New firmware for 5990/37..Thanks to vb6rocod

[phatrat1982]

Is there a hack, firmware update or other way to upgrade the WMV or DIVX codecs in this player to support HD? Also is there a way to play PAL videos in PAL and not downgrade to NTSC?

[jagabo]

Is there a hack, firmware update or other way to upgrade the WMV or DIVX codecs in this player to support HD?

No. The decoder chips don't have enough power and the machine probably doesn't have enough memory.

Also is there a way to play PAL videos in PAL and not downgrade to NTSC?

No. It might be possible to flash it with firmware for the equivalent European model.

[phatrat1982]

thanks I guess I just need to but a new player.

[vb6rocod]

New "design"

* new skin for logo and filebrowser (smaller)
* new fonts for OSD and filebrowser
* new icons
* yellow bar is now grey...
* 1 tag mp3 (title) near fileindex
* version with "Load Org Then All" - (ORG version from previous)



DOWNLOAD

DVP5990_37_vb6_v4.rar
DVP5990K_55_vb6_v4.rar
DVP5990K_75_vb6_v4

[philips599037]

Just upgraded to the new version and it looks awesome and works flawlessly.

Thank you vb6rocod.

[u4s]

Just upgraded to the new version and it looks awesome and works flawlessly.
Thank you vb6rocod.

We *Completely* Agree - We Installed The Newly Available DVP5990_37_vb6_v4 (06/14/2009) FirmWare Version On Our Philips DVP 5990/37 [Mfg Aug 2008] Player And *All* Seems To Be Working *Very* Well For Us Also In Our Preliminary Tests.

Thanks vb6rocod!

NOTES:
Details Of Our Testing Conditions, Procedures And Results Were Similar To Those We Described Earlier.

[philips599037]

New "design"

* new filebrowser (smaller)

This means the File Browser will now fit a 4:3 NTSC TV screen. In all the other vb6rocod firmware versions, the FB was too big. Good news for those still yet to purchase an HDTV.

[cal_tony]

Also just upgraded to the new 37_vb6_v4 software and noticed a problem. I had not used any of the previous versions so my problem may have already been discussed. I played a DVD created with DVDShrink with no menu and 2 titles on it from a tv series. With the original firmware the player would upon competition of the first title begin to play the second. Now it just stops after the first and I have to press the display button and manually select the second title.

Everything else seems to work fine.

Tony

[Tripper_]

Also just upgraded to the new 37_vb6_v4 software and noticed a problem. I had not used any of the previous versions so my problem may have already been discussed. I played a DVD created with DVDShrink with no menu and 2 titles on it from a tv series. With the original firmware the player would upon competition of the first title begin to play the second. Now it just stops after the first and I have to press the display button and manually select the second title.

Everything else seems to work fine.

Tony

Try pressing the repeat button in the file browser. I'm guessing that will fix the problem.

[cal_tony]

Tripper,

As far as I know, when playing a standard DVD there is no file browser. The sequence of play with a DVD is determined by the authoring instructions. With all of my DVD players including my other 2 5990 players that have not been flashed with the V4 upgrade they play the titles in sequence one after the other.

Tony

[cal_tony]

I went back to the DVD I had previously had problems with and found a simple work around.

Press Repeat button on the remote at any time during the playback of the first title and select All from the prompts. The normal Default is Off and that stops the the player from moving to the next title so changing it to all fixes the problem. Once the player has been turned off the OFF default returns so the procedure must be re-done.
Tony

[u4s]

Also just upgraded to the new 37_vb6_v4 software and noticed a problem. I had not used any of the previous versions so my problem may have already been discussed. I played a DVD created with DVDShrink with no menu and 2 titles on it from a tv series. With the original firmware the player would upon competition of the first title begin to play the second. Now it just stops after the first and I have to press the display button and manually select the second title.
Everything else seems to work fine.
Tony

We Too Have Updated Our Philips DVP5990/37 Player [mfg Aug 2008] To The Newly Available DVP5990_37_vb6_v4 (06/14/2009) FirmWare And ALL Seems To Be Working Completely OK.

SO FAR - We've *NOT* Been Able To Observe This Problem - We've Tried Using DVDs Similar To That Described (DVDs With "no menu, and 2 titles on it from a tv series" But, Perhaps, Not Created With DVDShrink) - Nonetheless, Under Our Conditions All Seems OK And The Second Title Plays Automatically After The First Title Is Completed. Other Files, Including MP3/AVI/WMV/JPG Files, Automatically Play One Right After The Other As Well.

Perhaps Our AV Systems Are Different In Some Way? Perhaps There's A Difference In Configuration Settings Of Some Sort Including With The Various DVD Player "Current Status" Options (Via The "Display" Button On The RC)? Perhaps Something To Do With DVDShrink? Interesting In Any Regards Of Course.

[cal_tony]

U4S,
I thought I would spend more time researching this, but so far I haven't. Let me say at the outset, I really like whats been done to improve the players performance by this firmware. As I have 2 other 5990s that I have not reflashed, I will see if they also experience this behavior once flashed. Also, I have only tried this with a particular set of DVDs all using the same brand of disk . As I do have many different TV series stored in this manner, I will try it with another series. From my comments, the most important thing to me is that I have found a very simple work around. And since I have, I haven't bothered to examine the actual DVD instructions that DVDShrink produces.

Tony

[u4s]

U4S,
I thought I would spend more time researching this, but so far I haven't. Let me say at the outset, I really like whats been done to improve the players performance by this firmware. As I have 2 other 5990s that I have not reflashed, I will see if they also experience this behavior once flashed. Also, I have only tried this with a particular set of DVDs all using the same brand of disk . As I do have many different TV series stored in this manner, I will try it with another series. From my comments, the most important thing to me is that I have found a very simple work around. And since I have, I haven't bothered to examine the actual DVD instructions that DVDShrink produces.
Tony

Thanks For Your Comment - No Problem Whatsoever - Completely Understand About Your Posted Work-around - Nonetheless (And If You Decide To Pursue This Further), Any New Info About Any Of This Would Be Appreciated Of Course - [If Possible, Maybe Also Post Unit(s) Manufacturer Month/Year (May Be Relevant)?] - In Any Case, Thanks Again. Enjoy!

[cal_tony]

u4s

I still have not flashed my other units yet but since you have an interest in this problem,I did check the date of my flashed unit. Jun 08.

I did check play with another series disk with multiple titles and they exhibit the same behavior. At the end of the title the blue screen pops up with the Philips logo and the display [stop]
Also interesting, well.. to me at least, is that if the unit is on fast forward at any of the fast forward speeds as it approaches the end of the title it just moves on to the next one as it should. The same can be said if the display menu is displayed. If the display menu is up even at normal speed it moves to the next title.

Tony

[u4s]

u4s I still have not flashed my other units yet but since you have an interest in this problem,I did check the date of my flashed unit. Jun 08. I did check play with another series disk with multiple titles and they exhibit the same behavior. At the end of the title the blue screen pops up with the Philips logo and the display [stop] Also interesting, well.. to me at least, is that if the unit is on fast forward at any of the fast forward speeds as it approaches the end of the title it just moves on to the next one as it should. The same can be said if the display menu is displayed. If the display menu is up even at normal speed it moves to the next title.Tony

Interesting - Your Work-around Seems The Best Strategy With Dealing With This (If The v4 FirmWare Is Used) At The Moment - Maybe Other Forum Members With More Experience Might Have Some Suggestions And/Or Advice? Thanks For Posting In Any Regards Of Course.

[medeni73]

New "design"

* new skin for logo and filebrowser (smaller)
* new fonts for OSD and filebrowser
* new icons
* yellow bar is now grey...
* 1 tag mp3 (title) near fileindex
* version with "Load Org Then All" - (ORG version from previous)



DOWNLOAD

DVP5990_37_vb6_v4.rar
DVP5990K_55_vb6_v4.rar
DVP5990K_75_vb6_v4

@vb6rocod

Is there a chance to see this version of firmware for 5990/12 ???

[Sanek2k6]

XVid (and probably all other) video playback is jerky at 1080p setting on DVP5990/F7 (original firmware was DVP5990/37). Selecting 1080i setting fixes the jerky playback.

The TV is a Sony Bravia KDL-40Z4100/S. It is possible that video is jerky in 1080i format as well, however TV's filters make that less noticeable as some more advanced filters are not applied to the 1080p source video as it is considered very high quality already.

The video files played are 25fps.

Using the following firmware:
http://vb6rocod.euracks.com/download.php?f=DVP5990_37_vb6_v4.rar

NTSC DVDs play fine, which tells me that either the codec is slow (unlikely) or it is the missing ~5fps that don't get sent to the TV correctly. The TV is an NTSC TV with (to my knowledge) no multisystem functionality.

Player also takes a few seconds to stop an XVid video, which might be expected behavior, however that was not the case with the original firmware.

//Edit: I have not tried any PAL DVDs, however I will try some when I get a chance to.

[Wanderlustus]

Just uploaded the new firmware, DVP5990_37_vb6_v4.rar, and I can't thank you enough. Really nice interface. Popped in a telly series of AVI's and it showed all the titles complete. One thing I don't get though, is why I don't see the image in the background when I'm highlighted on a file. Or is this something that works only with commercial DVD's/CD's?

Again, vb6rocod, many thanks for your work. You've made me even more happy I managed to snag one of these players.

---------------later----------------------

So, it's been a few days since I posted this, and no one has responded. Has no one any idea what I'm on about?

[DarrellS]

Now I remember why I haven't used my 5990 to watch DivX files since I bought the WD HD player. The 5990 will not play files over 2GB off of a thumbdrive. I lowered the bitrate on the 3.1GB file from 4375kbps to 3793kbps (thinking it was an issue of the bitrate being over 4000kbps) and 2.5GB but it still would not play.

I don't think it is a problem with the firmware update since I believe I had this problem before. Both files play fine with the WD.

[gll99]

Now I remember why I haven't used my 5990 to watch DivX files since I bought the WD HD player. The 5990 will not play files over 2GB off of a thumbdrive. I lowered the bitrate on the 3.1GB file from 4375kbps to 3793kbps (thinking it was an issue of the bitrate being over 4000kbps) and 2.5GB but it still would not play.

I don't think it is a problem with the firmware update since I believe I had this problem before. Both files play fine with the WD.

I tested some large over 2 gb 6.xx divx pro files at high bitrate up to 8000kbps with my 5990 after using one of the firmware updates posted here. I have two identical 8gb thumb drives and now also have 4 hdd in external enclosures. With the hdd drives the large test files load and play without issue. With one of of the thumb drive the file loads and plays but it takes from 1 to 2 minutes for it to load. The last thumb drive won't load the video but the drive is showing other signs that it's flaky anyway. I bought the two Kaser brand drives at BestBuy and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. I don't own another large thumb drive to test with but from my experience the problem seems more related to the type of drive rather than the player or the firmware (original or upgrade).

btw) I thought of buying the WDTV player also but then found out that they are making a new model so want to wait and see what improvements they've made.

[MidnightWatcher]

Now I remember why I haven't used my 5990 to watch DivX files since I bought the WD HD player. The 5990 will not play files over 2GB off of a thumbdrive. I lowered the bitrate on the 3.1GB file from 4375kbps to 3793kbps (thinking it was an issue of the bitrate being over 4000kbps) and 2.5GB but it still would not play.

I don't think it is a problem with the firmware update since I believe I had this problem before. Both files play fine with the WD.

I have a 2.4GB file that plays off a thumb drive just fine. Takes about a minute or so to load though, but once it begins it's perfect.

[Wanderlustus]

Now I remember why I haven't used my 5990 to watch DivX files since I bought the WD HD player. The 5990 will not play files over 2GB off of a thumbdrive. I lowered the bitrate on the 3.1GB file from 4375kbps to 3793kbps (thinking it was an issue of the bitrate being over 4000kbps) and 2.5GB but it still would not play.

I don't think it is a problem with the firmware update since I believe I had this problem before. Both files play fine with the WD.

Yeah, this happened to me for the first time about a week back. I watched the rest of the film on my PC. Wondered at the time if it was just a funky file, but hey, now I know it's not just me. Thanks for the feedback.

[DarrellS]

Maybe it would've played if I would've waited longer, I don't know. I waited about 45 seconds.

I cut the file in half and it starts playing instantly. I'll put the large file back on the drive and try later. It's a 4GB Sandisk thumbdrive. I don't want to format my 8GB NTFS Sandisk or NTFS external USB drives to FAT. Another reason I love the WD, it use NTFS drives that hold files over 4GB and plays HD video.

[Techflaws]

Maybe it would've played if I would've waited longer, I don't know. I waited about 45 seconds.

Or you could just remux them as explained in my FAQ and skip the waiting.

[DarrellS]

I used Avimux to create a OpenDML file (not sure why since Virtualdub created the original file which is OpenDML AVI) and it took one minute and 30 seconds to load with the 5990.

One minute and thirty seconds is a long time to wait for a file to start playing when it will play instantly in the WD and a whole lot of trouble converting every large AVI to OpenDML when it will play in the WD without converting. That's the reason that I bought the WD, so I wouldn't have to do anything to my existing files to get them to play on my TV.

The Philips works fine for playing my Store bought and Data DVDs but I think I'll leave the USB drives to the WD.

Thanks for the FAQ though. I put it in my favorites.

[Techflaws]

Even my 2 GB+ files start up in 10 secs or so when played from USB HDD. Considering that the buggy WD TV can't play idx/sub proberly nor DVD menus it may not have been the best choice for playback without any conversions.

[DarrellS]

Even my 2 GB+ files start up in 10 secs or so when played from USB HDD. Considering that the buggy WD TV can't play idx/sub proberly nor DVD menus it may not have been the best choice for playback without any conversions.

I'm glad you can play your 2+GB files in 10 seconds or less, I can't. Maybe I could if I bought another WD MyBook just for the Philips but why spend another $100+ for the Philips when I can just play them on the WD with my existing NTFS drives.

Like I said, I play my DVDs on my 5990. The WD does not claim to be a DVD player although it will play VOBs and ISO files. From what I've read, the 5990 doesn't support DVD playback from USB drives either.

For $99, the WD was the best option for USB playback for me since it would play most files from my PC including high definition files. Had it come out a couple of months sooner, I never would've bought the 5990 since I already owned a Philips 5140 and 642 for DVD playback.

[Techflaws]

No standalone out there supports DVD playback from USB. I returned my WD TV due to bugs, good for you it's working.

[VideoPhrame]

I recently bought a DVP5990/F7 manufactured in May 2009, and I have some questions you guys might be able to help with.

What is the difference between the DVP5990/F7 and DVP5990/37?

Is it safe to load the latest firmware available here on my device?

Is there anyway I can backup my existing factory firmware (or obtain a copy of it somewhere) before upgrading?

Thanks!