Firmware Scream
UPDATE on August 13, 2010: please see this post for more step-by-step guide on firmware update.
To make the software update process as easy as possible, we make the “online automatic update” option available to our users. However, there are times when you
- Have a product that can’t be connected to the Internet
- Want to try the unofficial “beta” firmware
- Want to go back to the previous version because that version suits your needs better
A situation such as this one warrants the use of the famous “USB Update”. I know it’s frustrating when nothing happens to your unit and you’re staring at the blank screen, wondering if this is the so-called “blue screen of death”. It is even more frustrating when instructions are nowhere to be found on our website, and it takes hours to get a response from service5@brite-view.com.
We are dedicating this blog post to you, the pioneers and the explorers in the technology wonderland without the need for directions or a GPS.
IMPORTANT RULES:
If you do not follow these rules, you will risk turning your CinemaTube into a sleek yet stylish brick. Yes you will.
- Detach the Ethernet cable or Wireless LAN adapter from your media player (if applicable).
- Do NOT power off in the middle of the upgrade process.
- Do NOT power off AFTER the upgrade process. There will be about 60 seconds of time after the firmware is downloaded when you see nothing on the screen. Do not panic. Just give the media player some time to absorb every bit of the firmware so it can settle properly. (This is the best time to walk away and enjoy your beverage of choice)
Perform the following steps:
1. Go to brite-View website or to our brite-View forums and locate the firmware you need; usually under the name of the product that you purchased.
2. There are two files for download: install.img and install.img-sig. Right click on the files to download them. NOTE: They have to be saved to the root folder of the USB storage device. 
3. UPDATE for PC users: When downloading the install.img file, please RIGHT CLICK and then SAVE AS TYPE = ALL, do NOT save as WinRAR. When downloading the install.img-sig file, please RIGHT CLICK and SAVE AS TYPE = Text Document.
4. If you got “install.TAR” instead (note the file extension), you need to changing the file name from “install.tar” to “install.img”.
(Mac users – you can just click on the file and start the downloading process. After the download of the install.img-sig is over, open the file and resave it, NOT as a .txt file)
- Save both “install.img” and “install.img-sig.txt” to the root menu of your USB storage device. They need to be two naked files not in any sort of folder.
- Turn on your CinemaCube, CinemaTube or HDPrimo, and from the home menu –> Setup –> Software Update –> USB Update
- Now plug in the USB drive to your machine and let the update start!
Still doesn’t work? Don’t give up. Try this instead.
- Same as the step 1 above; find the desired firmware first.
- Power off the unit (Yes, it’s ok, for now.); unplug your media player.
- Hold the power button.
- Plug the AC adapter back (without letting go of the power button for around 10 seconds)
- You’ll enter “USB Update”. Please plug in the USB drive with the firmware and the update will begin.
Now you got directions on the firmware update process. Good luck exploring the potential of your brite-View media player!
« How Do I Use the “File Copy” Feature? (NEW AND UPDATED!) New Firmware IPB10102111 (US) Release Notes »
i had to go with option 2 since the first one didn’t work. while holding the power button, i plugged the CT back in. i now have a screen different from any i’ve seen before with pictures and instructions to save update to “pen” drive and insert it to update. the power button is off. it has been on this screen for almost 10 minutes now with no change.
There is no IPB10102111 at cinematube support link.
@hydra: sorry, we’re still updating the website and the link should be available this week. Meanwhile, the new firmware is available for automatic online update, or available here http://brite-viewforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20&sid=7e1079305dc44d5fb506032f2278083f
Ok, something went really wrong! My CT found the USB, it did something, then it rebooted itself and got to the screen with three parts telling me to get the firmware into usb key and plug to the back. Well my USB key HAD the firmware and already plugged into the back!
So, I “didn’t give up” and I tried the second method. After I unplugged my CT, hold the power button and plug in the power cable, the update screen appear on my TV within about 5 seconds. I hold the power button for a few more seconds, then release it. Now I plugged in my USB key, the light on my USB key lit up, that’s about all. It had been 15 minutes now and I was hoping to see my USB key blink to indicate there’s some i/o between my USB key and the CT – Nothing yet!
Did I just bricked my CT???? !!! I hope not
Enter your comments here…
This sucks.
I had showing on update before: current ver: ipb1009cz41 and latest ver: ipb1209b061, when I tried the standard update method I got “image damage” message. I then d/l both files again and did the “unplug and plug back in while holding the power button” method wihch put me on a USB Pen drive screen and it sat there. I then unplugged the box (it would not turn off by remote OR pushing power button. When I went back and tried the standard setup method again I got: “latestverison NOTHING” and “can’t get image version”
Things should not get worse, but better.
Hi there,
Judging from the firmware number it doesn’t seem you have the US version. We encourage you to contact your local reseller so you can be better serviced. Thank you for stopping by.
Just got wireless connect to CT. Eventually found we could update firmware from IPB1009C241 to the latest (of today with lots of 11111′s in it). clicked the update. everything looked good until 60%. Now hasn’t moved past 60% on ‘downloading’ – please do not power off….. for 20 mins. Is it screwed? Can I shut it down and get back to where I was? Why is the auto online update not working? What should i do?
Hi Bill,
Were you using the wireless connection while updating the firmware? The file size of this new firmware is too large for wireless connection update. Please refer to http://blog.brite-viewforum.com/?p=265 for details.
I would suggest that you unplug the CT and repeat the update process. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you encounter more questions. Thanks!
I have some questions about the firmware update process:
1. Do I have to apply firmware updates in order? (e.g updating from ver 1 to ver 3 … can I install ver 3 while ver 1 is installed or do I have do I have to install ver 2 first and then ver 3)
2. Regarding the steps above … it says that I should select “USB update” option and AFTER that I should plugin the USB stick. What if the USB stick is already plugged in BEFORE selecting the “USB update” option? It could affect the update process?
Hi Valentin,
1. No, you do not have to go from 1–>2–>3. You can jump between firmware versions; no problem.
2. It is ok if the USB drive is already plugged in.
Thanks! I hope the update goes well.
I’ve updated HD DVD and Blu-Ray players before, but this USB update, both Step 1 or Step 2, nothing is happening on the screen for 15 minutes. Any other suggestions?
I do have an internet connection but in another room.
Lenny, thanks for your question. Have you had a chance to see if the software is stored under the root menu of your USB drive? It seems that the CinemaTube cannot detect the software. Also, it would be helpful if you could make sure the 2 files of the firmware are “install.img” and “install.img-sig”. To be on the safe side, we recommending using a NTFS or EXT-3 formatted drive to perform the firmware update. Please do not hesitate to email service@brite-view.com if you keep encountering problems.
What I wanted to do was reinstall the same firmware I already had.
The first method didn’t work for me because it said I already had the latest version: “No need to upgrade”.
Method two (power off, unplug, hold power button then plug and put in the USB drive) worked perfectly
The problems I had and my need for reinstall were the ones described here: http://brite-viewforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=299&start=0 (wifi stopped working and player forgetting all its settings after each reboot)
In your note to Lenny above you say:-
“Also, it would be helpful if you could make sure the 2 files of the firmware are “install.img” and “install.img-sig”.”
But in the instructions at the top:-
“Save both “install.img” and “install.img-sig.txt” to the root menu of your USB storage device. They need to be two naked files not in any sort of folder. ”
So my question. Is it “install.img-sig.txt” or “install.img-sig”?
(Mac users – you can just click on the file and start the downloading process. After the download of the install.img-sig is over, open the file and resave it, NOT as a .txt file)
Mac user are instructed to change the file by removing the txt estension, but I am a humble PC user and easily confused.
Hi Vinny, sorry I didn’t see this until just now. Please don’t worry about it – we tested both install.img-sig and install.img-sig.txt and either one will work. We were trying to be safe in our instructions.
I could not format the USB flash to NTFS so I copied the 2 files on the HDD which was in NTFS.
From the menu I did a Firmware Update from HDD. After that the device got rebooted. Now the screen does not come up. I waited for almost 30 minutes. Did something go wrong.
I have the “does not retain settings problem.” When I try to do a USB update:- “can’t get image file”. When I try the “power off – hold button” I get the instruction screen, but when I plug in the pen drive nothing happens. The system still works (but not fully), I have no U-Tube icon and I am unable to map to the CT from my computer. The pen drive is NTFS and has the install.img (285K) and install.img-sig.txt (1K) These are the only files on the drive. When it did the network update to IPB10102111 the system was hard wired to the network. The CT can read media files from the USB port and from the computer via the network. Please Help.
Hi Sanjay, I don’t think the CT detected the files. Could you please try disconnecting the power, ethernet and USB from the CT, and then reconnecting? Please also make sure the files are in the correct formats.
Hi Vinny, so has the CT been updated via online update to the IPB10102111 version? If you haven’t tried the online update, would that be a better option? I am sorry I can’t really nail the problem. Please feel free to take this discussion to our forum at http://www.brite-viewforum.com and see if there is a similar issue and fix reported there. Thanks!
Yesterday, 5/24, the unit powered up and immediately asked me to upgrade to version IPB10104221. Update went well and unit rebooted. But it would not find the HFS disk that is attached. It worked fine prior to the upgrade. I have since reloaded version 2111 and it works well again. Looks like there is an issue with version 4221 seeing a HFS drive.
Dear Admin,
I disconnected the Ethernet, USB and repowered the device. I kept it ON for almost 2 hours just to check if it works now. But the upgrade did not take place.
How long should the upgrade usually take.
Did I kill the device.
Hi Rick, it’s a bit embarrassing, but yes you just pointed a known bug in this new firmware. We are taking it off our server and making it beta first, before we release it again after fixing the bugs. Thank you for letting us know.
Sanjay, were you able to turn off the CT and turn it on again? If when you turn it on, it stays at the “instruction screen” then I’m afraid the answer is yes – the unit is bricked. Please email us at service@brite-view.com so we can replace a new one for you. Thank you for checking back and being patient with us.
While the first problem I noticed was the “Not retaining settings” the real problem is that I am unable to update the Firmware by any of the suggested methods. All I get is “can’t get image version” message using either online update or USB update. When I try the bootstrap method, it goes to the screen, but nothing changes when the thumb drive is plugged in. I would like to have a fully functioning unit. Please help.
@Vinny, which version do you want, and which version are you trying to get? We apologize for the troubles, but it is impossible that the “can’t get image version” would show when performing the online update.
I still would want to encourage you to 1) check your hard drive format; 2) check the firmware you downloaded is in the correct format (install.img instead of .rar); and 3) make sure the install.img file is under the root menu when performing the bootstrap method.
When you enter the bootstrap method screen without any changes, it means the CinemaTube can not detect the firmware on your USB hard drive. So the issue may be the hard drive, or the file itself, or the file location. Please let me know if you think of any areas I should cover.
Good luck with the update. btw the latest version should be IPB10102111 for the US version.
@Vinny: and we’d be happy to send you a replacement if this problem persists. It’s been almost a month since you had these issues it seems. Please email us at service@brite-view.com if you purchased this unit in the US.
Will you have a 3D feature soon like popcornhour? email me pls
@James, not on the CinemaTube or CinemaGo because they have HDMI1.3, not 1.4.
I can’t update my BV-6000P with the new FW IPB10102111, it keeps telling me that the image is damaged. I download the image 4-5 times with 2 differrent computers and USB keys but same result. Help Help. Thanx.
The BV-6000P is supposed to be at:
http://www.brite-view.com/firmware-bv6000p/11192009/install.img-sig.txt
http://www.brite-view.com/firmware-bv6000p/11192009/install.img
However, when I save these to USB drive root, the unit says it cannot read the version
Any suggestions?
I noticed that downloading the .img file from link above, it was saying 81.4MB, but saying it completed with random lengths. Kept trying until got full 81.4MB. Firmware update was then successful.
Is there any info for this 11192009 FW version for BV-6000P ?
Is this FW the latest?
I still don’t understand why my BV-6000P can’t not take the FV-IPB10102111 ?
Any idea ??
Thanx.
@ggriffith, glad to hear your update was successful.
@Do: thanks for visiting the brite-View blog! Yes the BV-6000P’s latest firmware is 11192009, and the IPB10102111 is for the CinemaTube (BV-5005HD) only.
Also, we do not sell nor support the BV-6000p. Please see the details here: http://blog.brite-viewforum.com/?p=185
Thanks!
@brite-View admin, Oh man, that is really sad, I was hoping that I could update my BV-6000P so I can read the subs.
I hope I didn’t just brick my system. I just tried to install IPB1010625 on my CinemaTube and when it rebooted it came up with a diagram of telling to load the update to using a usb pen device. I followed the “still didn’t work” instructions but got the same results. I then tried it with IPB10102111 but again just the diagram. Now what? IPB10102111 worked great. I guess I should do updates.
@rebrad: did you mean that your CinemaTube is running IPB10102111 and it’s ok? Or do you mean that now when you turn on the CinemaTube, you can only see the diagram? If you only see the diagram when you turn it on, it means the CinemaTube is bricked.
If the CinemaTube is not bricked, but you can’t update, it means the CinemaTube cannot recognize the file on the USB drive. It might be the file name, file type, or the file is not located in the root menu. Could you see a more update version of the instructions here and let us know if this helps? http://blog.brite-viewforum.com/?p=489
Or try the online automatic update – it appears to be the most user-friendly way to update the firmware.
I have a Brite View Model number BV6000P and the software version is 600011098061. I don’t see that software version on the website?? Do I have a problem??
Hi Gary, please see details here:
http://brite-viewforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=588&start=0
and
http://blog.brite-viewforum.com/?p=185
*Updated on June 22, 2010
We currently do not carry and support the BV-6000P (aka the HDPrimo) because this product has been phased out, and was originally imported by another reseller. There will no longer be any firmware updates for the BV-6000p. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Because the BV-6000p and the CinemaTube share similar functions, we can still answer your technical and setup questions, though. However, any existing “bugs” on the BV-6000P will no longer be addressed. Just FYI.
Thanks!
I too got the ‘Can’t get image’ error. I was trying the USB update route as I don’t have wireless connectivity. Tried both methods mentioned in the blog for the update. In both cases got the same message.
I got around the problem … here is what I did … don’t know which one fixed it but you might want to try it same way as I did or individually.
1. Deleted all files from the USB drive, except AND
2. Redownloaded the two brite-view files. Now the USB drive has only these two.
After this Method 1 of updating the firmware worked without any issues.
Hope this helps others. Good Luck.
BTW, I love my CinemaTube Media Player.
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