Ever since the tail end of September, owners of the Samsung HT-BD1250 Blu-ray player + HTIB combo have apparently been afflicted by at least two firmware updates that promised new features but instead left many owners staring at only a display flashing "Load" and otherwise unresponsive hardware. If you've already picked up one of these, living without Blockbuster, YouTube and PC Media Streaming access is advisable, as the 2.07 and 2.12 updates appear to be the source of the problems, leaving owners waiting up to several weeks in some cases for repaired hardware to come back their way. Worse yet, according to come posters in the CNET Forums thread, customer service has been slow to pick up the tab for shipping, as if two straight problematic updates weren't bad enough. Ultimately, you may want to look past this one until things are straightened out, or at least for a unit with more (read: any) HDMI inputs.

[Thanks, Jarrett]

Enjoy your Apple TV? Not so fond of your data picking up and vanishing whenever it darn well pleases? Then you'll probably want to force your Apple TV to update to 3.0.1... assuming you've already upgraded it to 3.0, of course. According to the engineers in Cupertino, this update prevents content "from temporarily disappearing until re-synced," and we're guessing that most of you would rather keep your content around if possible. Tap the read link for all the instructions, and whatever you do, don't make any sudden movements.

[Via TUAW]

After plunking down a grand for Sonos' impressive 2-room bundle, it's always nice to see a freebie or two arrive via software updates. While not quite as big a release as version 2.7 was for Sonos' wireless (or wired) multi-room audio system, 2.8 does add free Deezer Radio service to Sonos users in 30 countries across Europe -- think Last.fm's artist smart lists with the ability to skip tracks only better dressed and with a knowledge of geography. Sonos is also updating its free iPhone / iPod touch controller application by extending native language support (Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish added to English) and granting access to the sleep timers and wake-to-music alarms you've setup using the Sonos software controller running on your desktop. This update brings the features of the iPhone Controller up to par with Sonos' own dedicated controller and thus makes the €399 price for the CR100 all the more ridiculous.

Fortunately, for a limited time (until May 31st) Sonos is heavily discounting its €399 Sonos Controller as long as you buy it bundled with a ZonePlayer -- a box required for adding new speaker zones. The ZP90 and Sonos Controller combo is available for €599 (a savings of €149) while the amplified ZP120 and Controller combo is available for €699 (a savings of €199). The offer seems bent on preventing you from purchasing a relatively fragile but multi-purpose €219 iPod touch with onscreen keyboard to control your whole-house audio instead of Sonos' rugged and water-resistant CR100 Controller with scroll-wheel QWERTY. Try harder Sonos, even Apple learned to ditch the scroll-wheel. A few more interface shots after the break.

HP's MediaSmart Server ex487 (1.5TB) and ex485 (750GB) both received copious amounts of praise when launched late last year, but considering just how many issues the original two had (the ex470 and ex475), it wouldn't take much to best 'em. Today, HP is issuing its second firmware update of the year for the series, but the first ever for the newest duo -- and make no mistake, it's a big one. The v2.5 update adds in loads of new features, far too many to cover in this space, in fact. If you're interested in hearing more, follow us past the break for all the details.

Just because it's dead and buried doesn't mean the DMP-BD35 isn't lingering in the minds of Panasonic engineers. Don't believe us? Have a look at the latest firmware update to emerge from its labs, dated 3/31/09 and meant for the aforementioned BD35/BD35PC. Of course, the 28MB download doesn't do an awful lot -- it just improves stability for decoding HD audio and all around playback -- but it's definitely not bad for the grand total of $0.00. If you're ready to stop being mad and start updating, give the read link a look.

[Thanks, John]

LG just gifted its multifaceted BD300 with HD Netflix support in December, and today it's blessing owners with one more goodie: YouTube access. The latest update brings the deck to version BD.8.16.537, and as mentioned, the most notable inclusion is YouTube streaming. Sure, it may not change your life, but it just might make your day. Give it a go and let us know how things look.

[Thanks, Kurt]

Sony already gifted its BDP-S350 Blu-ray player with BD-Live functionality last September, but apparently that firmware just isn't good enough any longer. The outfit has just released a newer version that elevates the machine from 010 to 015, and with the update comes "improved BD-Java compatibility to enhance interactivity with some BD-ROMs and improved BD-Live performance." The file weighs in at a rather hefty 49.42MB, so hit up the read link if you're interested in getting it started.

[Thanks, Brendan]

Sling Media's SlingCatcher has been hampered since release due to a few software limitations, but according to ZatzNotFunny, project manager Matthew Feinstein has confirmed that both Slingbox PRO-HD high-def / networked drive streaming are on the way sometime this quarter. Supposedly, resolutions are expected to get bumped from 640 x 480 to 1,280 x 540, with the ultimate goal of hitting 1,920 x 1,080. We're also told that UPnP support could be in the cards, and that OS X, SlingSync and SlingProjector software is in development. Mmm, tasty.

Merely weeks after Samsung rolled out its v2.1 firmware update to enable HD Netflix streaming on the BD-P2500 / BD-P2550 Blu-ray players, in flies an update just before the dawn of 2009. As of right now, users can surf on over (courtesy of the read links provided below) in order to download version 2.3, which officially acts to "improve playback compatibility of some movie titles." Fire up the download and give it a go, and feel free to report back with any other, unnamed changes that you discover.

[Thanks, Vivek]

Read - BD-P2500 download
Read - BD-P2550 download

A few lucky Netflix Player owners have been enjoying the spoils of Netflix in high-definition all weekend, but for those not selected to join the elite in the first wave of rollouts, all is now well. Roku has just announced that every last one of its Netflix Player customers are now eligible for an upgrade that brings along HD Netflix support, just as we knew would happen. Slipping in just under the wire, are we Roku? Either way, we appreciate the tidings of joy.

Good thing Netflix / Roku got those finicky quality issues ironed out, as the latest firmware update is all about clarity. Version 1.5, which is evidently being pushed out in waves, is allowing individuals to stream high-def Netflix content. So, for those of you lucky enough to have the new firmware already, how do things look and sound? Are you pleased? Not really? Speak up below!

[Thanks, TheManTheyCallJayne]

First came Samsung's duo, then came the TiVo. Now, LG's BD300 is taking its turn, just as we were promised it would. Available now, the vBD8.11.480 firmware update will take your deck to the next level by solving the following symptom: "Netflix HD streaming is not supported." The update is also said to "fix the menu flickering when RMC key is served on the BD-Live menu," so yeah, there's that. Get that update going and report back, will you? Oh, and keep a close eye on quality -- we hear it's been wonky of late.

[Thanks, Jerry]

Memorex isn't spilling any details, but lo and behold, it has pumped out a version C firmware for its low-end MVBD-2510 Blu-ray player. 'Course, the player has only been out for a couple of months now, but it is apparently already in need of 23.1MB of refreshing. Oh, and don't bother checking for a changelog in the download hosted in the read link -- you'll just end up sorely disappointed. So, MVBD-2510 owners, we're all relying on you to hook your player up and report back with pluses and minuses. Who's down?

[Thanks, Elmopio]