DMP-BDT100, and my desktop computer’s BD-ROM drive running Cyberlink PowerDVD 10 played TRON Legacy 2-D version just fine.

I am sorry to hear some people are having trouble playing the 3-D and 2-D Tron Blu-ray discs on some players. Updating the Blu-ray players firmware should solve some peoples issues.

It sounds like people that have older Blu-ray players might need to contact the manufactory of the Blu-ray player and complain to them that a firmware update needs to be written to fix the issue.

For those that have mentioned digital pixilation artifacts when watching the 3-D version of Tron. This could be caused by several issues. If one is not using a certified HDMI 1.4 high-speed cable then pixels can occur during scenes that need a lot of bandwidth. Most likely other 3-D titles would also be causing digital artifacts if it was a cable issue. Installing a firmware update to ones 3-D Blu-ray player many times improves the quality of 3-D. The first 2010 Blu-ray players that did 3-D had glitches and bugs with 3-D titles until a firmware update was released. Some HDTV’s also have a Ethernet or WIFI connection to update the 3-D software in the display.

After changing the HDMI cable, updating the firmware in both the 3-D TV and 3-D Blu-ray player then in theory the digital artifact issues should completely disappear unless the problem is with the source material.

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by HDTV1080P

Yesterday I tested Tron Legacy 2-D version on three different Blu-ray devices and it loaded and played perfectly fine. The OPPO BDP-93, Panasonic DMP-BDT100, and my desktop computer’s BD-ROM drive running Cyberlink PowerDVD 10 played TRON Legacy 2-D version just fine.

I am sorry to hear some people are having trouble playing the 3-D and 2-D Tron Blu-ray discs on some players. Updating the Blu-ray players firmware should solve some peoples issues.

It sounds like people that have older Blu-ray players might need to contact the manufactory of the Blu-ray player and complain to them that a firmware update needs to be written to fix the issue.

For those that have mentioned digital pixilation artifacts when watching the 3-D version of Tron. This could be caused by several issues. If one is not using a certified HDMI 1.4 high-speed cable then pixels can occur during scenes that need a lot of bandwidth. Most likely other 3-D titles would also be causing digital artifacts if it was a cable issue. Installing a firmware update to ones 3-D Blu-ray player many times improves the quality of 3-D. The first 2010 Blu-ray players that did 3-D had glitches and bugs with 3-D titles until a firmware update was released. Some HDTV’s also have a Ethernet or WIFI connection to update the 3-D software in the display.

After changing the HDMI cable, updating the firmware in both the 3-D TV and 3-D Blu-ray player then in theory the digital artifact issues should completely disappear unless the problem is with the source material.

I wanted to add, that in my testing, 2010 players and later seem to be fine with this disc. the one which has problems is from 2009. The magnavox profile 1.1. player I have is even an early 2010 model.

Maybe the time of manufacturing has something to do with disc play back in this case.

[wayfarer1969]

My player was bought in November 2009, so backs up MacinMan's theory.

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by wayfarer1969

My player was bought in November 2009, so backs up MacinMan's theory.

The Magnavox unit I speak of was last year's black Friday special, for walmart. For info on it check out the thread on this forum about the $78 Magnavox player at walmart. I don't have the exact model number on me, but that thread will, and it will also give other insightful info into why I like this player.

[HDTV1080P]

Originally Posted by wayfarer1969

My player was bought in November 2009, so backs up MacinMan's theory.

The old profile 2.0 OPPO BDP-83 was made in 2009 and the old profile 2.0 Sony BDP-S350 was made in 2008, I have not heard any Tron Legacy problems with those players. I tested a TRON Legacy Blu-ray disc on a 2007 or 2008 BD-ROM drive with Cyberlink Power DVD 10 and it played fine, but of course on computers it’s the quality of the Blu-ray software that makes the difference and it does not matter how old the BD-ROM drive is. So the Tron problem is only occurring on some older standalone Blu-ray players between the years of 2006-2009 in theory.

In May of 2011 the Blu-ray format will be 5 years old. In my estimate that is the half-life before a new 4K optical format is released. Most likely around the year 2016 a 4K optical format will be released. The 4K optical format might just be an extension to the Blu-ray format with a multi-layer 200GB+ disc or a totally new optical format that will try and replace the Blu-ray format.

My main point is the Blu-ray format is almost 5 years old, and these disc playback problems should not be occurring since the format should in theory be mature. Back in the DVD player days one could keep a DVD player for 10+ years and be able to play 99% of all new DVD’s without needing a firmware update (Firmware updates were rare for most DVD players). Blu-ray players need firmware updates to install the latest BD+ encryption codes and to fix bad JAVA code issues. For the Blu-ray format to be successful the Blu-ray players need to last at least 5 years. I can understand if companies decide to stop supporting firmware updates for players that are older than 5 years. If certain models of Blu-ray players are going to stop being supported after a few years that is bad for the consumer. Hopefully the older Blu-ray players that have trouble playing Tron Legacy will receive a firmware update soon.


There needs to be quality control testing by companies before they release a major title. For example before a company runs off a few hundred thousand or a million or more Blu-ray discs they should create a master test disc. Then each studio should have several racks of standalone Blu-ray players from 2006-2011+. Each Blu-ray player should have the latest firmware update. Then a technician should spend a few hours to make sure the Blu-ray disc loads ok. If there is a problem with 20% of the Blu-ray players reading the discs that is not BD+ related issue then the company should change the JAVA code on the mater disc so it’s more compatible with the problem players. If only a small percentage of Blu-ray players have problems loading the title then the studio could notify the manufactory of the Blu-ray player that a software update will need to be written to play the new Blu-ray title. Software updates are sometimes needed on all Blu-ray players for the latest BD+ encryption keys in order to play the latest new releases. The Playstation 3 is the most reliable at playing Blu-ray titles since most companies will test the new releases on the PS3 before the disc is released.

You would think by now there would be a third party company that would perform quality new release testing for the studios if the studios do not want to do it.

I have been a movie collector for many years, selling and upgrading my movies to new and improved formats. When I purchased Laserdisc movies the movies came packaged with only Laserdiscs. When I purchased DVD movies they came packaged with only DVD’s. When I purchase Blu-ray discs they use to come packaged with only Blu-ray titles until about a year or so ago studios started forcing DVD and digital copies on people. I have been renting a lot more Blu-ray discs since I do not want to pay an extra $5 to also have a DVD copy of the movie that I never will use. Now some titles there are 4 different formats in the same package for $40 or $50+. 3-D Blu-ray, 2-D Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Copy (Just about every format except a VHS tape). I would purchase more Blu-ray movies instead of renting them if the studios would get back to only including Blu-ray discs in the package. I am only interested in having either a 2-D Blu-ray disc or a 3-D and 2-D Blu-ray disc in the same package. I never use DVD and digital copies that come in the Blu-ray packages.

Perhaps one of the reasons a DVD is included in the same package with the Blu-ray titles are because people are having trouble playing the Blu-ray disc on some players. I always thought the reason the studios started placing DVD versions of the movie into the Blu-ray package was because some people have not upgraded all their DVD players to Blu-ray players yet. But the real reason might be because some people have incompatibility issues playing the Blu-ray and they are forced to use the included DVD. Never in the history of movie collecting has one been forced to purchase multiply formats in one package.

If Blu-ray was strong enough it should be able to stand on its own without some studios including a DVD with every new Blu-ray release for an extra $5+. It also slows down the demand and sells of standalone Blu-ray players when a DVD is included with every Blu-ray release. Instead of some families upgrading every DVD player in the house with a new Blu-ray player, they now end up upgrading only the main family room with a Blu-ray player.

Now with new 2011 Blu-ray players starting to remove all the analog video and analog audio outputs people will soon need to purchase a new TV when upgrading from a DVD player to a Blu-ray player. https://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-players-recorders/170330-new-2011-blu-ray-players-starting-appear-no-analog-video-audio-output.html

Currently the Blu-ray format is only in a maximum of 30% of USA households if one includes the PS3, BD-ROM computer drives, and standalone Blu-ray players. Hopefully the Blu-ray format will greatly increase in popularity in years to come, but I am having my doubts that the format will replace the DVD format, especially when most the new Blu-ray releases come packaged with a DVD and consumers that purchase new Blu-ray players also need to purchase new HDTV’s with HDMI inputs.

[wayfarer1969]

I'm not convinced that my disc problems are anything to do with firmware as the drive is making a very unusual noise, but I'm not very knowledgable about Blu-Ray drives and could be just ignorant.

For the record, Disney got back to me in good time with the following;

Dear Richard,

Thank you for the e-mail regarding your TRON Legacy Blu-ray. We are concerned about your inquiry and would like an opportunity to address this issue with greater detail. There are a couple of options that you can try to get your disc to play. First, try to reset your player by unplugging the power cord on your player for 10-15 minutes. While the player is unplugged, try to clean the disc with a soft, lint-free cloth. Wipe the disc gently in only a radial direction (a straight line between the hub and the rim) and verify that there are no scratches or fingerprints on the disc. Then plug the player back in and load the disc. If the player reset and disc cleaning does not work, please respond back to us answering the following questions.

· What store did you purchase this set from?

· Do you notice any discoloration, marks or scratches on the disc?

· On the shiny side of the disc, near the center, there should be a list of letters or numbers starting with an "X" or a 3 letter code such as "MAT". Please include this set of letters/numbers.

· Do you have access to another player or computer that you can try the disc on? If so please check to see if you can replicate the issues you experienced.

Please reply to this email with the added information including your full mailing address and phone number.

I didn't have much time to play around last night but before I saw the email, I tried powering off via the handset. That made no difference. I'll try the power cord option but I might just have a faulty disc, despite the other reports of Panasonics being unable to handle the disc.

The only other issues I have had have been with two Paramount discs; MI:3 and No Country For Old Men. Both froze and pixellated. Replacement discs ended up being fine.