FreeAgent Theater and GoFlexTV

[Zelpheriz]

Reference to the unfortunate decision of seagate to Lock/encrypt the new firmware release (v1.55) and not allowing rollback to previous firmware.... See this post and this post and a lot more addressing this topic ...

I would like to share my own opinion which I am sure will resonate with a lot of FAT+/seagate fan base, Seagate that was just plain wrong ... Why closing the shops and being so encrypting about a supposedly open source!!!

Why Seagate decided to lose the effort of all the FAT+ enthusiasts to make it better and more efficient? we understand the manufacturer legal and stepped processes for development and upgrades…. 3rd party developers voluntarily involvement on their own units is a way for us fans to cut red taps  and speed up the process , and when it works …oh man excitement is all around and everybody spread the news about how great the FAT+ and Seagate forum developing communities are ...encouraging other to buy your products …..

I understand people might brick their units by using moded firmware , but that’s their own provocative gained by actually paying for the unit , I am sure you have enough legal disclaimers in your fine prints to negate your responsibilities for changing the unit incase of tampering or ill usage including a non licensed firmware or software.

SEAGATE what's the point of locking the door for talented great minds to work for you for free!!! a great door for indirect marketing to sell more units and get more hype ????

Your marketing strategy, obviously missed the boat on this one!!!!

I hope you take this as a sound of a customer who loves your products and not as a complaint , I will still use your products and continue to purchase them.

[bodhi78]

I couldn't have said it any better!

Others, please voice your opinion here. I'd like to nominate this as users petition/demand for Seagate to reopen the FW  If you agree, please post your support here.

[Zelpheriz]

Thanks Bodhi for your support ,

To all die hard fans out there , pls post your support to this petition

---

bodhi78 wrote:

I couldn't have said it any better!

Others, please voice your opinion here. I'd like to nominate this as users petition/demand for Seagate to reopen the FW  If you agree, please post your support here.

---

[Tinwable]

Zelperiz, well said.

I do not see the wisdow in what Seagate has done with the new 1.55 FW.  It does not seem as if they are listening to there customers and closing the door to keep us from getting the most out of our FAT+'s.  And, yes, using mod firmware may brick the unit, but some have had their units bricked by installing the the factory firmware.

Even though I LOVE my FAT+, I will not be updating my firmware until Seagate promises not to lock or encrypt their firmware and that they will not release a firmware that will not work or works poorly with 3rd party apps like PlayOn which many people paid good money for to use with their FAT+'s.

And though I am not ready to throw Seagate under the bus just yet, I would strongly urge those at Seagate to reconsider their stradegy of handcuffing their customers.  If Seagate is truely interested in "turning on ideas" then those ideas should not just come from the vacum of those at Seagate, but from their customers too.

[Michael_B]

Seagate did mistake, anybody understands it. There are a lot of Realtek-based players, and programmers were found more practical and user-friendly way to block access to their "intellectual property". I mean DvdPlayer application, maybe video and audio firmwares. But nobody did ciphering for their codes. And nobody even thought about ciphering of GPL parts of the code. Bad way to fight with competitors... Oh, maybe Seagate itself did some borrowings?.. I'm looking for alternate product to play with linux, maybe Xtreamer clone made for Russia, practically the same Seagate, but open product.

[a2409]

Hi all!

I join you!!!
Seagate has the strange policy, instead of that what to listen to wishes of users, and together with them to improve functionality of a player, with not clear persistence ignores wishes of users. Seagate now also does impossible return to earlier firmware. I can not understand with what the enciphering paranoia is connected. Unwillingness of that appeared alternative Firmware? Company Seagate is afraid that its player becomes better than at competitors? I like mine FAT + but I will not use updating, in them a little good and necessary to me is added.

[FLHTHEMI]

How many of you have bricked your unit and then brought it back because you were able to use an older revision of the firmware? I know I was glad when it happened to me. I had no intention of sending the unit back in because I had used modded firmware. Maybe I'm a little more honest than other owners...but it sure was a big plus to be able to roll the firmware back!

If V1.55 had fixed ALL the previous bugs, I would install it. But since it still has the same problems that were there all along and because you can't roll back any longer, I'm not upgrading to V1.55!

Please, let us be able to roll back the firmware at least until it's completely fixed!

[fatrebor]

Good write-up Zelpheriz.

What irks me is that I downloaded 1.55 about a week ago and wrote many posts about the problems I was having.  Others also wrote about the problems they were having.  I wasted a bunch of time trying everything I could think of, and suggestions from others on this forum, to get back to 1.26.  It would have been so easy for someone at Seagate to simply put up a post saying, "Stop wasting your time, you can't go back."  This action by Seagate is costing them and myself money.  Yesterday I dropped my fat+ at the local UPS facility and it is on it's way to Texas as I write this.  I had to pay the $12.00 shipping out of my pocket and Seagate will lose money by sending another unit back.  All they had to do was unlock 1.55 and let me go back to 1.26 and my fat+ would probably have been fixed.  I'm happy they are willing to exchange the unit but I don't get there reasoning on this. 

Seagate, if people want to experiment with their equipment it's not your place to tell them they can't.  We aren't kids who need to be protected from ourselves.  Unlock the software and let us play.

[makkar]

Hi All

I join you, This is a very bad move from Seagate. If they do not correct in the next update I am not going to recommended to any of my friends.

They can expect lots of returns, those who bought within one months time.   

..

[tony55]

I downloaded  the 1.55 firmware but because the release notes  pdf was not updated, I thought I'd wait a few days to actually do the upgrade. Thank goodness.

Needless to say, I don't think much of loosing something the other versions provided.

This seems like it's something  a Sony product manager would do.(they do like their ability to control things)

At least there is some indication that they will replace 1.55 units with older version products. At least for now.

Tony