Toshiba is trying to solve some of the worst problems with its ultra-lame HD-A1 and HD-XA1 HD DVD players, where the company will soon release a firmware update that reportedly speeds up the minute-long boot time of both of the units. The update is also supposed to improve stability and black levels in the first-to-market players.

Toshiba will distribute that update via the Internet, to be downloaded into the machines via their Ethernet ports. For those unfortunate few who bought one of these not-ready-for-prime-time players and are not Internet-connected, a CD with a firmware will also be available.

The slow boot time of the Linux-based HD DVD box wasn't the worst problem we noticed when we tested the HD-A1. We're wondering if this firmware update will fix the problem of repeated crashing, an unfortunate and ultimately deal-breaking characteristic, especially for a consumer electronics device. – Charlie White

Toshiba HD-A1 and HD-XA1 Firmware Update Coming [I4U News]

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