Region free with Odys SlimTV 68006.

[mrdummy]

The great mobile DVD player, Odys SlimTV 68006, is an European version. Produced by www.odys.de, a German factory.

What makes the player so great is the 8 inch screen which is already have sharp resolution of 800x480. Most players at 8 inch has poor resolution of 480x232. Watching it is a pleasure. And it's small too.
It can plays DivX from USB and SD/MMC memory cards. And it has DVB-T tuner. Or use it as extra screen with video-in. Many features and runs for 3 hours on battery.
It's not well known player. We know Nextbase, Philips, Sony, Cyberhome, but not much about Odys.

I have one bought from Dutch shop and tried to make it region free with some code combinations.
First, the player has Mediatek 1389DE chip (opened it). The best working combinations are:

DVD Setup - 1379 -> gives me Version screen (all version numbers showed and region code)
Here, the region code is showed in green bar with 2 as value.

Next combination which should change code is:
DVD Setup - Preferences - 1379 -> gives me gray menu with only Region code.
Here, with most instructions, i should use cursor keys to change the code.
But it wont change. It stays at value '2'.

All another code combinations for Mediatek chipset doesn't work.
Now i'm at the end of the path. I cannot find anything good about changing code.

I want ask another owners of Odys players, or people who known the Mediatek good, have you another solutions? I have contacted Dutch company who do modchips to make region free. That is final solution if another methods doesnt work.
The English website for unlocking region codes is also contacted and they give me many unlock instructions. But nothing works. The special menu shows but i cannot change it.

What can you say about my player? It's perhaps really hard locked at Region code 2, (which a R2 icon is visible on the back) and the firmware is possible modified to make changing impossible.

Thank you very much for every help.

[Krispy Kritter]

Most specialty players (VCD/DVD combos, automotive, portable) are locked and cannot be hacked/changed. The only time I've seen/heard of changing them is with new firmware from the manufacturer.

You could just make backup copies of your DVD's that are region free.

[DVD superfreak]

Most specialty players (VCD/DVD combos, automotive, portable) are locked and cannot be hacked/changed. The only time I've seen/heard of changing them is with new firmware from the manufacturer.

You could just make backup copies of your DVD's that are region free.

Can you help me with a good not so time consuming way to do this?
All I'm looking for is a reliable way to make PAL DVD's into NTSC, but I woud definitely rather they were region free, for sure.

Please don't supply with any tmpge software recommendations, they do not work, even though they say they do.
I just purchased a 2007 Sony system there is no hacks for here, and I take it because you said if they aren't here then it can't be hacked?... so it's back to the frustrating reality of disc re encoding, which I never got down, and I have over 300 of them, so it's a project I do not look forward to.


Thanks in advance

[Krispy Kritter]

You are confusing two different issues. First, there is region coding (which you are/were trying to change) which just restricts playback of discs from other areas/regions of the world. Second, is video format (NTSC/PAL). Not all players can play/convert both NTSC/PAL. It's highly possible that you remove the region coding of your player only to then find out it still won't play your DVD because it doesn't support both formats. There are definitions up in the glossary or try wikipedia.

No encoding is necessary to remove the region for a DVD. You simply RIP the dvd to the HDD with an app such as DVDFab Decrypter which can remove the region, and then burn to another DVD.

If you need to change the video format, then you are indeed looking at a lot of work which likely won't work for all of the discs. There are several guides posted here for NTSC > PAL conversion (and vice versa).

Your best bet would be to just buy a player that supports region free and can play NTSC AND PAL.

[DVD superfreak]

You misentrpreted it that way, I know the difference, I'm not atcully concerned about regions, it's TV systems that concerns me.
I did have one of those players, but it just crapped out on me and I made the mistake of replacing it with a Sony product,and thats where I ultimately faltered, but I got a good deal.
So my concern goes back to finding the least time consuming way to make my films NTSC from PAL.

I realize it may not work for all the discs, but it's a must that I do this now, and I'm also concerned about loss of data and digitizing in the process of it all... really not looking forward to this, but it is what it is... I'm actaully now considering just upgrading my computer with a nice big flat widescreen, cause I already have an Audigy 2 Sounblaster 7.1 set up, so this might be my best option for viewing PAL.

[Krispy Kritter]

The misinterpretation was because I wasn't watching the Author and didn't realize that you threadjacked the Ops post. (which is a no-no and against the rules here).

You can get a Philips 5982 (or several other models for that matter) at your local Wal-Mart for less than $100 including tax, which is a much better option in my opinion. You will be spending at least that much and wasting countless hours performing conversions. Otherwise, just look in the Guides.

[DVD superfreak]

Not following you there about the rules, if I broke one, let the Admin tell me so, it's really not your job, but to be nice, is. geez, it's just a question dude, lighten up...

There is no model with 5.1 and DTS decoder and speakers for that kind of price.Whats done is done there, I'm simply looking for any alternatives for what I'm working with at this point, I made a mistake with Sony, obviously, but if I have to change the firmware and it isn't too much of a hastle, then that will work, if not, then oh well, I already expressed my option about upgrading my computer for viewing.

[Krispy Kritter]

I was specifically just referring to a DVD player, NOT a HTIB (Home Theater in a Box). I wasn't meaning for you to replace the whole unit, just add a DVD player that will do exactly what you need it to do (your current unit should have inputs which will allow you to connect another device). You will spend the same amount of money just for the media to copy 300 movies, not to mention the hours of time needed to perform the work. Just copying DVD's will take long enough, conversion will take several hours per DVD.

The problem with your current solution isn't that it won't play all of your discs, it is that your surround sound amplifier and DVD player are all in a single unit. It is a much safer bet to always purchase separate units, then in the case of failure, or in a case like this where the DVD player doesn't meet your needs, you can simply replace a single piece or hardware.

You aren't likely to get a firmware update from Sony to allow you to do something with their hardware that they don't want it to do. If they wanted it to be region free, it would already be that way (yes, Sony has region free players).

As for the Rules, they are here: (general rules: Don't hijack a thread) https://forum.videohelp.com/topic124514.html

I wasn't upset and didn't see a reason to report it, just pointing it out to you. When/if a Mod see's it, it will likely be split off into it's own topic.

[DVD superfreak]

Kind of a haslte to do all of that, I'd rather just take the thing back and get something else, which is also a major hastle too, but I might just have to.
I really do like the 5 disc changer player though, so i think I'll opt for a computer wide screen afterall.
They aren't movies anyway, in case I failed to detail that, it's live concerts from a handfull of countries, most of them privately filmed.

About the rules, my bad, totally mssed that and forgot I had jumped in here, as I did run the other thread where you replied, so my apologies.
Too many forums on my adgenda lately.


Cheers