Are there any Hackable DVD players, available to buy... ?

[donpedro]

Is there any easy hackable (region free) DVD player in stores right now? I mean easy hackable and not ones with different versions based on Serial Number or color of sticker......

What about these ? Is there some guru who knows answer ? Any reacent experience ?

Best Buy - Mintek DVD-1600 - $64.99
Best Buy - Mintek DVD-2110 - $89.99
Best Buy - Samsung DVD-S221 - $99.99
Best Buy - Magnavox MDV450SL - $99.99
Best Buy - Sharp DV-S1U - $99.99

Circuit City - Apex AD1200 - $64.99
Circuit City - GE DGE100N - $89.99
Circuit City - Zenith DVB211 - $99.99
Circuit City - Samsung DVDS222 - $99.99
Circuit City - Magnavox MDV410SL - $99.99


K-Mart - Oritron DVD760 - $99.99
K-Mart - Apex AD-1500 - $99.74
K-Mart - Apex 3201 - $97.97
K-Mart - Oritron DVD720 - $89.99
K-Mart - Go Video DVP-750 - $89.99
K-Mart - Curtis Mathes CMD1000 - $79.99

Walmart - Apex AD-1100W - $68.87
Walmart - Apex AD1500 - $69.88
Walmart - Apex AD-500WM - $88.86
Walmart - GE GE1101P - $89.00
Walmart - Emerson EWD7002 - $89.67
Walmart - GE DGE100N - $98.64
Walmart - Apex AD-3201 - $99.00
Walmart - Apex AD-2100 - $99.91

[presto]

I just bought the Apex 1100W. Yes you have to read the info and look for the right sticker/serial number. I first looked in the video dept and all they had were the wrong ones. When I left that dept there was a pallet stacked up with more of the Apex 1100W's and I looked through them and low and behold there were two or three of the right ones.

Took it home, took off the cover to see if the insides looked like the picture in the Hack section (it did). Downloaded the Hack burned it onto CD and ran it in the player. It upgraded fine. I now have the new setup screen so I know it worked but I have not tested the macrovision/region free yet.

The player is well worth it in any case. Even without any flash upgrade it plays vcd's, svcd's, and kvcd's great. Those are the ones I have tested.

I know you asked about players that you didn't have to look for the right color sticker etc but you did list the Apex in your list and I am so happy with mine I just couldn't resist posting. I think if you go to wal-mart and write down what they have and then go home and print out the info you need and go back and do some hunting you may get just what you want.

Good Luck

[donpedro]

Thanks. I'll try that.

Please let me know if you were able to play DVD with different region than 1.

[presto]

Someone sent me a private message. I feel like a fool but I don't know how to get back to my private mailbox to reply. Anyway here is the reply:

I found my info on how to get the right Apex 1100W right here in the DVD Hack section over to the right. After entering Apex in the search box and then going to Apex1100W I got to this page:

http://www.vcdhelp.com/dvdplayershack.php?select=Apex%20AD-1100W

The last link on that page leads to several posts about identifying the right player. The info I printed out and took to Wal-Mart with me is a paragraph that you see in red if you scroll down the page.

I think the pictures I mentioned are linked on that page too. I think they can be used to identify the right machine but since they don't show the wrong machine I'm not positive. Read the whole thread for yourself. It isn't 100% clear but all you can do is get as much info as possible and then go for it.

I'll try to test my macrovision and region free hack tommorow. I'm not sure how to test the region part. I don't have any foreign dvd's lying around. I do have some Disney videos, I think that is a good test for Macrovision.

[donpedro]

No luck so far. I found only Apex 1100W at Walmart with serial numbres

D11000203 , 204 or 205 with 05 or 08 on the end.

I gues these are not the right ones for hack

[thxkid]

Here are some hackable units with a simple program burned on a CD-R or CD-RW.


APEX AD1500 - makes region free, macrovison free
Daewoo 5800 - makes region free, macrovison free, 5700 bios needed
for DVD-R playback also.
Sampo 631CF - Region free, Macrovion free, Serial Copy Mangment free

try this web site for list of hackable DVD's.


http://www.nerd-out.com/darrenk/

[donpedro]

Where can I buy Sampo DVD players ?

[TuxOmatic]

Where can I buy Sampo DVD players ?

I've been interested in buying a Sampo DVE-631CF myself. I currently own a Apex 500W with a modified chip. It's a nice player but this Sampo has much nicer features. What I really like about it is that, after updating the firmware, you can play .vob files directly off a CD-R. Unfortunately, Sampo just had a $30 rebate offer for this unit expire last month. I checked around on Google and found several online dealers selling this machine with prices ranging from $150 to $300. I guess the high priced versions are already hacked. One thing you should be careful about is getting the right video chip. The link below is for a forum that recommends you buy directly from one of it's members. I don't know, maybe he will make sure you get the right machine to start off with.

http://www.nerd-out.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18682

Details for hacking this unit are located here:

http://www.area450.com/thesampozone/articles/dve631cffirmware.htm

Hope that helps.

[donpedro]

And what about Daewoo DVD-5800 ? Is it still hackable by remote control or is there some "new" non-hackable version ? Anybody with recent experience ?

[t0nito]

I'd go for a mustek player they are very easily hackable via remote control and they are compatible with barely all media (mp3, cd-r, cd-rw,dvd, dvd-r, dvd-rw, vcd, xvcd, svcd, xsvcd, cvd, mini dvd, raw mpg (some versions) cd-da.

[donpedro]

Great. Any recomendation where to buy it in US ?

[t0nito]

I don't know because I'm from europe. But the mustek v520 is a model sold worldwide because it's plays PAL and NTSC. I've heard that it's also available in the U.S. Try searching the web. There is also a "cloned" model the Yukai v520. You can search it also. Try looking also in the dvd players listed in this site.

[donpedro]

Well.... I finaly order Daewoo 5800 from samsclub.com.

What I liked about it should be easy hackable and (in case that I might need it) it works on 110V or 220V.

I will send results. I am going to try to play Region 2 DVD.

By the way.... I went through couple of WalMarts and lowest Apex 1100W S/N was ...203... I gues they are out of old machines.

[thxkid]

Sampo can be bought at Fry's for $169.

The Daewoo 5800 does have a hiden menu that can access and turn off region and macrovison once the hack had been installed, done with a CR-R, plus the 5800 does not play DVD-R, so next you get the 5700 hack install it then it will play DVD-R's.
The APEX 1500 is hackable also for region and macro with CD-R.

[donpedro]

Region 2 DVDs tested. It works fine. Now I am planing to burn (burner is ordered ) some DVDs. Is it realy ture that it will not play DVD-R ? What about DVD+R ?

[hxc3634]

I have Daewoo 5700. I remember it can play dvd-r and dvd-rw in its manual. Anyone tried dvd-rw with this model? If you are successful, what media and setting (bit rate, etc.) did you use?

[donpedro]

Well... I have Deawoo 5800 and I am waiting for my DVD burner. I am planing to do some testings. DVD burner can write DVD-RW and DVD+RW so I will try them both.