[- CURRENT VERSION -]: RMC-1, RMC-1L, XMC-2 Firmware - v3.2

[KeithL]

IMPORTANT - READ THIS FIRST !!!

FIRMWARE v3.2 IS THE CURRENT FIRMWARE VERSION FOR THE RMC-1, RMC-1L, and XMC-2 AS OF 5/17/2023.

FIRMWARE v3.2 SUPERSEDES ALL OLDER FIRMWARE VERSIONS for the RMC-1, RMC-1L, and XMC-2.

YOU MAY INSTALL FIRMWARE v3.2 ON ALL EXISTING RMC-1, RMC-1L, and XMC-2 PROCESSORS.

FIRMWARE V3.2 INCLUDES SEVERAL IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENTS AND IS A STRONGLY RECOMMENDED UPDATE.

** IMPORTANT NOTES **

ONCE FIRMWARE VERSION 3.2 IS INSTALLED ON YOUR PROCESSOR YOU **WILL NOT** BE ABLE TO REINSTALL VERSION 2.xx OR OLDER.

IF YOU ATTEMPT TO DO SO YOU WILL RENDER YOUR PROCESSOR INOPERATIVE.

(AND IT WILL HAVE TO BE SENT IN TO EMOTIVA TO BE RE-FLASHED).

BE SURE TO READ AND FOLLOW THE UPDATE PROCEDURE BELOW CAREFULLY.

FIRMWARE V3.2 REQUIRES A DIFFERENT INSTALLATION PROCEDURE THAN PREVIOUS VERSIONS.

Link to firmware version v3.2 released on 5/17/2023:

     www.dropbox.com/s/d8a5eho5salf0np/EmotivaUpdate-3_2-2023_05_11?dl=0

UNITS SHIPPED AFTER 5/17/2023 WILL BE SHIPPED WITH FIRMWARE VERSION 3.2 OR LATER.

GOING FORWARD, IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHAT VERSION OF FIRMWARE YOUR PROCESSOR SHIPPED WITH...

**DO NOT** ATTEMPT TO INSTALL FIRMWARE VERSIONS OLDER THAN v3.2 ON YOUR PROCESSOR.

NEW FEATURES in FW v3.2 :

- HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel)

This firmware update will automatically enable support for eARC on all Emotiva XMC-2, RMC-1, and RMC-1L processors
that have an eARC-enabled HDMI board installed.

Note: This document explains how to determine which HDMI board you have in your processor:
www.dropbox.com/s/89mun2taatv2s4e/Determine_eARC_Enabled_HDMI%20Board.pdf?dl=0
 

UPDATES & IMPROVEMENTS in FW v3.2 :

- All new rewritten and improved HDMI firmware.
- Enhanced stability and reliability for HDMI switching.
- Enhanced stability and reliability when switching audio decoding formats.
- Improved consistency and reliability with HDMI-CEC and ARC support.
- Significant improvements in overall system stability.
- A large number of small bug fixes that will collectively lead to a much improved user experience.
- (Fixes the “Loading Fonts issue” experienced by some users with FW v3.1).

YOU WILL FIND THE RELEASE NOTES AND OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATED TO FW v3.2 AT THIS LINK:
      www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3v7pq3lgssfm16kcjokl6/h?dl=0&rlkey=ganzu4ui3p5uv6xu1o3qgg5e5

UPDATE INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Download the firmware update file and place it in the main folder of a USB stick.

Most USB sticks will work without the need for reformatting, so please try to use your existing USB drives without reformatting first. You may need to try 2-3 drives.

- THE USB STICK YOU USE MUST BE FORMATTED IN THE FAT OR FAT32 FORMAT USED BY WINDOWS COMPUTERS AND OTHER PCs

- IF YOU'VE GOT A STICK THAT SAYS IT IS INTENDED FOR "APPLE OR WINDOWS COMPUTERS" AND YOU HAVEN'T REFORMATTED IT THEN IT WILL PROBABLY WORK FINE

- IF YOU'VE GOT A STICK THAT YOU FORMATTED FAT OR FAT32 ON A WINDOWS COMPUTER THEN IT WILL PROBABLY WORK FINE

- however USB sticks that have been formatted on Apple computers will NOT work

- and sticks that are formatted as NTFS or some other file system other than FAT or FAT32 will not work (EXFAT should also be OK)

- our processors are somewhat picky about USB sticks, even if you do everything right (so, if you try one and it doesn't work, just try another one)

- you MAY download and copy the file using a Windows or Apple computer

- make sure there are no other firmware update files in the main folder on the stick

- the download will arrive in the form of a firmware file - which is the actual firmware update file

   (don't worry about the file extension - there is no need to extract this file)

2) BACK UP YOUR SETTINGS (Setup | Advanced | Backup Settings)

- you may back up your settings internally (but it's always a good idea to save a copy on a USB stick)

3) PERFORM A FACTORY RESET ON THE PROCESSOR (Setup | Advanced | Factory Reset)

4) LOAD THE NEW V3.2 FIRMWARE (Setup | Advanced | Firmware Update)

4a) Insert the USB stick with the file on it into the USB update port on the front panel of your processor

4b) Enter the Setup Menu and select SETUP | ADVANCED | FIRMWARE UPDATE command

4c) Use the UP ARROW to check the box, then the LEFT ARROW to confirm the update and start the update process

4d) DO NOT INTERRUPT THE UPDATE PROCESS UNTIL IT HAS COMPLETED

- the update process will normally take ten to fifteen minutes

- (if the update process stops unexpectedly... and appears to have "hung-up"... WAIT THIRTY MINUTES... then power the processor off and on again)
   (we recommend doing this by pressing and holding the FRONT PANEL Standby button for ten to fifteen seconds; waiting several seconds; then pressing the Standby button again to turn the processor back on)
   (if the processor fails to respond to this then you may power it off using the rear panel AC Power switch; wait about sixty seconds; then turn the switch on again) 

5) ONCE THE FIRMWARE HAS FINISHED LOADING THE PROCESSOR WILL RESTART ON ITS OWN

- this process will take longer than the normal startup routine on your processor

- as part of this first startup after the update you may see a message that the processor is "rebuilding fonts"

  this will take a few minutes and is a normal part of this update

- WAIT UNTIL THE PROCESSOR HAS FULLY RESTARTED BEFORE PROCEEDING TO THE NEXT STEP (AND ADD ABOUT ONE MINUTE)

- (if the processor fails to shut down on its own, wait about twenty minutes, and then restart the processor manually)
   (we recommend doing this by pressing and holding the FRONT PANEL Standby button for ten to fifteen seconds; waiting several seconds; then pressing the Standby button again to turn the processor back on)
   (if the processor fails to respond to this then you may power it off using the rear panel AC Power switch; wait about sixty seconds; then turn the switch on again)
- (if the processor shuts down, but fails to restart automatically, press the FRONT PANEL Standby button again to turn the processor back on)
- (if the update process stops unexpectedly... and appears to have "hung-up"... WAIT THIRTY MINUTES... then power the processor off and on again)

   (we recommend doing this by pressing and holding the FRONT PANEL Standby button for ten to fifteen seconds; waiting several seconds; then pressing the Standby button again to turn the processor back on)
   (if the processor fails to respond to this then you may power it off using the rear panel AC Power switch; wait about sixty seconds; then turn the switch on again)

- at this point you may remove the USB stick

6) VERIFY THAT THE FIRMWARE UPDATE HAS COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY (Setup | Information and confirm that "Firmware Version" now shows "3.2").

7) PERFORM A FACTORY RESET ON THE PROCESSOR (Setup | Advanced | Factory Reset)

YOU MUST NOW COMPLETE SEVERAL ADDITIONAL STEPS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO THIS UPDATE

8) POWER THE PROCESSOR OFF USING THE REAR PANEL POWER SWITCH.

9) DISCONNECT THE AC POWER *FROM YOUR TV SET*.

10) WAIT 30 SECONDS AND THEN RECONNECT THE AC POWER TO YOUR TV SET.

- this ensures that your TV "recognizes" that the processor has been updated
[WE HAVE HAD REPORTS THAT SOME TV SETS MUST HAVE THE POWER REMOVED FOR A FULL FIVE MINUTES OR MORE IN ORDER TO FULLY CLEAR THEIR MEMORY]

11) TURN YOUR TV SET BACK ON.

12) POWER THE PROCESSOR ON USING THE REAR PANEL POWER SWITCH.

- the processor will go through it's normal startup routine

13) POWER THE PROCESSOR ON FROM STANDBY MODE.

- at this point, because we did a Factory Reset, the processor is configured for "Video Remains On" Standby mode
   ("Video Remains On" is the factory default setting for Standby Mode since FW v3.0.)

14) "EXERCISE" YOUR PROCESSOR A LITTLE BIT TO CONFIRM THAT IT IS OPERATING NORMALLY.

15) RESTORE YOUR SETTINGS (Setup | Advanced | Restore Settings).

YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE FIRMWARE UPDATE TO V3.2 .

YOU MAY NOW USE YOUR PROCESSOR NORMALLY.

NOTE:

This file updates the RMC-1 family of processors (RMC-1, RMC-1L, and XMC-2).
This file DOES NOT update the XMC-1 and should NOT be used to do so.

NOTE:

Because of the way DropBox file storage service interacts with your Web browser this file may download with any of several file extensions.

There is no need to rename the file to use it to update your processor.

HOWEVER, since this is a special firmware file, if you try to open the file, or extract it, or test it, as a ZIP archive, it will fail.

This is NORMAL and does NOT mean that the file is bad.

NOTE:

In some specific situations DropBox WILL actually archive the firmware update file into a a ZIP file.

This depends on various things, including the type of computer you have, the browser you use and how it is configured, and whether you download multiple files at the same time.

So, if the file arrives with a ZIP extension, AND THE PROCESSOR SAYS THAT IT'S NOT A FIRMWARE FILE, try UnZipping the file.

(You can also try UnZipping the file immediately... If you get an error it will probably mean that you don't really have a ZIP file but it won't hurt anything.)

NOTE:

The Ethernet port on our processors takes a full 30 seconds to completely reset when you power the unit down.

If you power the processor off, then on again, without waiting long enough, the Ethernet port will not restart properly.

Therefore, if your processor reboots as part of an update, and it restarts too quickly, you may lose network connectivity.

If so, try simply powering the unit down, and waiting a full 30 seconds before powering it back on.

UPDATE NOTES:

Firmware version 3.2 SUPERSEDES AND REPLACES ALL PREVIOUS FIRMWARE VERSIONS and we recommend that all users install it.

Firmware version 3.2 incorporates all of the features included in previous firmware versions plus additional significant improvements in system performance.

If you use the Video Remains On standby feature ("high power standby")...

Only the TV connected to HDMI Output #2 will receive audio when the processor is in Standby.

YOU WILL FIND INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEWLY ENABLED eARC OPTIONS IN THE FOLDER WITH THE RELEASE NOTES
   www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3v7pq3lgssfm16kcjokl6/h?dl=0&rlkey=ganzu4ui3p5uv6xu1o3qgg5e5


GENERAL UPDATE NOTES:

1)

IN MOST SITUATIONS YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY RESTORE YOUR PREVIOUS CONFIGURATION AFTER INSTALLING THIS UPDATE.

However, depending on your speaker configuration, and the previous version of firmware you were using, you may encounter unexpected results.

If this occurs, your original configuration may not be compatible with the new firmware version.

if so, you may have to do a Factory Reset, and re-enter your configuration manually.

2)
Unfortunately USB sticks vary significantly - even among the same brand and model.
However, if you're having trouble finding one that works with your processor, we've had good luck with these:
www.amazon.com/SuperSpeed-64GB-USB-3-0-Storage/dp/B07T4J6X1N


PROCESSOR USAGE NOTES:

We have become aware that many of the problems people have been experiencing are due to compatibility issues between modern HDMI 2.0 devices

and older HDMI 1.4b devices. (HDMI 2.0 is supposed to be backwards compatible with older devices - but some people experience issues when connecting

HDMI 1.4 devices to HDMI 2.0 inputs.)YOU CAN CONFIGURE EACH INPUT ON THE RMC-1. RMC-1L, and XMC-2 FOR MAXIMUM COMPATIBILITY WITH

EITHER HDMI 2.0 OR HDMI 1.4 DEVICES. (Note that, when you set an Input to HDMI 1.4, that Input will no longer allow 4k video, which HDMI 1,4 doesn't support,

until you set it back to HDMI 2.0 .)