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FLASH Update Download for Theater Grand III and Ultimate Receiver

The Sunfire Theater Grand III and Ultimate Receiver both contain FLASH memory which can be upgraded to the latest software via two different methods: RS232 download or CD playback. The CD playback requires a special music CD containing the upgrade software 'watermarked' (merged with the audio in an imperceptible way) onto the disc. We will be providing these discs for future major software releases only.

The RS232 download application is available right here, right now, by clicking the link below. A PC running Windows 95 or later and a serial cable are required. Please read the following instructions before downloading and running the application.

1.

Use a standard Male-Female straight through DB-9 extension cable (available from almost any computer store or from Radio Shack as # 26-117) to connect your computer's COM or SERIAL port to the RS-232 port of your Theater Grand III or Ultimate Receiver.
2. Your Theater Grand III or Ultimate Receiver must be plugged in, but does not need to be powered on. If it is off, it will power up automatically when the download process begins.
3.

NOTE: You may need to disable your Palm Pilot's "HotSync" or similar software before proceeding. If you have a Palm Pilot or similar device with "HotSync" or its equivalent, this software 'seizes' control of a serial port on your machine and prevents the Sunfire software from accessing that port. Use another port or disable HotSync.

Now, double-click the "Sunfire TGIII-Ultimate Receiver RS232 FLASH Update Vx.xx.exe" application icon on the PC connected to the Theater Grand III or Ultimate Receiver. The 'AUTO' mode will detect active COM ports on your PC and automatically locate the Theater Grand III or Ultimate Receiver and begin downloading code. You can manually choose a COM port if you wish.

4. This process takes several minutes.
5. When completed, simply quit the program and follow the instructions on the front panel display of your Theater Grand III or Ultimate Receiver.
 

NOTE: Each new release of software includes all enhancements from prior releases. So if you currently have version 3.09 in your unit, for example, then an upgrade to version 3.19 will add enhancements shown for 3.11, 3.12, 3.18, and 3.19. You may load the most recent release without loading interim releases.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE RS232 FLASH UPDATE V3.20

Revision history:
V3.20 (9-1-06)
  1. Fixed seamless transition bug (DolbyD5.1 to DTS NEO:6) that caused Neo6 to play in only left surround and right surround.
  2. Moved hologram after bass manager to fix small mains + hologram on reducing sub by 6 dB.
  3. Fixed volume set to allow max level during rapid volume changes or volume absolute setting from RS232 (only applicable when volume level is ranged out from dsp level shifting).
V3.19
  1. Unit's last power state is restored after AC loss (previously always off after AC was restored)
  2. Enhanced bass defaults to OFF after unit settings are reset to factory defaults.
V3.18
  1. Improved handling of RS232 commands at power up -- especially with regard to Zone 2.
V3.12
  1. Fixed audible snap that may be heard with some standard stereo PCM digital sources.
V3.11
  1. Fixed issue that had some units mute unexpectedly after a period of time - especially with Neo:6
  2. Further click and pop fixes for various sources
  3. Fixed muting that may occur when switching from a DTS source to an analog source
  4. Fixed bug that had system power up with Full Auto turned off, even though it was on when powered down.
V3.09
  1. Added front panel display of surround and surround back trim levels
  2. Reduced time to reselect the digital input after temporary removal of digital stream. Applies to some satellite receivers, and some Marantz and Philips DVD players which mute their digital outputs at times
  3. Corrected number of channels in INFO display for some modes with Dolby Digital 2.0 sources
  4. Refined speaker calibration levels for some speaker configurations
  5. Removed AMP enable/disable item from settings-amp menu as users were accidentally turning the amp off and then returning their units as defective (Ultimate Receiver only)
  6. Fixed some minor zone 2 muting issues
  7. Eliminated audible clicks and pops from various sources
  8. Fixed condition wherein DTS sources could mute and not come back
  9. Sped up video switching time when a new source is selected to reduce mode change issues with the Pioneer PRO-520HD monitor.
V3.06
  1. Fixed muting of audio for some satellite receivers when changing from a channel with Dolby Digital to a channel with straight PCM.
V3.05
  1. Eliminated slight 'step' noise sometimes noticeable when volume control is rotated while at high volume settings with no source playing
  2. Fixed loss of first fraction of a second of a new CD track (introduced by V3.0)
  3. Enabled functionality of input trims for zone 2
  4. Improved FLASH update to include display of code revision at first power up after loading code (does this only once at first power up)
  5. Eliminated slight video flicker seconds after loss or detection of a digital lock. This really only affected those with DSS/Tivo and a few other source products which shut off their digital output whenever skip/ff/rewind are used.
V3.0
  1. Fixed audible 'pop' heard following ff/rew/skip, menu changes, and disc layer transitions with some Marantz DVD players
  2. Fixed 'double mute' heard with DSS/Tivo and other units which shut off their digital output whenever skip/ff/rewind are used
  3. Separated control of speaker calibration volume from main volume, and added a default calibration noise generator level of approximately -72 to -75dB SPL in a typical system
  4. Improved handling of 'pop-up' on-screen-display, mostly when S-video and composite sources are simultaneously connected. This sometimes manifested as wavy lines in the video or a missing pop-up display
  5. Added support for DTS Neo:6 with Dolby Digital 2.0 sources, while also fixing a mute issue with Neo:6
  6. Improved handling of SOURCE DIRECT mode
  7. Fixed audible clicks when selecting modes from page two of remote
  8. Fixed tuner splash when selecting AM/FM and fixed small bug in tuner preset numbering
  9. Added discrete IR and 232 codes to select Music, Cinema, etc. for Pro Logic II, Neo:6 and DTS LFE (new code list will be posted to our website).
  10. Improved handling of subtle zone 2 muting issues.
V2.18
  1. Added Ultimate Receiver to titling on download app
  2. Improved timing of download app to eliminate "Theater Grand III not found" message and subsequent need to restart download
  3. Eliminated audible 'snap' on track skip with Philips DVD-R machines
  4. Increased 8-channel sub level by 6dB (this was an oversight)
  5. Fixed bug that sometimes manifested as surround mode auto cycling or other insidious effects.
V2.12
  1. Increased the subwoofer output level by 6dB
  2. Fixed bug that prevented renaming the 8-channel input.
V2.10
  1. Eliminated display of mode and Holography LEDs when 8-CHANNEL source is selected
  2. Fixed bug that allowed main display to show sometimes with unit off.
V2.07
  1. Added enhanced 'extra bass' feature which provides subwoofer output even with large main speakers and stereo sources. (Note that it does not effect 5.1/6.1/7.1 encoded sources. Multichannel encoded sources are reproduced with all levels as the recording engineers intended). This item can be found at the bottom of the SPEAKERS on-screen sub menu. Choose 'ENHANCED' for extra bass, or 'NORMAL' for regular bass. You'll like this!
  2. Added group audio delay for systems with video processors. This item is found in the VIDEO submenu
  3. Added support for additional RS232 and infrared commands.
V1.12
  1. Improved handling of DTS-ES streams comprised of out-of-tolerance data frames
  2. Improved handling of source direct mode. Source direct is now not available whenever main speakers are set to SMALL to prevent low frequency audio from damaging small speakers
  3. Fixed several small issues relating to OSD speaker parameter updates and zone 2 muting.
V1.09
  1. Improved handling of digital streams with data errors. This reduces audible pops and ticks during menu navigation on some DVD players, as well as during track navigation on some CD and DVD players
  2. Improved user interface for CD update of FLASH software.
V1.05
  1. Initial shipping release.

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