The new firmware was actually released earlier this week but there was a bug with audio recording in the creative modes. Today, they did a minor fix with the release of firmware version v2.0.4.

Here are the changes:

The Version 2.0.4 firmware includes the movie function enhancements listed in items 1 through 5 below, and also incorporates the correction listed in item 6.

Adds or changes the following movie frame rates.

NTSC:
1920×1080 : 30 fps (changed – actual 29.97 fps)
1920×1080 : 24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps)
640×480 : 30 fps (changed – actual 29.97 fps)
PAL:
1920×1080 : 25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps)
1920×1080 : 24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps)
640×480 : 25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps)

Adds a function for manually adjusting the sound recording level (64 levels).
Adds a histogram display (brightness or RGB) for shooting movies in manual exposure.
Adds shutter-priority AE mode (Tv) and aperture-priority AE (Av) mode to the exposure modes for shooting movies.
Changes the audio sampling frequency from 44.1 KHz to 48 KHz.
Fixes a phenomenon where communication between the camera and the attached lens is sometimes interrupted after manual sensor cleaning. (This phenomenon only affects units with Firmware Version 1.2.4.)

How to update your firmware:
Updating your firmware is really simple. However, I suggest you follow the official procedure if you have never done it before.

Here’s a simple step by step recap.
Step 1. Format your compact flash card in the 5D mark II.
Step 2. Remove the CF card stick it in your computer’s memory card reader.
Step 3. Open up the CF card in your browser. You will see 2 folders.
Step 4. Download the new firmware. Extract it and copy to the root directory of your CF Card.
Step 5. Place the CF card back in the 5D.
Step 6. Make sure your battery is charged. Important!
Step 7. Navigate to firmware and hit set.
Step 8. The camera should find the new firmware and give you the option to update it.
Step 9. Hit OK, and then don’t touch any buttons on the camera. You will see a progress bar as it goes through the update process which should only take a minute.
Step 10. Format your card again once it has completed. Happy Shooting!

That’s when I stumbled on a comment that said baking your video card can resurrect it. OK, obviously the commenter must be joking. But wait, further searches reveal the same comment popping up again. Hmmm ok, this is curious…let’s see what happens when I type “baking video cards” into Google.

Right up at the top of the results page is a link to [H]ard|Forum where this whole nonsense originated. After going through the mega thread about baking your card, that’s when I realize this is not another internet pop culture joke, but the real deal with a lot of engineering sense behind it.

Basically, the most common cause of electronic device failure are micro fissure cracks in solder joints which results from stress through use and age. Baking a circuit board allows you to liquefy the solder contacts and eliminate these micro fissure. This is actually a commonly practiced technique called solder reflow. So baking a video card in your kitchen oven is just a crude way to use this method.

After a good amount of reading I was thoroughly prepped to do some cooking. I removed the heat sink and fan off the PCB and placed it in the oven with the door open. Then I set the oven to 395F. I left the door open and did not pre heat the oven because I wanted to gradually raise the temperature so as to not “shock” the board and to slowly get rid of any moisture. After about 15 minutes, I felt everything was warmed up enough to start the actual baking. I closed the door and set the timer for 9 minutes. I stayed near by the entire time in case of disaster.

After 9 minutes I shut the oven off and opened the door and let everything cool down for 30 minutes. Then I put everything back together and popped the card back in the case. And then, the moment of truth…I pushed the power button. No sparks. No shorts. Fans are spinning. That’s good. I hear a beep and see my monitor come out of sleep mode with a lovely memory check in progress. This is looking real good. Thirty seconds later I am logged into windows with no signs of artifacts throughout the whole boot process. This is amazing. I fire up Photoshop and a couple of 3D applications and they all run flawlessly. Now this is unbelievable.

It’s been about four months since my video card has been living on borrowed time. It’s been great, but today it started showing failings signs again. The artifacts are back and windows won’t properly load with the drivers. With some culinary experience under my belt now, I nonchalantly re-baked my video card. I am happy to report another success which not only inspired me to do this write up but it would have been impossible otherwise. I wonder how long I can keep this up .