Oh, glorious day! TiVo HD and Series 3 owners can rejoice, as the v9.4 software update is finally being pushed out (ahead of official schedule, might we add) to select users. Truthfully, the update doesn't add much, but the Play Folder -- which enables users to store up episodes in sequence and watch 'em at once -- and easier closed captioning operations are much appreciated. Check the links below for the formal verbiage, and chime in with your impressions once it finds your box.

[Thanks, Zatz Not Funny]

The latest PlayStation 3 2.4x firmware update added more than just the long-awaited in-game XMB access. Upscaling from Blu-ray discs is now supported, allowing the system to deinterlace 1080i to 1080p on its own, if you have a homemade BDAV formatted disc recorded in less-than-full HD. Retail Blu-ray flicks are BDMV formatted, so for certain discs not in 1080p (mostly concerts), they'll still be played only in their native resolution. Also included is upscaling, frame noise reduction and block noise reduction for video played off the PS3 HDD or external storage media, and DTS-ES and DTS 96/24 compatibility on Blu-ray discs. AVSForum posters are also reporting some DTS-HD 7.1 discs now map to their speakers properly, but as we've seen, your experience may vary.

Read - PS3 2.41 System Update
Read - PS3 Firmware 2.4x- Master Thread

Not that we had a whole heap of complaints about Samsung's BD-P1500 when we reviewed it earlier this month, but Samsung has already pushed out a minor firmware update that reportedly addresses "playback compatibility." Chances are you won't find it posted online just yet, but for those who connect directly to the 'net with their Blu-ray player, the v080621.02 update can be sucked down and installed. Sadly, Profile 2.0 is not included, but it's nice to be treated to free updates nonetheless. Chime in below if you notice any drastic changes.

[Thanks, Jacob]

Update: It's now available via Samsung's website.

There's just something about a new firmware update that brings a smile to ours faces. Maybe it's the rush of not knowing what new features are just a click away. Maybe it's the anticipation of that nagging quirk finally vanishing. Or maybe it's a healthy mix of both. Either way, Panasonic DMP-BD30 owners can go ahead and get excited, because the outfit just loosed the v1.8 update. Curiously, Panny didn't bother telling us what the upgrade was for, and without a changelog in sight, we're really at a loss as to what alterations are in store. For you brave souls willing to give it a go, be sure and let the rest of us know what all goes right / wrong.

[Thanks, Jerry]

One thing's for certain: VUDU doesn't let a firmware update get stale. Just two months after v1.3 hit the scenes, v1.5 has already been detailed / spotted. The big hitter in this update is the Discounted Extended Rentals, which enables users to extend the viewing window of a 24 / 48-hour rental within seven days after the conclusion of the original rental. Once extended, you get the same "privileges" as before -- you can store it for up to 30 days with 24 / 48-hours to watch it once you've started it. The rub is the pricing: you only get $2 off when extending $5.99 HD rentals, $1 off most everything else and $0.50 off of $0.99 rentals. Oh, and you can only extend once. Other changes include full-screen trailers, parental controls for browsing and revised sort functionality. Check the read link for the full changelog, and feel free to twiddle your thumbs waiting for the update to be passed on to your STB.

[Via Yahoo]

Here it is, BD-UP5000 owners -- the file you've been waiting for. If you were somewhat underwhelmed by the fixes in firmware v1.2, you'll probably be a-okay with what v1.3 is packin'. Released today, this update takes the combo player to Profile 1.1, adds in "HD audio bit-stream output" and "improves playback compatibility in some movies." 'Nuff said, right? Hit the read link to get that download rolling, and do let us know how wonderful your life becomes when it finishes installing.

[Thanks, Harmin]

For those not paying much attention to Samsung's 650 series of LCD HDTVs, this very well may be the first you've heard of any "auto shut off" issue. For owners, we can almost guarantee it's not. As of last month, Samsung has issued a firmware update meant to cure the nagging issue on some sets which turned themselves off sporadically. The LN40A650A1F, LN46A650A1F and LN52A650A1F are called out specifically, and Sammy recommends that you only install the update if your set is one that has a mind of its own. Give a shout in comments to let us know if this does indeed solve the problem.

[Via TV Lamps 'N Bulbs]

Heads-up, BDP-S300 owners -- Sony has just unleashed a new firmware update for your machine. Posted today, the v3.90 update will bring you, well, we're not exactly sure what. According to users at AVSForum, the general consensus is that TrueHD support just has to be in there, but Sony's servers are so glacially slow that no one has been able to confirm or deny just yet. Once your download manages to complete (hey, it takes awhile when it's being uploaded from what appears to be a 14.4k modem connection), feel free to discuss any notable changes in comments below.

[Via AVSForum, thanks Peter]

All those still hanging onto your obsolete vintage first generation HD DVD players have a reason to plug in the network cable and turn them on one more time, as Toshiba has issued a version 3.0 firmware update for the HD-A1, HD-XA1 and HD-D1. Similar to an earlier update for the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on, the patch tweaks network connectivity a bit as well as clearing up some HDMI handshaking issues. The update quietly came online April 26, and of course can be issued by burning it to a CD or calling Toshiba and requesting a disc by mail. So go ahead, pour a glass of wine, dim the lights and celebrate a little quality time with a two year-old box that still offers features some new players can't match.

[Via DVD Town]

Heads-up, BH200 owners -- there's a juicy new firmware update out there just calling your name. Yep, as of right now, owners of the LG hybrid player can snag the BH02080402F update, which adds support for certain HD audio codecs as well as solving the bothersome Green Line issue. Among the official changes listed in the log are a Bonus View (BD Profile 1.1) update, DTS-HD 7.1-channel output via pass-through, Dolby Digital Plus 7.1-channel output via pass-through, Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel decode and PCM output via HDMI, a user selectable Film Mode (1080p24) enabled, and firmware update via Network has too been switched on. Unfortunately, there's no direct link to the download, but be sure and hit up the via for step-by-step instructions on securing the latest update.

[Via AVS Forum, thanks Foxbat]

It's April 15th which means one thing: taxes PS3 firmware 2.30 is due. Right on cue, Sony made good on the new PlayStation Store and DTS-HD Master Audio sound reproduction sure to make audiophile-types lean in for a listen. The Store is acting a bit sluggish at the moment, something that's likely to get sorted once the rolling update is completed. Nevertheless, users are claiming easier navigation and richer experience. So whatcha looking at -- get out of here kid, there's on-line updating to be done.

[Thanks, Paul R., Nathan, and everyone who sent this in]

Read - PlayStation 3 firmware v2.30 walkthrough video
Read - Revamped PlayStation Store images
Read - DTS' own confirmation of the good news (Thanks, sTeViO!)

AV Watch scored an interview with some of the engineers behind the frequent PlayStation 3 updates -- most recently adding BD-Live in 2.20 -- and uncovered details on what's been going on under the hood so far, as well as what to expect in the future. 1080 deinterlacing and DTS-HD MA support are definitely in the works, although no date is given. A possible answer why it's not there yet, is the indication that the just implemented mosquito noise reduction on MPEG-4 AVC videos uses less processing power than the original version of BD player software, which used 100% of resources for DVD upconversion, but now only maxes out on PiP streams with BD-Java running. For best PQ, play your digital files from disc or USB stick instead of DLNA, since they are currently processed differently. Otherwise, we can expect future updates quarterly, and for those beyond the reach of the net, updates are also packed onto discs, like the Resident Evil flick with 2.10 firmware on it. Check out Beyond3D for more highlights and see if all your most burning questions have been answered.

[Via PS3 Fanboy & Beyond3D, thanks Isaac]

Microsoft is releasing one more update for owners of the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive (all 269,000 of you, give or take a few), promising "additional support for network features" and compatibility improvements with certain titles, although which ones aren't mentioned. It's good to see they haven't left these issues to simply whither on the dying vine of HD DVD, but unless an alternate ending to the format war is tucked into those network features we don't see this making things all better anytime soon. Expect a prompt the next time you watch an HD DVD while online, and remember the good times we had.

If you've been doing a decent job of restraining yourself from hurling all sorts of foreign objects around the house due to the sluggishness in your TiVo's operations, you should certainly reward yourself with a baked good. Moving forward, you'll likely be tested a lot less, as a forthcoming software update (version .8) promises to "significantly" speed up common tasks. More specifically, getting to TiVo Central, navigating around your Now Playing list, channel changing, starting a recording, and setting up a Season Pass have all been tweaked to react faster (exact improvements shown above). Additionally, TiVo users will soon have access to a so-called Priority Page on the firm's website where they can "sign up for this service update sooner than the scheduled rollout," which should occur naturally in "the next few weeks."