Are firmware updates an advantage?

[El Lancito]

I was having problems playing my Sopranos HD-DVDs last night, but then they played just fine when I installed the latest firmware update. I was wondering:

1. Do Blu-Ray players have a similar feature? (As far as I know, they do not.)

2. Is this an advantage that HD-DVD has? I mean, if there are any glitches on Blu-Ray, then you're pretty much stuck with them (assuming that my first point is true, that is.) Or is it that HD-DVD tends to have more glitches than Blu-Ray does in the first place?

Just curious.

Another thought though - I think that updating firmware is one reason why HD is a ways off from going mainstream. While it wasn't a problem for me, I can't imagine somebody like my dad bothering with all that stuff.

[videoworx]

Almost every Blu-Ray player released to date has firmware upgrades available. Most BD players do not have ethernet, so upgrades have to be downloaded, and burned to disc. The PS3 is an exception, as it has built-in WiFi.

[ganthc]

Yeah, now that I have my wireless router working, my ps3 got its latest update to 2.0. I find the firmware updates to be great. Basically a player that normally would have been trashed remains the most current player out there. The same for the hd-a2, as without the firmware, I probably wouldn't be able to play the combos without major problems.