Sony BDP-S370 possible update problems (region change?)

[turk690]

I have blu-ray players bought and being used here in North America. I also have a 2-year old Sony BDP-S370, bought in the middle east, which is region-free DVD/region B blu-ray; this is used for that odd region B only BD or other DVDs that are not region 1 that I get from other parts of the world. This Sony has never been connected to any LAN (Internet), and I was about to do so with a view to updating its f/w. But I'm told that, having detected where it physically is, the Sony server it gets connected to might not only update its f/w, but also go on extreme and actually change its region code to 1/A while at it. Should I therefore go out of my way to a legit region 2/B place and update it there or am I just being needlessly worrisome??

[aedipuss]

if you are worried about it, download the region 2 firmware and update from a usb stick or cd, they usually are able to do it that way.

[intracube]

if you are worried about it, download the region 2 firmware and update from a usb stick or cd, they usually are able to do it that way.

But couldn't a firmware update (however it's done) reset the player to a specific region?

[jman98]

Will the player update its firmware automatically if connected to the internet? Yes. We've had reports of such about Sony products.

Will the player change its region upon being moved to another part of the world and put on a new IP address? Highly unlikely, but then again this is Sony we are talking about so I'd say that I feel 95% sure that would not happen, but not 100%.

There is rarely a compelling reason to update firmware on BluRay players, despite the manufacturers wanting you to do so. Honestly it's not necessary to play any discs although I've read reports of some Sony players refusing to play certain region A BluRays without an update. Technically speaking no update is required but Sony likes to enforce it anyway. Note that updating your firmware may permanently break region free mode for DVD playback and reset your player to the DVD region it was sold in.

[turk690]

I tried to chat with Sony support North America, which told me without missing a beat that there is absolutely nothing they can do to help (on learning it is a region B BD player), and directed me to sony-mea (middle east and africa). I'll give a point to Sony in that they acknowledge that there are users who couldn't or wouldn't connect their BD players to the Internet by giving an alternative method of downloading the f/w files, unzipping, and putting them on the root of a finalized CD-R (thanks for the tip, aedipuss). This CD is inserted and the player f/w gets updated, in my case from R511 to R769. I uncrossed my fingers on testing this BDP-S370 and noting that it remains region-free DVD.

[jman98]

Why did I even bother responding? You're clearly not listening. I won't make that mistake again when you post.

[turk690]

But couldn't a firmware update (however it's done) reset the player to a specific region?

Apparently, not if you do it via CD/USB, with the f/w files d/l from the part of the world that normally deals with that particular player.

Why did I even bother responding? You're clearly not listening. I won't make that mistake again when you post.

Chill out. I had done it even before you posted. I DO listen to you. I just wanted to watch again the region B "Avatar" I have, where, from time to time, even after selecting 'play movie', it just sits there on the nice menu without proceeding forward. I was wondering if a f/w update might solve it (10 out of 10 it does proceed and play now so I like to think the f/w update succeeded).