Cowon A2 1.51 Firmware

[Martinp]

These guys update firmware faster than I can update this website. Ahhrg!


V1.51

• WAV file playback error fixed
• Graphic Equalizer error fixed

V1.49

• MPEG1 video codec support (mpg, mpeg & dat file type extensions supported)
-> Some video files may not play back correctly. We are aware of this
fact and are currently in the process of increasing compatibility.
• Folder/ File playback ; Folders can now be added to playlist
(Playback is not just limited to individual file formats, entire
folders can now be selected for playback)
• DivX bitmap subtitle support
• SML subtitle support
• Quick switch mode supported while using the text viewer and movie,
music or radio mode (hold C button)
• Ability to control the text viewer with the remote control
[Text viewer]-[Settings (B Button)]-[Remote control]
• Ability to system language independently of menu language.
It is now possible to select the system language in the Menu:
[Setup]-[Display]-[Appearance]. This will affect subtitles, music Meta
tags and the text viewer.
• Number of files that are supported in the playlist has been increased:
Movie 50 ->100
Music 100 ->300
Picture 100 -> 300
Text 50 -> 100
• Video quality enhancement feature added (dithering) in Menu:
[Setup]-[Movie player]
• EQ sound quality improved
• MP3 sound quality improved
• Movie playback stablity / movie and sound sync improved
• DivX3.11 codec playback improved
• MP43 codec playback improved
• Recording quality and output quality improved for PAL
• Flickering fixed when panning in a JPEG image that is zoomed.
• WMA codec support improved
• When updating to this newer firmware version your radio station presets, recent files and settings will not be lost
• Bitrate for VBR MP3 files is now calculated properly (track time is now also displayed correctly)
• Fixed bugs when displaying certain subtitles

[piflechien]

This new firmware disables the MPEG 2 support introduced in the 1.49 version (too bad, that was probably a bug from the codec)

[piflechien]

An other functionnality we may not have undesertood in the previous changelog is the ablity to switch directly (like alt+tab) between applications.

For instance, if you open a video file, then go to the text viewer and open a text file. If you want to switch directly back to the movie (still playing in the background) juste hold C button for a second. Once back in the video, if you want to go back to the text file, hold C button again.
It also work with radio and text or music and text.

[johnny33]

An other functionnality we may not have undesertood in the previous changelog is the ablity to switch directly (like alt+tab) between applications.
...............

you have my respect, piflechien. I look forward to reading more of your pointers; kindly go on as you always.

my observation: I notice the "dithering" function in firmware v1.51 sometimes dim and sometimes brighten the video/movie being played in A2 -- i.e. cannot keep the level of brightness constant throughout movie playing, so I hv to disable it at the end. Maybe it'd been my illusion & I stand corrected & hope others could contribute in this aspect to clear my doubts.. :bigthumbs

[dre]

Damn If we can't play mpeg2 files now, what's the point of upgrading? Too bad Cowon I'm keeping 1.46 until new firmware is released that stills plays mpeg2.

[piflechien]

Hum thank you :-) i do my best.
Concerning the dithering option, sorry, but it doesn't change the brigthness at all on my unit.

[piflechien]

Damn If we can't play mpeg2 files now, what's the point of upgrading? Too bad Cowon I'm keeping 1.46 until new firmware is released that stills plays mpeg2.

Well it's not a big loss for the moment since it was very buggy and the playback stopped after a certain time (quite short). Did you try to play MPEG2 files, does it work correctly ? I don't think so.

[dre]

My mpeg2 files look just as good as avi files. And I can fast forward without freezing. It all depends on the mpeg2 file I guess but I'm liking it. Hopefully they add it back in the next firmware, but probably not.

[piflechien]

what is the resolution of your MPEG2 files playing correctly ?
I wasn't able to f-forward in my files, it just hang.

[danchik]

Hey, just tried some of the mpeg2 - looks good (v1.49). When I renamed some of the vob files - a2 did not want to play them - stoped at 5% loading. Switching back to v1.51 - seems a little faster (less buggy then 1.49)

P.S. Hope they (cowon) will add more "non-asian" language support.

[dre]

piflechian,
I'm playing mpeg2 files at 480X576 , 25/29.97 fps

danchik, are you saying that mpeg2 files do work with v1.51?

[piflechien]

weird ! i'm playing the same kind of files and i can't navigate thru them.
Anyway the picture is squeezed (since it's SVCD) and there's no way to rezise or strech it.
The 1.51 does'nt play them anymore "Codec not supported"

[danchik]

no. not with 1.51, but the VOB dont play with 1.49 neither. So no use for me.

[Martinp]

P.S. Hope they (cowon) will add more "non-asian" language support.

They sure are - I am currently helping them with the German version - I should start charging money sometime :p

[summerblink]

• Ability to control the text viewer with the remote control
[Text viewer]-[Settings (B Button)]-[Remote control]

what remote control??? :p

[rumos]

ok so no .vob support in either 1.49 or 1.51

[dre]

no but you can encode them into mpeg2 files and play them with 1.49

[A2phile]

hey guys im new here in this forums :)
i read alot but its the first time i write, just got registered

im from israel and i bought the A2 like a week ago ( got it for a good price :nutty: )
very happy with it so far

yesterday i updated to the new 1.51 firm
and i got now issues with xvid files

i got family guy encoded on xvid 640x480
and when i try to play the file, it says codec not supported. :(
any one else got issuse with xvid?


i hope they fixed the pal issues with the high res (640x480) when it chopped and slow under 15fps .

[johnny33]

Have got the impression from different feedback recently that A2 has problems reading xvid files, for now (fewer or no issues with divx files, though). In the worst case, perhaps you can consider re-encoding the xvid files with the accompanied software "Jetaudio" for A2 play-ability. Dont get frustrated, A2phile, A2 has gotten plenty of codecs supported so far & we can let Iaudio team have some more time to improve itself in time..

Admittedly, A2 still has issues with the PAL recording (i.e chopping off the lower part) with either 640*480 or 384*272 setting -- Iaudio attributes the fact that Korea is utiliziing NTSC mode so unable to test PAL mode :blah: ...

Enjoy your new A2, A2phile :hi: :hi:

[A2phile]

hey jhonny
the 384*272 res i prefect u can see it on my recording post, i uploaded
a recording with my A2 on the 384*272 res .
the issuse start with 640x480 res its chopped and slow ( i will upload
it later today to show u)

and about all this issues including the xvid, im truly not frustrated
becasue i know that i got a company like cowon covering my back
they are just great!

[johnny33]

640*480 res had been reported with chopping & jump-frame issues before, and I thought iaudio has fixed those issues with the newest firmware upgrades v1.49 & v1.51, cos' some others reporting alright by now.

In any case, I always record only with 384*272 res because I deem this res already good enough to play video on the 4" LCD (though not quite good enough on the 21" PC Monitor).

And yes Iaudio does take care of its products with firmware upgrades quite often & those very impressive.

Do enjoy your new A2, A2phile :bigthumbs

[madcow]

Great to know they've got this fixed:
Bitrate for VBR MP3 files is now calculated properly (track time is now also displayed correctly
Truly hoping they can also fix this on my X5.

[Barron]

Do i have to install 1.49 before i install 1.51 or will all the bugs that were fixed on 1.49 be fixed on 1.51 aswell. (also if neccesary were do i download 1.49).

[Allen]

You only need to update with 1.51

[piflechien]

• Bitrate for VBR MP3 files is now calculated properly (track time is now also displayed correctly)

I disagree with that, there is still a problem with that !
On high bitrate VBR files, the counter on the left goes further than the announced playing time on the left. But not on all VBR files ... weird.

For instance on the Green Day album, the playing time for "Boulevard of Broken dreams" is 4min20 sec but it plays 10 sec more until 4min30sec.

[blithevincent]

hi everyone, I am new to this forum though I read alot in this forum. I have known lots of stuff regarding A2 by reading others' posts. But I still haven't made up my mind to purchase one; one major factor that holds me back is I am not sure whether A2 can perfectly AV out the movies to TV (how is the visual effect and can the it be fullscreen?). As I got lots of movies in my hard disk (mostly avi format) and it will be fun to watch them with friends in front of a large TV screen.
Can anyone give some comments on A2's AV-out functionality?

[blithevincent]

And how is the resolution?
Thanks in advance!

[fa_pa]

Long answer read the review!

Short answer yes it is fullscreen but don't expect it to be HD quality ;)

[johnny33]

.....................
Can anyone give some comments on A2's AV-out functionality?

Sorry to ask: why care too much about AV-out A2's file to a large TV screen?

A2 is a PMP, meaning Portability is its forte. A2's file can only be 640*480 pixel at most with its ASF format, so of course not as good-looking as a Mpeg-2 file being played on the large TV screen.

However, as i always try to advocate: both asf & mpeg-2 can be played equally beautiful on the 4-inch LCD of A2, so why bothering with the mpeg-2 (large filesize) than with the petite ASF file in A2?

firmware v1.46 could play mpeg-2 file, we heard; and iaudio is likely to support mpeg-2 files again in future firmware updates, so you can store mpeg-2 files in A2 for playing on the large TV screen in future....

[blithevincent]

Sorry to ask: why care too much about AV-out A2's file to a large TV screen?

A2 is a PMP, meaning Portability is its forte. A2's file can only be 640*480 pixel at most with its ASF format, so of course not as good-looking as a Mpeg-2 file being played on the large TV screen.

However, as i always try to advocate: both asf & mpeg-2 can be played equally beautiful on the 4-inch LCD of A2, so why bothering with the mpeg-2 (large filesize) than with the petite ASF file in A2?

firmware v1.46 could play mpeg-2 file, we heard; and iaudio is likely to support mpeg-2 files again in future firmware updates, so you can store mpeg-2 files in A2 for playing on the large TV screen in future....

Thanks Johnny33 for your reply.
Yes, A2 is a PMP. It's forte is being portable. But why bothering watching a movie on a 4 inch screen, rather than a larger screen, say laptop? Just because of it's cool? You may mention the situation of travelling. But for most time of the year we (ordinary people) are not travelling but we are at office or home, right? So for me, the most attractive merit of A2 is its AV-out function. (and portability, coz I can take A2 to a friend's home and share with him a good film:))

[dre]

I doubt any PMP will give you good results when using AV-out on a tv screen. Though watching the video on a laptop should look good.

[johnny33]

Thanks Johnny33 for your reply.
Yes, A2 is a PMP. It's forte is being portable. But why bothering watching a movie on a 4 inch screen, rather than a larger screen, say laptop? Just because of it's cool? You may mention the situation of travelling. But for most time of the year we (ordinary people) are not travelling but we are at office or home, right? So for me, the most attractive merit of A2 is its AV-out function. (and portability, coz I can take A2 to a friend's home and share with him a good film:))

thanks blithevincent for your reply too. I sense some sarcasm in above even though I meant no sarcasm in my comments to you earlier.

Okay, i'd better shut up. Before i go: i say you may consider some other PMP brand which supports mpeg-2 such as Istation v43 so that you can store the mpeg-2 file in it, and then tv-out the mpeg-2 onto a large tv screen as you wish. Caveat -- this is a newest PMP which claims to support mpeg-2 but seems never proven by any review yet. For example, Maxian T-600 claims to support mpeg-2 too but current firmware of it still seems not supporting yet.

A2 may support mpeg-2 in future.

And lastly: to prove i aint alone re my earlier comments, check out the below from eric3a --->

http://www.iaudiophile.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6125

[hsvong]

Hi,
in my personal opinion the A2 TV-out quality is good enough.
It display full screen and let you choose the TV system and format (ratio).
The one thing I didn't like is the quality on the 4" LCD.
I notice on all movies that I play on it a strange interlaced effect on fast scene (you need to look close to the display) and sometimes some color spot degradation. (red, green or blue spot).
Those problems doesn't show up on my laptop (using the same video), or maybe it is more difficult to see it.
I hope COwon will fix it.

[blithevincent]

thanks blithevincent for your reply too. I sense some sarcasm in above even though I meant no sarcasm in my comments to you earlier.

Okay, i'd better shut up. Before i go: i say you may consider some other PMP brand which supports mpeg-2 such as Istation v43 so that you can store the mpeg-2 file in it, and then tv-out the mpeg-2 onto a large tv screen as you wish. Caveat -- this is a newest PMP which claims to support mpeg-2 but seems never proven by any review yet. For example, Maxian T-600 claims to support mpeg-2 too but current firmware of it still seems not supporting yet.

A2 may support mpeg-2 in future.

And lastly: to prove i aint alone re my earlier comments, check out the below from eric3a --->

http://www.iaudiophile.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6125


Thanks for your suggestion, Johnny. I meant no sarcasm either. If there was, please forgive and forget. Maybe just because I am not good at expressing in english. :nutty: :winker:
Actually, I do considered istation v43. But, v43 may not have such good support as A2 (firmware update) and I heard that A2 can support more format than v43? I personaly have one question: if labtop can av-out to TV, what will be the resolution for ordinary avi files (Dvd-rip)? i.e. whether the bottle-neck is due to the problem of PMP or the source file.

[dre]

The one thing I didn't like is the quality on the 4" LCD.
I notice on all movies that I play on it a strange interlaced effect on fast scene (you need to look close to the display) and sometimes some color spot degradation. (red, green or blue spot).
Those problems doesn't show up on my laptop (using the same video), or maybe it is more difficult to see it.
I hope COwon will fix it.

I also have this same problem when watching videos on my A2. It seems to have gotten a little better with firmware 1.49 - but it still is noticeable.

[blithevincent]

I also have this same problem when watching videos on my A2. It seems to have gotten a little better with firmware 1.49 - but it still is noticeable.

Really? if it is true than it will be too bad, how come those reviewers didn't mentioned this?

[fa_pa]

my guess on mpeg2 is license issues :winker:

[johnny33]

.............................
Actually, I do considered istation v43. But, v43 may not have such good support as A2 (firmware update) and I heard that A2 can support more format than v43? I personaly have one question: if labtop can av-out to TV, what will be the resolution for ordinary avi files (Dvd-rip)? i.e. whether the bottle-neck is due to the problem of PMP or the source file.

1. Istation = Digital Cube does have some feedback for poor customer support & slow firmware updates in the past. v43 is their 3rd PMP attempt so many fans are hoping Istation would improve itself re customer support & firmware updates.

2. I can only conjecture that the resolution is the same as you made or ripped for the avi files -- i.e. if you rip from your dvd with "640*480 pixel of 1.5mb kps", then the resolution from laptop to TV screen is the same setting as the above. Not sure if i answer correctly because i aint sure about your question too. However, one tip I learned from the Archos 500 manual -- is that recording bitrate of 1.5mb kps (or above), for the AVI files, is at par with DVD quality. Therefore, if you rip or encode your DVD files with the "640*480 pixel of 1.5mb kps" setting, then your resulting AVI files can be played with DVD-quality on both your laptop & TV screen. ++

[johnny33]

I also have this same problem when watching videos on my A2. It seems to have gotten a little better with firmware 1.49 - but it still is noticeable.

I dont have this same problem as both of you have. But next time I'll pay more attention to the video playing of the fast-moving scenes, to see if anything out of the ordinary there.

TFT LCDs have this inherent shortcoming that ghosting sometimes happens during play-back of the fast-moving scenes in a movie such as car-racing -- i.e. slow response time of LCD. ++

[MCSmarties]

Guys, relax please and don't blast the A2 for showing "horizontal lines" on some videos.

Question: does ONLY the A2 display these lines? Did you try watching the files on a PC?
I am 90% sure you would see the same lines when watching the video on your computer, too.

My guess is that this is a problem with a wrongly encoded movie.
It was probably wrongly/poorly/not deinterlaced.
Properly deinterlacing movies can be extremely challenging (specially with anime in NTSC format)!

(rant mode on)

I think a lot of people in this forum blame the A2 for things that are really completely out of its control.
Preparing movies correctly for a PMP takes time and knowledge.

Of course you can just record directly from TV or simply download movies from P2P, but don't expect miracles!
I spent almost a month preparing movies for my A2, before buying it.

On a side note, why do you think Apple is not interested in making a true PMP?
Certainly not because there is no market for it but rather because it's not that simple to setup.
It's just not as easy as simply popping a DVD in or downloading a ready to go music file from itunes or... you get the idea.
(not to mention that the MPAA is absolutely livid at the though of people being able to watch their movies anywhere
without paying extra, and therefore strongly lobby against manufacturers of PMPs)

Before posting here to complain about the A2, please check first that the faulty file plays on your computer,
and also check the file's properties with GSpot v 2.52. (just type GSpot download in google to get a link)

If the "QPEL" or "GMC" writings lights up, the file will not play correctly. End of story.
If you encoded the movie yourself, you screwed up.
If it's a movie you downloaded, it's not meant to be played on anything else than a PC.
GMC and QPEL are simply not supported by ANY PMP on the market yet!

Explaining how to encode movies properly is IMO not the purpose of this forum.
The excellent website www.doom9.org(amongst many others) is dedicated to doing exactly that!

(OK, rant mode off)

Anyway, I am not trying to scare people away from the A2 with this post.
PMPs are a wonderful gadget and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to prepare movies for them either.
It does however require the user to read up a little bit on video encoding first.

I HIGHLY recommend for all "newbies" the combination DVDDecrypter + AutoGK.
It's really simple to setup and use, read the step-by-step tutorial on www.doom9.org/autogk.htm.

[johnny33]

Well said: MCSmarties :thumbsup:

You're part of the reasons that I come back here time & again to learn (from yours & other gurus), & to share, and not gotten frustrated by some ......

[dre]

Mcsmarties,

There's no need for a rant, nobody's bashing the A2(at least I'm not), there are just some issues, like there are in every electronic sold on the planet, and people just want to make sure that they don't have a defective unit.

I wouldn't have said anything about the horizontal lines if I hadn't tried every single method in encoding. I, like you, spent a lot of time encoding many movies before I bought the A2, using every program I could find (AutoGK, XMPEG, Jetaudio, WinAVI Converter, Bit Ripper, DVDx, Nero, A1 dvd Ripper, Pocketdivx Encoder and some others that I've forgotten.) I've tried deinterlaced, progressive, pretty much every setting that each program had. I tried different framerates, quality settings, etc., with both xvid and divx codecs and I still got the problem. And fyi, the videos played fine on the computer before putting them in the A2.

I've updated to v1.46 and it's gotten better, but like johnny33 said there are problems with ghosting in fast movement in LCD screens, which may or may not have something to do with the lines in the videos.

[hsvong]

I just bought the A2 for the claimed high compatibilty with codec so I don't have to modify any movie that I have.
Because re-encode any movie take a lot of time and HD space.
In short words I would like to watch movie in a portable device as it is on my laptop.:tongueu:

The interlaced effect is not very noticeable but if you keep the A2 screen very close to your eyes you could see it.
This effect is like many horizontal black lines over the color of the fast moving object.:thumbsdow
Color degradation, I mean some strange color that appears in little spot.
Like some blue or red spot on the skin of a person instead of simple shadow.

I don't want to annoy anyone with this, but If I buy a product (which is quite expensive) for video application I'd like that this function has to be almost perfect and flawless.
Any other additional features like audio, radio, etc... could be of less quality.

It's like you buy a multimedia phone, where you can play game take picture, play video and much more.... but in the end you have problems with simple phone calls.
Does this will bother you?

I also need some feedback from other people to verify if it's just my eyes :woh: or that my A2 screen is defective.

Anyhow, I like this product and I judge for his functions and not in comparison to other products, because I never had a PMP before.
From my expectation A2 video quality disappoint me, so far, but I hope some new firmware could fix those problems.

I'm not a competitor (i-pod, i-river,...) fan and I'm not here to misguide other people, I just tell the truth.

On the other hand, I really appreciate the commitment from Cowon to develop the product even after the commercial release (not only bug fixes but also improvements). I've never seen a so quick SW release rate anywhere.
Other thing to mention is that the packaging is amazing. Box design and material are well done and structured in a smart way. every cable has his own plastic bag that can be closed.
Same thing for the player itself which I think also win the design award for 2006.

That's all for now...bye :hi:

[eric3a]

The interlaced effect is not very noticeable but if you keep the A2 screen very close to your eyes you could see it
Makes me think of the classic joke:
Patient: Doc it hurts when I do this (flailing arms around).
Doc: Well don't do it then.

So if you can see the lines when holding your screen close to your eyes... Don't do it. :D

Personnally I never have noticed these lines, but I don't know if its because I don't have them or I don't see (or care) about them.
I find video quality absolutely amazing, and so far I do not recode anything, using recordings straight from my video server, recorded in DivX Certified format.
Eric

[blithevincent]

Makes me think of the classic joke:
Patient: Doc it hurts when I do this (flailing arms around).
Doc: Well don't do it then.

So if you can see the lines when holding your screen close to your eyes... Don't do it. :D

Personnally I never have noticed these lines, but I don't know if its because I don't have them or I don't see (or care) about them.
I find video quality absolutely amazing, and so far I do not recode anything, using recordings straight from my video server, recorded in DivX Certified format.
Eric

Can you make sure whether you don't have them OR you don't see (care) about them -- then tell us something about it.
Be objective please.

[blithevincent]

I just bought the A2 for the claimed high compatibilty with codec so I don't have to modify any movie that I have.
Because re-encode any movie take a lot of time and HD space.
In short words I would like to watch movie in a portable device as it is on my laptop.:tongueu:

...



That's exactly what A2 mostly attracts me.:bigthumbs
BTW, can A2 play OpenDML AVI (avi 2.0) format?

[ace]

Hi folks,

Im pretty new to this forum but have been an avid reader and frankly very impressed with the enthusiasm here.
Thought Id register myself and start adding my findings about the Cowon A2 here rather than just meekly sit and read the posts :-p

Anyways I want to jot down two points for now in this thread as the other member have already stated all that I already know.

1. Cowon A2 does not chop off the video on a PAL tv. I live in Europe and Ive tested this already. Havent done anything more than change TV standard to PAL in the Cowon settings.Ive tried with 640x480 and the next lower resolution.

2. The quality is definitely not the best with 640x480. If you play TV shows recorded at 640x480 bitrate=1Mbps and then play back the recorded asf on TV using av out you will notice there is a slight jerky motion time to time and you can see the effects of compression if you strain your eyes a bit.
The video is beautiful and smooth in 368x272 800kpbs. Also I find this good enough to watch movies/shows on TV. Anybody could disagree too.
But Im sure like the others have already said Cowon is working on making the quality better at higher bitrate.

I have a question which I havent seen anybody asking so I assume all know.
In the system setting I noticed a power save feature which can be set to on or off. This is besides the auto lcd off and auto power off feature. Can anybody tell me what this is , I mean what does it actually do to save power ?

[johnny33]

Hi folks,

Im pretty new to this forum but have been an avid reader and frankly very impressed with the enthusiasm here.
Thought Id register myself and start adding my findings about the Cowon A2 here rather than just meekly sit and read the posts :-p

Anyways I want to jot down two points for now in this thread as the other member have already stated all that I already know.
......................

In the system setting I noticed a power save feature which can be set to on or off. This is besides the auto lcd off and auto power off feature. Can anybody tell me what this is , I mean what does it actually do to save power ?

power-save is, literally, saving power when you operate your A2 -- it slows down the response of your A2 buttons & reaction of the screen. Last time when I advised another new proud owner of A2 who complained slowness of the EQ screen at the music playing, I said he'd better shut down the POWER SAVE & see if slowdown persists.

POWER SAVE underclocks of internal CPU of A2, we think here..

Not sure about the PAL TV recording returning to normal now because I never used that again now; I used NTSC mode of recording at 384*272 setting which is good enough for me already.

Glad you like the enthusiasm of this forum too. Come back to share often & enjoy your new A2 too..++

[eric3a]

Not trully sure what you are seeing, but I am not seeing anything that hinders my enjoyment of the videos.
It could be the encoding, the type of movies (fast actions) you watch, etc...

And you may be looking at it too close and too hard...?... My brain isn't wired that way and I have found when comparing video "quality" that I don't look at the same things most people do.
For exemple, I can't cope with many HDTVs, which I find unwatchable. I tend to prefer "soft" settings, and its how I've set up my video server recordings. Since I read my own recorded videos on the A2.... No surprise I like what I see.
The A2 is rendering them the way I recorded them.
Eric

[rolex2049]

HELLLLPP!!!!!!
I just recieved my cowon a2 and was attempting to upgrade the firmware. However, i misread the instrustions and proceeded to copy/paste the extracted files into the ".system" folder instead of the "root folder". How was i suppost to know what the "root folder" is. Now my cowon a2 won't even turn on. HELP ME!! What should i do!

[rolex2049]

Help Me Please!

[BronxMontana]

funny you should mention this rolex...we are almost in the same boat...just got my a2 today...followed the instructions to the tee,and like you,didnt or havent seen a .root folder,so i am assuming the system folder is where the files go as there is a file in there already with the same filename and extension...after i copied and pasted and held the button down and powered on at the same time,saw for the moment the updating screen,which quickly flashed off and the unit then powered on....when i went to settings to see if the version was correct,it said :firmare version 1.39c :application version 1.51...not knowing if this was correct,tried to play files and was unable to,so i know the unit didn't update properly...so being in a quandry,just went to website and d/l the 1.39 version...did exactly the same thing when trying to update with 1.51...the update screen flashed for a sec,the unit powered on...but this time when i checked both the firmware and application version were the same 1.39...can anyone help me get my player to update correctly? i don't think i did anything wrong...i cant find a root folder and looked in all the folders for it but havent found it....and to rolex,my player still functioned after my try,and if i were you would stick a pin in reset hole and see if that will get player to reboot....thnx for the help if anyone can solve both our problems...

[ace]

Hi rolex2049,

Fear not :hi: Try a hard reset . I presume it means to hold the reset button with a paper clip for a few seconds and then release.
If someone knows how to perform a hard reset please comment as I have never done it so am not sure how exactly. I dont see it mentioned in the useless manual provided !

But meanwhile its still worth a try !

good luck :jamming:

[ace]

funny you should mention this rolex...we are almost in the same boat...just got my a2 today...followed the instructions to the tee,and like you,didnt or havent seen a .root folder,so i am assuming the system folder is where the files go as there is a file in there already with the same filename and extension...after i copied and pasted and held the button down and powered on at the same time,saw for the moment the updating screen,which quickly flashed off and the unit then powered on....when i went to settings to see if the version was correct,it said :firmare version 1.39c :application version 1.51...not knowing if this was correct,tried to play files and was unable to,so i know the unit didn't update properly...so being in a quandry,just went to website and d/l the 1.39 version...did exactly the same thing when trying to update with 1.51...the update screen flashed for a sec,the unit powered on...but this time when i checked both the firmware and application version were the same 1.39...can anyone help me get my player to update correctly? i don't think i did anything wrong...i cant find a root folder and looked in all the folders for it but havent found it....and to rolex,my player still functioned after my try,and if i were you would stick a pin in reset hole and see if that will get player to reboot....thnx for the help if anyone can solve both our problems...

Follow the instructions mentioned in one of the posts here.
The root folder is the first folder you see in your cowon harddisk when connected to the pc.
The place where you see Music Movies Photos folders etc....
This is where u unzip the firmware files you downloaded (if it was a zip file).
Then hold the joystick and power on.
Lo and behold ! your system will be on the firware and application version you want.

Enjoy ! :jamming:

[BronxMontana]

lo and behold no!!!!!! lol still have firmware version 1.39 and application version 1.51...how long should that firmware update stay on screen? seems to only hang for only a sec before unit powers on...doubt thats time enough for an update...and that folder your talking about is called system...there are no subfolders in there.....any other suggestions....thnx

[BronxMontana]

update duh!!!!!!!!! i misunderstood as rolex did...when they said root they meant just aside folders,NOT INSIDE FOLDERS!!!!everything is ok for now...thnx p.s. was worried a little because i overwrote one file inside system folder with one of the uopgrade files,but fyi so far everything is working perfect so i doubt i did any damge...

[Reiatsu]

can't you still degrade your firmware from cowon's website?

[rolex2049]

Yes, i realize now the correct way to upgrade the firmware. My only problem is getting my unit to turn on period. I try to turn it on traditionally but nothing... i try and turn it on useing the update method of holding down the joystick and then pressing the power button, but again nothing. I see the startup screen for about 2 seconds then blank. I tryed holding down the reset button for several seconds but that didn't seem to work. I am at a lose here folks. Any more suggestions on what i should do?

[dre]

For the firmware upgrade; you have to hold down the joystick after the unit turns on and throughout the whole upgrade process. If you let go of the joystick the screen will shut down and the firmware will not upgrade properly(this happened to me the first time I tried to upgrade)

If nothing works try going back to firmware 1.39.

[variozin]

what is real benefit in V1.51 over V1.39 ...?

[el57]

mpeg1 support

[rolex2049]

These are the exact steps i took to upgrade my firmware.
1. Downloaded new firmware update.
2. Unziped the file and copied all three files.
3. Paisted them in the ".system" folder of my cowon a2.
4. As i paisted i overwrited all files.
5. Used the proper disconnecting method and unhooked cowon from computer.
6. Held down joystick with left and pressed power button.
7. Firmware up grade screen came on, then the normal cowon start-up screen, after a few seconds the screen went blank.
8. Tryed to turn cowon a2 on normally and saw the normal cowon startup screen for a few seconds and then again the screen went blank.

This is the whats been happening ever since.

Methods i've tried to fix the problem.
1. Plug cowon a2 back into computer and re-paiste new firmware files in correct folder.
-This didn't work because my computer won't recognize anymore.
2. Tryed holding the reset button before and during start-up.
-Nothing changed.
3. Tryed plugging unit into the wall and getting it fully charged before attempting firmware update or start-up.
-Nothing changed.


Is there anything else i can do!?!?

[el57]

don't paste into .system folder just paste on the actual cowon folder where you see music movie .system etc on

[rolex2049]

ya i realize that now, but i can't do taht if i can't even turn on my cowon a2, let alone connect it with my computer.......

[spider]

That's exactly what A2 mostly attracts me.:bigthumbs
BTW, can A2 play OpenDML AVI (avi 2.0) format?

Should be no problem. I rip my DVD using OpenDML and it plays fine in my A2.

[spider]

For the firmware upgrade; you have to hold down the joystick after the unit turns on and throughout the whole upgrade process. If you let go of the joystick the screen will shut down and the firmware will not upgrade properly(this happened to me the first time I tried to upgrade)

If nothing works try going back to firmware 1.39.

i doubt you need to press and hold the joystick during firmware upgrade. I upgraded my A2 twice by just power on the unit after copying the 3 firmware binary files to the root folder, the upgrade process just take place itself without the need to touch the joystick at all.

[hsvong]

Actually, the first time I tried to upgrade the firmware it failed, because I didn't keep the joystick down long enough.
So I think you need to keep the joystick down before power on and a even a few seconds after you see the firmware update screen, otherwise if you left it too soon the update screen will disappear immediately.
The update process took some minutes.

On iaudio/Cowon website there is a user guide for firmware upgrade with every exact procedure + pictures.

[spider]

Actually, the first time I tried to upgrade the firmware it failed, because I didn't keep the joystick down long enough.
So I think you need to keep the joystick down before power on and a even a few seconds after you see the firmware update screen, otherwise if you left it too soon the update screen will disappear immediately.
The update process took some minutes.

On iaudio/Cowon website there is a user guide for firmware upgrade with every exact procedure + pictures.

Maybe next time you can try not to touch the joystick at all when you power on the unit. You will be surprise that the firmware upgrade takes place as usual. I and my friend never touch the joystick at all during firmware upgrade and we are now on v1.51C with the dither feature. :winker:

[fa_pa]

Yeah where did you get the information that you have to press anything while upgrading the firmware? I just copied the files in the root folder and powered it up and the firmware upgrade went trough without any problems.

[genocide]

guys,any idea where to get old firmware??

[genocide]

lol,never mind,found it :D

[johnny33]

These are the exact steps i took to upgrade my firmware.
1. Downloaded new firmware update.
2. Unziped the file and copied all three files.
3. Paisted them in the ".system" folder of my cowon a2.
4. As i paisted i overwrited all files.
5. Used the proper disconnecting method and unhooked cowon from computer.
6. Held down joystick with left and pressed power button.
7. Firmware up grade screen came on, then the normal cowon start-up screen, after a few seconds the screen went blank.
8. Tryed to turn cowon a2 on normally and saw the normal cowon startup screen for a few seconds and then again the screen went blank.

This is the whats been happening ever since.

Methods i've tried to fix the problem.
1. Plug cowon a2 back into computer and re-paiste new firmware files in correct folder.
-This didn't work because my computer won't recognize anymore.
2. Tryed holding the reset button before and during start-up.
-Nothing changed.
3. Tryed plugging unit into the wall and getting it fully charged before attempting firmware update or start-up.
-Nothing changed.

Is there anything else i can do!?!?

rolex2049, hope you woes had ended & you had had somewhat gotten the issues resolved somehow, somewhere by now...if still not resolved, you need to take your A2 to the shop for repairs.

My 1st intuition for saving your A2 was to copy the start-up system files (of which you accidentally overwrote) from some other A2 (be your friend's or others'), and then re-do the firmware upgrade again.

As you may have realized by now that your having overwritten your A2 system files in the 1st place may have rendered it inoperative and not even accessable from your own PC now, so above suggestion of remedy was not feasible too, I think.

Sorry I cant help either even I'm labeled a senior member here (ashamed......) You can be a senior member too if you would've written as many posts like me which only meant i talked alot & defended the A2 quite abit too.

There're many gurus in this forum of which I regard as knowledgable, helpful, & altruistic, of which I am not one surely :blah:

[RICBLAC]

My Screen Is Exceptional. I Bought This Thing Looking For The Best And I Am Very Happy. My X-mas Gift To My Self.

[rolex2049]

YES!! FINALLY IT WORKS!!
After about the 51209581032 time tryin to reconnect it, on the 51209581032+1 it WORKED!! Simply amazing. And the cowon A2 is simply amazing jsut the same. And to think... i was 1 day away from just returning it for the archos. Bah

:rock: rock on dudes

[KiLeAk]

Running 1.51. Whilst walking into work, my player just crashed totally wiped all the settings and I had to hard reboot!

Stability of this player still seems rather questionable, but I dont mind, being on the bleeding edge of tech :)

[ScottMaximus23]

My Creative Zen Touch does that all the time. I stick it in my coat pocket and it crashes. I now tape a paper clip on the buttom of it so I can reset whereever I am.