I just did the upgrade with no problems. One note, the instructions say to "push the button" to service mode. Since I can not see the back up the unit, it took a few tries to figure out it is a slide switch that should you need to "slide down" rather then push.

Use W2K/usb and the upgrade worked fine. W2K did however say after I was complete, I needed to reboot for the new device driver to take effect. Ooops.. Oh well it worked anyway...

Nice job on the bass matrix and the new PLII processing.

Bernie, if you are at lower case letters, scroll back to "a" and keep going until you get into the capital letters - the character options are something along the lines of "numbers, symbols, capital letters, lowercase letters," and I suspect that you scrolled down from X to Z and then on into the lower case set. Also, the key strokes for resetting and for checking firmware are very similar. "SELECT" and "MENU" resets the unit, while "SELECT" and "INPUT" displays version number.

I just did the upgrade today; I wound up combining a couple of USB printer cords so I could use my main computer without moving anything around (besides untangling the printer cords). I didn't have any problems except trying to move the small SVC switch back and forth. I didn't have the right screwdriver and my hands are a tad large and clumsy. I did finally get it though. Everything worked as advertised. I didn't use the PLII music mode enough before the firmware to compare, but it sounds good now. Are there any advantages to using the USB connection over an optical cable (my motherboard has an optical connection)? I can't think of any.

Actually, the optical may have benefits depending on what you are playing back - the 990's USB input doesn't support Dolby Digital or DTS bitstreams (it's limited to PCM).

i did the upgrade today... and it went very smooth.. had a friend help me.. but it's really not very tough at all. The step by step instructions posted on this web site.. helps and walks you thru it all the way.

Anyhoo, i LOVE the DPLII movie and music smoothness now. before my front (LCR) soundstage was never very smooth when music or a movie would have left to right action.. or right to left action in it. You could always pick out each speaker. Now the front soundstage is very smooth and even. Panning from left to right or vice versa is where it should be.

The lip sync readout on the front wasn't a big upgrade for me really.. for those people who needed that feature, i can see where it would be helpful. In my case, I was able to see in on my TV (OSD).. and adjust it that way. So very minor upgrade there IMHO.

The problem I have encountered now is that when I do the Auto Set Up.. it will not complete it anymore.. it goes thru all the speakers and sets the delay.. and then trys to set the levels.. but once finished.. it says I because I have small fronts (which I don't, I have large towers) and large surrounds (here again, I have small surrounds).. it can't complete the set up process. and recommends I power it off and set the fronts and surround manually.. which i do. and try again. and still get that error message.

So i'm confused why it is saying I have small fronts and large surrounds.... which is wrong. I wonder if it's in the subwoofer I have choosen? I have FT+LFE

I will probably have to set up the levels manually i guess with the SPL meter.

Skyblazer,
I had the same issue with auto-speaker setup after installing the upgrade. I even tried switching mic's and still received a message that my fronts and backs were reversed, which they're not. My fronts are quite large in fact, and everything is wired properly. I ended up doing it manually.

I've been without my HT now for 6 month's (for some reason my wife decided we needed to sell 2 months after I completed a dedicated HT in our old house. Coincidence?....I think not). The place we've been renting was just big enough for a 20" tv and nothing else (rental options are limited with a dog). We're just now moved into our new place, and the timing of the FW update couldn't have been better.
I finally got everything hooked up, and loaded the firmware Sunday night, no problems. The first thing I did was Auto Calibrate. I could never get this to work correctly before, but no problems this time. I've noticed that others have experienced just the opposite. I figured it was my prior room conditions, but was the Auto Setup modified at all with this update? I did a quick check with an SPL, and the settings were just about perfect.
Next I renamed all my inputs....nice. I then threw in a CD and listened through the various setings. Hey, where did all the extra bass go???
Next came the Master and Commander DVD (one of my personal favorites) for a little movie demo. Awesome!
While I was not able to play around much more due to the holiday, my initial impression of this FW update is extremely positive. The limited listening I have done was very satisfying, with the music sounding much more natural. It was much easier to compare the various formats without having to make numerous adjustments each time. I found the FW install itself to be relatively straightforward and painless.
All in all, an excellent job by the Outlaws!

I don't think auto-setup was changed - like you, I've been under the impression that the most common source of trouble was room effects (which would also make sense with your changed experience between the old location and the new one). Oh, and congrats on getting the system back up and running!

Jim K that's what i ended up doing.... it's not a pain in the ass to set it up manually.. i'm used to doing that anyway. Just suprised that the auto calibrate won't work anymore.

FYI, Another Auto-setup causalty.

From the 990 - the settings are:
Pre-software up date:
Mains = small
surrounds = large

Post software up date:
Mains = small
surronds = large

manual setup:
mains, surrounds, center = small

Note: Mains could run large.

Bring on the Video Essential DVD and the sound meter. I love to tweak - so no big deal.