Bravo D1 ... hidden menu?

[gshelley61]

I've been looking for info on whether or not the Bravo D1 can be MV disabled and made region free by accessing a hidden menu. This is the case with several other Sigma 8500 based players like Momitsu 880, Liteon 2001, etc. Any help would be appreciated.

One interesting thing about the Bravo D1 I've recently discovered is that decrypted region-free backups of commercial DVD's (or any disc that is not encrypted, like a home video DVD) will allow upscaled 720p or 1080i signals to pass through the YPbPr component video outputs, not just the DVI. This has been one of the advantages of the Momitsu and the Zenith 318 over the Bravo. Folks who don't have a DVI in like that feature.

How does it look using the component outs? Well, pretty good, especially at 1080i. I have a Samsung 46" 1280x720p DLP, which has the Faroudja scaler in it, so you would think that setting the res to 720p might be best. It looks softer at that setting. For some reason, allowing the TV to scale from 1080i to 720p looks a bit sharper. Of course, using the DVI input at 720p is best, though.

There is an advantage of using the component inputs over the DVI in some cases because it allows the Faroudja DCDi circuit to process the video (DNR and other enhancements). This works out pretty well when viewing something like a laserdisc to DVD backup or VHS to DVD tranfers. The video image is cleaned up a bit this way. Sometimes these LD and VHS to DVD tranfers can reveal some graininess and noise when viewed through the DVI input.

Some commercial DVD's I have backed up (even at 100%) are poorly encoded and have color banding or other PQ issues. Running those through the component inputs at 1080i and letting the DCDi processing enhance the image somewhat definitely helps.

Anyway, perhaps this is common knowledge... I hope someone finds the information useful.

[flaninacupboard]

you checked here?
https://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDnameid=2618&Search=Search&#comments

[gshelley61]

Yup. There is a video setup code that allows you to access a hidden resize menu for DVI output (for specific screen resolutions). Nothing about MV or region hacking, though.