Samsung Blu-ray players suddenly stopped working last month. The issue is caused by an XML file that defines how much user data the player should log and transmit back to Samsung, according to a report by The Register.

Bad design
Many Samsung Blu-ray players across the world suddenly stopped working last month. The 'bootloop' issue was more widespread than first thought as it affected Blu-ray players from the 2010-2015 generations.

The issue was caused by "an XML file downloaded by the network-connected devices from Samsung servers during periodic logging policy checks", according to a report by The Register. The XML file, which was loaded during start-up, defined the rules for how much user data the player should log and transmit back to Samsung. It occurred because the XML file was faulty (empty).

- "Players were bricked even though the users never performed a network update. It was enough for the player to be connected to the internet. Samsung never asked the user if it was OK to download the bomb," a man who asked to be identified as 'Gray' told The Register.



The user cannot replace the XML file and it cannot be replaced via firmware as the players are stuck in a bootloop. This is why the players must be shipped to Samsung for repair.

Samsung did not respond to The Register with an explanation.

It had been speculated that an expired SSL certificate was the root of the problem. That is not the case, according to the report, but the end result is not too different. The same issue could arise on other Samsung products if they are designed in a similar way.

- Source: The Register