Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
either the 660 player just suddenly dies or when powered up and eject is
pressed the player resets and does not eject the tray. The above symptoms
are caused by defects in the power supply and if not fixed BEFORE the
above problems are noticed or attended to IMMEDIATELY when the
problems are evident there is risk it will damage your player beyond
repair or at the very least destroy the DVD drive mechanism.
Taking a look at the power supply from a 660 you will notice I have put
arrows pointing to the parts that cause this:
And please remember: Unplug the DVD player from the wall before
working on it. Also if you are not a qualified person who knows what to
do then DO NOT attempt the above yourself. Get someone who is
qualified to do the work for you. You may also need fixing if you do
something wrong!
660-7
660-8-AM
660-8-MM
660-9-MM
660-C-MM
AD660-C
Make a note of the VERSION which is displayed. Now
scroll down to section titled "CHOOSING THE
CORRECT FIRMWARE FOR UPGRADING".
27C040
29F040
6607-0.bin is
Region-free, but
NOT RCE
immune.
This means that in
order to watch
RCE-encoded
Region 1 discs
with this firmware,
you will need to
perform a little
"trick" with the
remote.
Click HERE and
scroll down to the
bottom for the
instructions.
6607-1.bin is set
to Region 1. If you
are going to be
watching only
Region 1 discs, it
is recommended
that you use this
firmware instead
of 6607-0.bin, so
that you don't have
to perform the
remote
control "trick"
mentioned in the
previous
paragraph, for
RCE discs.
NOTE: IT IS
*NOT*
POSSIBLE TO
USE ANY OF
THE OTHER
FIRMWARES
mentioned here
(like AD660-C) on
a player that
currently has 660-
7.
AD660-C
you *can* upgrade
* 660-8-AM
via CD.
patch program
Download the file,
(use along
and after
with the
unzipping
original
UAD660.ROM,
factory
rename it as U660-
firmware,
AM.ROM
available in the
next column---
Firmware has
660-8-AM YES >) YES
Macrovision
turned off and is
* Any of the
both region-free
660-8-MM or
and RCE immune.
660-9-MM
Subtitles bug is
firmwares. Be
fixed. Also, the
sure to rename
ability to zoom the
the unzipped
picture at 1.5X
file if
(instead of only
necessary.
2X and 4X) has
been added.
YES AD660-C * 660-8-MM
660-8-MM you *can* upgrade with YES
via CD. Macrovision (Look for "660-
Download the file, off, Region- 8MM.ORG")
and after free, but NOT
unzipping RCE immune,
UAD660.ROM, and the
rename it as U660- subtitles bug
NOT fixed.
(Look for
"6608MM-
0.BIN")
* 660-8-MM
with
MM.ROM Macrovision
off, Region 1,
Firmware has and the
Macrovision subtitles bug
turned off and is NOT fixed.
both region-free (Look for
and RCE immune. "6608MM-
Subtitles bug is 1.BIN")
fixed. Also, the
ability to zoom the * Any of the
picture at 1.5X 660-9-MM
(instead of only firmwares. Be
2X and 4X) has sure to rename
been added. the unzipped
file
if necessary.
DO NOT try
to upgrade
660-8-MM
with 660-8-
AM.
YES AD660-C * 660-9-MM
660-9-MM you *can* upgrade with YES
via CD. Macrovision (Look for
Download the file, off, a Region "6609MM-
and after selector for 1.BIN")
unzipping Region 1 / Note: Firmware
UAD660.ROM, Region 0, came from the
rename it as U660- subtitles bug factory with
MM.ROM fixed, and Macrovision
1.5X zoom. already disabled.
Firmware has
Macrovision * 660-9-MM
turned off and is with
both region-free Macrovision
and RCE immune. off, a Region
Subtitles bug is selector for
fixed. Also, the Region 1 /
ability to zoom the Region 0, and
picture at 1.5X subtitles bug
(instead of only fixed.
2X and 4X) has
* 660-9-MM
with
Macrovision
off, Region-
free, but NOT
RCE immune,
and subtitles
bug fixed.
(Look for
"6609MM-
0.BIN".)
been added.
* Any of the
660-8-MM
firmwares. Be
sure to rename
the unzipped
file
if necessary.
DO NOT try
to upgrade
660-9-MM
with 660-8-
AM
NO AD660-C * AD660-C
660-C burned onto a new with only 1.5X YES
(Only if you firmware chip zoom added.
couldn't get the (upgrading via CD It's still Region
VERSION is NOT possible) 1 and
screen to work Macrovision is
and you had to Firmware has still ON.
open up the Macrovision Note: this
player) turned off and is firmware is the
both region-free AD660-C
and RCE immune. which *does*
Subtitles bug is show the
fixed. Also, the VERSION
ability to zoom the screen. You
picture at 1.5X can safely use
(instead of only it on a player
2X and 4X) has that came with
been added. the AD660-C
that does NOT
Note: this show
firmware is the the VERSION
AD660-C which screen.
*does* show the
VERSION screen. * Any of the
660-8-AM,
660-8-MM, or
660-9-MM
You can safely use
firmwares.
it on a player that
Again, you
came with the
MUST have
AD660-C that
the firmware
does NOT show
burned onto a
the VERSION
new chip;
screen.
upgrading with
CD is NOT
possible.
AD660-C
you *can* upgrade
via CD.
Leave the
filename as
UAD660.ROM
AD660-C NO
AD660-C with
(Only if you (But the file
Firmware has only 1.5X
were able to located on the
Macrovision zoom added.
make the YES column to the left
turned off and is It's still Region
VERSION is virtually the
both region-free 1 and
screen work same as the
and RCE immune. Macrovision is
and it said original
Subtitles bug is still ON.
"AD660-C") firmware.)
fixed. Also, the
ability to zoom the
picture at 1.5X
(instead of only
2X and 4X) has
been added.
YES AD660-C
660-C-MM you *can* upgrade * Any of the NO
via CD. 660-8-MM or
Download the file, 660-9-MM
and after firmwares. DO
unzipping NOT try to
UAD660.ROM, upgrade 660-
rename it as U660- C-MM with
MM.ROM 660-8-AM.
Firmware has
Macrovision
turned off and is
both region-free
and RCE immune.
Subtitles bug is
fixed. Also, the
ability to zoom the
picture at 1.5X
(instead of only
2X and 4X) has
been added.
-- AUTOMATIC UPGRADE --
ERASE/ERASING
WRITE/WRITING
DONE
DO NOT DO ANYTHING UNTIL THE DISC TRAY
HAS AUTOMATICALLY EJECTED.
1. ***VERY IMPORTANT***
If you are already running a previous version of the
Sampo 631CF firmware, "flash back" to an AD-660
firmware which is appropriate for your player (see
above).
In either case, name the file SAMPODVD.ROM.
For an explanation of why it's important to "flash
back" first, see the next section, titled "FOOTNOTES
FROM STEP #1 ABOVE".
Push SETUP
Go into the MISSING LINKS PAGE menu
Select the MAXICD MODE menu
Select OFF
(If you select the "ON" option for MAXICD MODE, your player will
have the ability
to read MP3s, JPEGs, etc. from a DVD-R(W), but attempting to play a
regular DVD will bring up a file browser menu; thus, you should select
the
OFF option in order for regular DVDs to play automatically.)
Fixed ZOOM
-I've fixed the ZOOM while in DVD playback mode so it's no longer
blocky. It is
perfect, just like the Haier firmware. I also modified the text
display to show
the correct ZOOM setting ZOOM1.5 and ZOOM X2, there is no ZOOM X4
mode.
And why is it important for the disc tray to eject? Because this allows you
to REMOVE THE DISC before cycling the main power switch. You
definitely DO NOT want the disc to still be in the player after cycling the
power. The player may start re-reading the disc, and re-upgrading the
firmware, but you may not know it...if you turn off the power while the
firmware is re-upgrading, your firmware chip will get ruined!
The reason you won't know if the firmware is re-upgrading: the previous
Sampo firmware does NOT automatically output a picture after cycling
the main power.
In order to get a picture, see Step #7 above.
I apologise for any pop-up ads from this page. This is a free web site and
the owners have gotta make it pay some way. Get a great free pop-
up stopper here.
Introduction
I wanted a cheap DVD player on which I could watch DVD movies from any part of the
world. I also wanted to be able to copy DVD movies to video tape. But damn it, most
players available are region-locked, meaning that you can only watch DVD movies
from one region of the world. Most (all?) players also come with Macrovision enabled,
a technology that effectively spoils any attempt to record from the player to video tape -
what a bummer! There are however some players on the market that can be adapted to
disable both the region-locking and Macrovision. Some of these are easier to adapt than
others and after a lot of research I finally settled on the Apex AD-660 DVD player.
Within one hour of getting my Apex player home I had a DVD player that could
play all my region 1 and region 2 discs as well as a player I could record from. So
here, for the benefit of all, is how I did it...
The easiest way to disable the spoiling technologies on a DVD player is via the remote
control and hidden setup menus. This facility is becoming less common on DVD
players as media distributors have been "persuading" the player manufacturers to
remove it. The next easiest method is to reprogram the player firmware using facilities
existing on the player. This will usually involve creating a standard data CD containing
a patched version of the firmware, loading it into the player, and allowing the player to
reprogram itself. This requires that the player has a reprogrammable firmware chip as
well as a version of the firmware that can update itself; this is the method that my AD-
660 uses. Sam's Club currently has the AD-660 for $129.99. I could also have got it in
Circuit City for $149.99 with a $20 Mail-in-rebate, but how I hate those freaking
rebates!You should note that not all versions of this player have reprogrammable chips
so there is an element of luck involved in the purchasing of one. Unfortunately I can't
tell you the probability of getting an Apex player with a reprogrammable chip, but my
guess is that the version of the player that is currently available in Sam's Club and
Circuit City is the same as mine, i.e. reprogrammable.
Now, just because I had the firmware version I wanted, that didn't mean that I could
update it. Remember, I needed a reprogrammable ROM chip. The easiest way to find
out what sort of chip I had was to try to reprogram it. If it doesn't update it doesn't
update, no harm done. But I've never done things the easy way, so I opened the player
case to identify the chip. My advise to you is not to do this because you will
immediately invalidate your warranty - there's a little sticker which disintegrates when
the cover is removed and as carefully as I tried I could not prevent it's demise. So unless
your are a reckless dare devil, skip performing the next bit.
An interesting point to
note here is that the
player mechanism is
merely a standard
computer DVD drive.
Having a look at the rear
of it you can see all the
connectors you'd expect
on a standard IDE DVD
ROM drive.
I sang, I danced, I took uppers, I took downers, and eventually gathered my senses for
the big push: the FIRMWARE UPGRADE.
I had now to prepare a cd to perform the firmware patch. I got a copy of the latest
hacked firmware from here. I renamed the ROM file to "U660-AM.ROM" and burned it
onto a blank CDRW. The CD I created was: No Multisession, ISO9660 Level 1, DOS
Character Set, Mode 1, Finalize CD (I use Nero). All I had to do now was attach the
player to my TV and insert the CD. The TV displayed garbage for about 20 seconds and
then spat out the cd - that was the firmware reprogrammed! I turned off the player and
turned it on and tested it. It played Region 1 and Region 2 disks with no problem. I then
tried a test recording to video tape. The result was an excellent quality recording. Yeah!
Some DVD movie releases (such as Charlies Angels) use Region Coding Enhancement
(RCE) which prevents a DVD from playing on a Region 0 player. In this case the player
can be changed to Region 1 from the setup menu and returned to the Bypass region
setting afterwards.
You'd think I'd be happy at this point wouldn't you? Well that ain't me. I had read a few
articles on the Apex AD-660 that suggested it suffered from an occasional picture stutter
(see here). Sure enough I had noticed that perhaps once or twice during a film the
sequence would seem to skip just a fraction of a second, so off I surfed in search of a
solution.
Success! I loaded up
Windows again and ran
Drive Region Info just to
be sure that the DVD
ROM drive was still
region free:
Phew! I then closed up the Apex and tested it. Everything worked perfectly.
HALLELUJAH!! I then used two RCA 'Y' adapadter to split the audio between the
VCR and the TV with no noticable signal degradation.
Some may call it devine retribution ("the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away" and all
that), but I call it the 'cheap dvd drive syndrome'. I simply forgot to turn the player off
and left it running on a repeating movie trailer all night, which was obviously waayyyy
too much for the Raite to handle. Since I always try to turn failures into an learning
opportunities (yeah, right!) I picked up a new PC Raite DVD drive at a computer fair
and stuck it in. This was an 8x model RDR-108H and it cost me a mere $45 c/w
PowerDVD. I obtained a special firmware version 1.6k for it here, which is special
because it makes the drive run at 2x. Why 2x? Because that's as fast as you need to play
movies and any faster makes more noise and has a slower spin-up time. [BTW the 1.7
version on that site is the actual version I ripped from my drive before downgrading.
Note: I backed up my firmware before blowing it away!]. I set the drive jumper to
Master and I stuck (literally) the new drive in right were the old one was; after a lot of
experimentation I discovered the the easiest and best way was to use a heated glue gun.
The black door from the Apex player even fitted the new drawer perfectly.
The new drive glued in place. Do you think I've invalidated my warranty?
I removed the faceplate and the drawer-front from the new drive then attached the 660's
drawer front. I first tried to install the drive with the drive's faceplate in place but the
drawer wouldn't lock home with the 660's drawer-front attached. Beware: the Apex
drawer-front won't fit every brand of drive because I first tried it on my Lite-On LTN-
122 and it didn't fit. There are spacers beneath the drive - the same spacers that were
under the original drive - I just added a few squares of tape on top to get the height
exact. I was able to position the drive in the player perfectly so that the drawer was flush
with the front of the player. The gluing was reversable because I had two attempts at it;
one hard tug and the drive popped off. I keyed (sanded) the gluing surfaces to get the
best hold. Heated glue guns can be got at Walmart or anywhere like that for under $10
c/w glue and because the glue has bulk and is softish it makes a great bedding for the
drive. All in all it turned out a really neat job. Hopefully the new drive will be a bit more
robust than the old one, seeing it's designed to run faster and is quite a bit heavier. Does
tend to get a bit hot after 24 hours continuous play, but hey, wadda y'expect?!
FAQ
1. What's legal and what's not on this page? As far as I know it's neither illegal to
change the region of your player or to disable Macrovision. The illegal bit comes
when you break copyright laws and copy something you shouldn't.
2. What do you do with your Apex? I have some Region 2 discs with the intent to
buy more, which is why a multi-region player is important to me. As for taping
movies, to be honest I have found that I'd rather have a DVD of a feature that I
really liked rather than a tape of it. The Matrix is the first DVD I bought even
before I had a player ($6 from Buy.com). As for the rest, once I've seen most
movies once I generally don't want to see them again.
3. Has anyone ever successfully repaired anything with Super Glue? No, which is
why it's now 3 tubes for a buck. It did set my dad's nylon trousers on fire, which
was fun.
4. How long is a piece of string? Twenty six inches, or twenty two if you're from
the U.K..