Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD player firmware upgrade leaked

Early adopting Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD player owners may be in for a special treat this weekend, as a poster on AVSForums has obtained a copy of a firmware upgrade early and posted it for download. Rumors on the board indicate Toshiba may release the update for owners to via disc or download next week, but if you just can't wait, all you need is a CD-R and a copy of Nero and you should be in business.

So what does the update do other than flipping your firmware number over to 1.2? Early reports from posters yorkie2k and sspears indicate reduced load times, no freezing when searching/skipping around movies and fixes for HDMI connection problems. Although the update is labeled for the HD-XA1 premium player, users have not reported any problems with the HD-A1 after upgrading. As usual, applying as yet unofficial updates could void your warranty, brick your player or kick your cat, so proceed with caution. Fortunately, as an early adopter, we know you're used to throwing caution to the wind, so update your player and let us know how it goes. Increased performance and stability may just be what Toshiba needs to lure the cautious off the fence and into buying.

[Thanks for the tip WiFiSpy!]