Panasonic 563A DVD-A firmware - 01/22/05 04:27 AM
Note: I posted this at Audioholics as well...
I bought a 563A unit about 6 months ago but only recently started collecting hi res music to play on it. Sure enough, I finally bought a DVD-A that won't play (Mark Knopfler's "Shangri-La"). Alas -- the dreaded 563A firmware problem! My unit shipped with ROM Version: 1.706_SglStp. Reportedly, the playback fix is in Version 1.906. (You can determine your unit's firmware via instructions <A HREF="http://www.jvb.nl/jvb.asp
cur=1&level=accessoires&page=title&title=186">here</A>.)
Has anyone here experienced this playback problem? Anyone gotten a firmware upgrade that fixed the problem? If so, did you have to send your unit out to Panasonic? Or is there (fingers crossed) a firmware installation CD fix available?
I'm pretty happy with this unit, but getting this fixed is a pain...
I don't know who I'm madder at: Panasonic for not recalling and then fixing these units (instead they just "discontinued" the model, and evidently replaced it with a cheaper unit [578], at least in terms of audio s/w and h/w, or so I've read), or Circuit City for continuing to sell them long after this problem was well-understood and they were no doubt already seeing heavy product returns...., or myself for taking the ostrich approach (head in sand) when I gambled and bought this thing...
Btw, the Shangri-La package I have is <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00069A5GY/qid=1106367287/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-7898224-6504832?v=glance&s=music">two disks</A> (CD and DVD-A) and the CD disk plays just fine. The DVD-A disk works for the Menu and for the included videos (both audio and video), but doesn't work at all for the individual music tracks. Great music... A must-have if you're a Knopfler fan (imho)...
I bought a 563A unit about 6 months ago but only recently started collecting hi res music to play on it. Sure enough, I finally bought a DVD-A that won't play (Mark Knopfler's "Shangri-La"). Alas -- the dreaded 563A firmware problem! My unit shipped with ROM Version: 1.706_SglStp. Reportedly, the playback fix is in Version 1.906. (You can determine your unit's firmware via instructions <A HREF="http://www.jvb.nl/jvb.asp
cur=1&level=accessoires&page=title&title=186">here</A>.)
Has anyone here experienced this playback problem? Anyone gotten a firmware upgrade that fixed the problem? If so, did you have to send your unit out to Panasonic? Or is there (fingers crossed) a firmware installation CD fix available?
I'm pretty happy with this unit, but getting this fixed is a pain...
I don't know who I'm madder at: Panasonic for not recalling and then fixing these units (instead they just "discontinued" the model, and evidently replaced it with a cheaper unit [578], at least in terms of audio s/w and h/w, or so I've read), or Circuit City for continuing to sell them long after this problem was well-understood and they were no doubt already seeing heavy product returns...., or myself for taking the ostrich approach (head in sand) when I gambled and bought this thing...
Btw, the Shangri-La package I have is <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00069A5GY/qid=1106367287/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-7898224-6504832?v=glance&s=music">two disks</A> (CD and DVD-A) and the CD disk plays just fine. The DVD-A disk works for the Menu and for the included videos (both audio and video), but doesn't work at all for the individual music tracks. Great music... A must-have if you're a Knopfler fan (imho)...