Firmware 1.2 Upgrade - Who's had success?
 

Hi,

I've kinda ignored the firmware updates, if it aint broke etc,. However i suddenly at the last minute need to do some long recording and i can't offload SxS cards during. So, in order to be able to use a SDHC card adaptor winging its way to me, i need to upgrade my firmware.

I see that there's a tutorial on v1.1 and also there's a sony end user upgrade to 1.2

However i see that some people have managed to brick their cameras with the 1.2 upgrade. I've downloaded everything and it seems simple enough...

What i would really like to hear is who has managed to do the upgrade successfully? And which platform did they upgrade from. A mac would be easiest but win xp 64 is possible too.

Would really appreciate some upgrade stories! Good and bad...

cheers
paul

There's entire threads devoted to this. Why not just read through and ask questions in the appropriate thread otherwise you're just going to get the same people reposting.

Well you must know where it is, why not give us a link. I can't find it either. Just firmware examples with SD cards.
I am also unable to find what firmware version I have with my EX3. There is no 'version' in my 'others'.

Basically the same upgrade for different EX cameras.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...explained.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...2gb-cards.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...something.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...-firmware.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...ake-sense.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...-10-6-2-a.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...-0-1-10-a.html

Thank you Craig. Are you able to shed any light on why I don't see my version number in the Menu under 'others'. Before I bought the camera the person who sold it to me said they took the camera to Sony in NJ and had the latest firmware installed. If that is so wouldn't I be able to see versions in the 'others' menu?

Firmware 1.20 for EX was very recently released just a few weeks back. He may not have been aware of it. It's possible he was talking about 1.11 or thereabouts which one still needed to go into the service menu to see the Firmware version.

1.11 can handle the SDHC cards but 1.2 is much more reliable at it. The latter was distributed by Sony as something the end user could do for free (with some small risk of bricking) otherwise Sony will do it for $135.

EX3 firmware ...
 

The firmware for the ex3 is 1.10 up from 1.02. While there are upgrade disasters reported, I had no problem upgrading via Mac. If you follow the directions ... it should be a snap. Just make sure you electric connections are secure and be patient.

As an added measure of precaution I had a battery in my camera and I had the camera power supply and computer plugged into a UPS. The Firmware upgrade went without any problems exactly as the instructions said.

Garrett

Craig most of the threads i found are about problems, like most things - people tend to post when they have a problem. I wanted to gauge whether there were a lot of people who had upgraded successfully - get some idea of the balance.

Thanks for the links though, i think i missed some of those

cheers
paul

I bought my ex-3 a year ago and it worked with sdhc right out of the box. I think that is true for all ex-3's. so I don't think you need a firmware upgrade just to use sdhc cards

I think the main point of the upgrade is that it improves on the performance / reliability of SDHC card / adaptor useage.

I'm potentially upgrading an old version v1.03_0351

I'm not even sure i can go from that version to 1.2 direct. I've not read about anyone doing this and in fact i saw a note to suggest that less that 1.05 needs to go to a sony centre. However i can see a vimeo tutorial upgrading to v1.11

So it's all a bit confusing.

My issue is run times, normally i have plenty of time between shots however i have a performance to record and little time to offload. Made worse by the fact that i switched from sony vaio to macbooks a while back and overlooked the lack of Express 34 slot, otherwise i could record on one SxS and offload the other.

I'm assuming i can download footage over USB, but i'm also assuming i cannot do that whilst the camera is recording? (I can't test right now...)

cheers
paul

Paul there are plenty of success in those threads. You're certainly not going to get a equal distribution though as more failures will post than successes. I'm not sure what you're looking for but all you need is a couple of successes and their step by steps to know success is possible. It will be virtually impossible to get any kind of idea of the "balance" on a forum. There are very few failures really but they are catastrophic. As one person noted, Sony would actually repair in their Japan shop only at this point for $390. Others have been told $2000 but that's replacing the board rather than sending to Japan.

It's really best to get info from Sony and I find calling them gets more current information than what they have on any of their Pro websites. Note that I had a thread quite specific to that which I included.

It's really not clear what you're looking for.
If it's a successfully protocol, that's already there in the threads I posted.
If it's the benefits (or lack thereof) of the upgrade, that's already there too.
If it's the risk of upgrade, that's already there also.

Redundancy but you seem to want that.
For EX1 Sony said on the phone not to risk it if you're at 1.11 and below (bring it in) although sites say 1.0.5.
The upgrade will give you more reliable results with SDHC. Many cards that used to get media error will now work. Some cards can now overcrank at maximum data rate. There is a loss of a couple of minutes of record time amount depending on whether it's 16GB or 32GB card.

The new 13" and 15" MacBookPros have SDHC slots and you can transfer that way or use any number of inexpensive USB SDHC readers. It's certainly less expensive to buy four 32GB SDHC cards than the equivalent SxS cards. Offloading and erasing cards of any type is a MAJOR RISK during a shoot as it introduces possible human error when one may be distracted.

That's the key.

I thought i had explained quite clearly but apologies if that hasn't come across

- I have an old firmware EX1 (v1.03)

- I was weighing up the risk up updating it myself so that i could use SDHC cards otherwise i'm going to have a complete data management problem tomorrow

- Because people tend to only post problems i wanted to get an idea out of the dvinfo audience who had managed the upgrade successfully.

So far in those threads i've not found anyone that has clearly been through 1.03 -> 1.2 in one go. And with the line you added then i think i'm going to have to stick to a data management nightmare and see about upgrading via sony.

thx
paul

Sony told me $135 and 5-8 day turnaround for them to do the firmware upgrade.
People were weighing that against the small risk of brick and $2000 repair.
One person mentioned that Sony would send to Japan for $390 and 10-15 days to fix a brick. I haven't confirmed that from any other source though.

Personally $135 seems safest (just like buying insurance) rather than taking the small $2000 risk but that's just me. Many have done it themselves with no issue beyond a temporary increase in heart rate and blood pressure. One of my concerns is that an apparently good DIY upgrade can have hidden issues. Sony did my upgraded to 1.11 and I found a "hidden" issue and they had to do it a second time. I'd rather pay $135 for an upgrade they warranty.

I could have sworn someone started with 1.0.3 but generally it's been 1.11 and up with some starting at 1.0.5. If Sony is saying 1.11 is risky on the phone and below 1.0.5 risky on the web . . . I wouldn't risk it. Send it in locally. The biggest potential expense would be being down for 8 days depending on your business mode. I'm at 1.11 btw.

You hadn't mentioned 1.0.3 in your original post. That can make all the difference in the world.

Typical the negative news would travel faster than good news.
We updated couple EX1s to version 1.2 without any hickup (using PC). The benefits for this update, I can use SxS-1, Memory Stick & approved SDHC card (class 10). I knew that we can use SDHC cards before, but those "media restore" made me worry many times.

Other thing, couple cards that gave "media restore" before update (I stopped using those cards), now I re-run the test couple times with the new firmware without those "worry" msg anymore :-)

I called Sony in NJ and told them my camera had just been in for a firmware update (3/29) and yet I still have a version 1.05 and was not able to see what my version was in "Menu' and "others', I could see it in the service menu. They said I should be able to see it in 'others', if the firmware was the latest, but they were unclear on what the latest firmware is. They seemed to have one version they install and another later one for people to download and install? They called me back after some discussion with the Service manager Dominic and said they would update it for free, I just had to ship it to them, However it still cost $85 to ship with insurance but it is worth it, especially with the SD card issues I have been having.

I have performed the 1.11 to 1.2 update on 4 different EX1s with no issues or hiccups. It's very easy to do and as has been suggested earlier in this thread and many others I had the camera powered via AC with a battery in it as well. I also used a laptop to do the updates in case of a power outage and everything turned off the whole update process would be able to continue on battery power with both camera and computer. The odds of that happening is definitely extremely slim, but it's a good precaution to take anyways when messing around with the brain of a $6000+ investment! ;^)

Sony's instructions mention using a special USB cord to connect to the camera. You really don't need it, but it sure wouldn't hurt to make sure you are using a high-quality cable in good condition. These cables get tossed around and beat up when they are used every day. I used an unused cable that came with a digital audio recorder. Word to the wise.
Pete

I recently upgraded our 3 EX1s and 2 EX3s without issue. I did take the obvious precaution of having both mains and battery power available to the camera and I did use a laptop running Win7 and shutdown as many background processes as possible.
Both the EX1 and EX3 cameras were updated by Sony around 6 months ago. Sorry I don't have the previous firmware revision numbers at hand but they were probably the previous bar one releases.
One small plus no one has mentioned. The latest firmware version sets Flicker Reduction to Off after a Reset All. The previous firmware only does this for the Region60 variant of the camera which had been a minor pain for us.

just upgraded 1.0.3 to 1.2 in one go, no problems...

Just takes multiple restarts (4) and you just make sure you read the instructions and follow them :).

Done with a win 7 system.

Just to add and perhaps conclude this, i spoke to someone in service where i'd bought the camera. They said go for it, they'd had no problems and i did the firmware upgrade no problem yesterday.

That's from 1.03 all the way to 1.2 in one hit - followed the instructions and no issues whatsoever.

So if anyone else is wondering then that's a positive result from me

cheers
paul

No progblems
 

I followed the instructions and the upgrade was easy... No problems. Worth doing.

I was a little nervous but it went smoothly on an EX1 using a Macbook Pro. The moment of reckoning when the camera was switched on after a successful upgrade had been indicated was heart stopping as the camera thought about it for what seemed an eternity before booting up but all is well. The Sony update procedure prompts were easy to follow.
.
Just carried out second upgrade without incident. I forgot to mention that for some reason now and again as the upgrade progressed a box came up stating that USB connection had been broken or something like that. Nothing had been touched so I clicked ok and the box went away and the upgrade continued. On completion as stated above nothing happened when I rebooted but when I tried a second time all was well. I have upgraded to use the cheaper Sony cards and have more confidence in using SDHC for some jobs. Having said that I use MxM with Transcend and Sandisk cards purchased back at the start of the revolution, never had a problem but always use SxS for very important work.

Can't Get Version Updater to See Connection
 

Hello all. We recently got an EX1R and I can't get the firmware version upgrader program to see the connection. I'm using a Mac Pro with 10.5.8. The program launches, prompts for license agreement, then waits for the USB connection. The camera shows up in the Finder as an untitled USB device and is recognized by Final Cut but not by the version upgrader. I have all programs closed while trying to do the upgrade also. I've tried turning the camera on in camera mode and media mode and no luck. Anyone have this problem?

Thanks.

firmware ...
 

Are you sure you are using the right USB connection for the upgrade?

The update procedure for an EX1r is different. They update from firmware you put on a SxS card. You don't use the USB cable or the update utility for an EX1r, only an EX1.

I am not aware of any firmware update for the "R". They came out of the box with the SDHC and other improvements brought by v1.2 for the EX1.

Thanks guys. I just found out from a sony tech this afternoon that as you stated, the EX1R needs no firmware update.