GUIDE: HD DVD Standalone Firmware Upgrade; New Toshiba HD-A2 owners: read this first!
Being a new Toshiba HD DVD Player owner, the first thing you should do is upgrade your firmware to the latest version to ensure best performance & compatibility. The below directions work for all Toshiba HD DVD Players in production, including the Toshiba HD-A2/A3.
There are three methods to upgrading your firmware, and they will be discussed below:
METHOD 1: Permanent Internet Connection (BEST METHOD)
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HARDWARE NEEDED:
Existing router, wired or wireless depending on your intentions
Ethernet cable running from router to player (wired)
Wireless Ethernet Bridge/Game Adapter (wireless)
Ethernet Switch (wireless, optional)
HD DVD's have internet features, so it only makes sense that you'd want to give your Toshiba HD DVD player permanent internet access. Therefore, this method is not only great to get the latest firmware but also to allow you to unleash the full potential of your Toshiba HD DVD player.
So, hook up that Ethernet port to your router with an ethernet cable. Or, if you want to go wireless, buy one of the many "Wireless Ethernet Bridge" or "Wireless Ethernet Game Adapters" that allow you to use any ethernet-capable device wirelessly. The Linksys WET54G is a common example of one of these. If you have another device with ethernet you want to hook up (i.e. XBOX 360), simply buy a 5-port Ethernet Switch and that will allow you to hook multiple devices up to the bridge. You may need to unplug your modem/router after connecting everything to reset things so that devices recognize each other.
SO LET'S UPGRADE THIS BAD BOY!
Once your Toshiba HD DVD Player is hooked up to the router or bridge, go into the player's setup menu. Then go to the Ethernet submenu. Turn on DHCP. Turn on DNS. Now, simply hit confirm. Check the numbers that it spits out - if it looks like a proper IP address, you're set. If it looks wrong or null, try turning off auto-dns and setting the DNS server to the local IP address of your primary router (i.e. 192.168.1.1 or whatever) and hitting confirm again. By now, you should be set. Still doesn't work? If neither of the above options work, you can try this as a last-ditch effort (not as good as the first two solutions because external DNS IP can change over time). Try temporarily hooking up to the internet with an ethernet cable connected directly to your cable modem via METHOD 2 below, and using the auto DNS method, then hit CONFIRM; writer down the DNS numbers that show up in the boxes with the temporary connection. Then, reconnect your permanent setup and manually set the DNS to the numbers you wrote down with the temporary connection. You may need to restart the player in all of these cases. One of the above methods should get your Toshiba HD DVD Player online.
IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE THERE IS NO DISC IN THE DRIVE!!!!!! (If you leave a movie disc in the drive during internet firmware upgrade, it can cause major problems) Next step, is to go to the General/Maintenance section of the player and choose "Update". You will have to accept a EULA. The update process takes about 30 minutes. Do not unplug the player during this process. Once it has finished, the player will shutdown. Restart the player, go back to the setup menu, go to General/Maintenance, and select "Intialize". This will reset all settings and is a good idea just to tidy things up. You are done! Now go tweak your settings for optimal A/V quality!
METHOD 2: Temporary internet connection
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HARDWARE NEEDED:
Long ethernet cable (wired)
Assuming you dont want to buy a bridge or permanently hook up your player to the next, this is another option. Simply unplug your cable modem from your router (if you have one), then run a long ethernet cable
directly from your cable modem to your player. After that, unplug the power of the cable modem and plug it back in (so that it forgets your router and starts fresh with the Toshiba HD DVD player). Then, turn on your player and go to the setup menu. Proceed to "SO LET'S UPGRADE THIS BAD BOY!" section in Method 1 to complete the upgrade. Detach long cable once firmware upgrade process is complete, keep it somewhere you'll remember for the next time! Hook the router (if you have one) back up, of course
METHOD 3: Burned CD-R ISO disc from computer
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HARDWARE NEEDED:
Computer with CD-R drive
Blank CD
So you totally want to avoid the internet, eh. Okay. Here is how to do it with a computer CD-R. First, read these directions:
http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/tacpassets-images/notices/hddvd2firmware.asp
Next, download the file from here, and select the proper Toshiba HD DVD model you own from the dropdown (the most popular models are the HD-A2/HD-D2 and HD-A3, but be sure to check the front of your player for the exact model # so you get the right firmware):
http://tacp.toshiba.com/tacpassets-images/notices/hddvd-downloadingfirmware.asp
Unzip the ISO file to a place you will remember.
Then, download ISO RECORDER and run/install it:
http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/download/ISORecorderV2RC1.msi
Now, put a blank CD-R in the drive. Browse to the unzipped Toshiba ISO file, right click it, and hit Copy Image to CD. Set speed to 2x. Hit next, and you are done.
Now simply insert the CD-R into your Toshiba HD DVD Player and let the upgrade process complete. Remove the disc when it is finished. For good luck, go to the General/Maintenance section and Initialize the player after firmware update to reset all settings. You're done! Go tweak the A/V settings for optimal picture now!
...its true, the site is still up. I'll have to return-rebuy when I pick mine up:
