Sony BDV-N790W in Service Mode - how? TV Monitor?!

[fabioluzo]

Hi,

I got the Service Manual for Sony BDV-N790W and I'm trying to follow the steps to access the Service Menu, as shown on page 33 and copied below.
However I cannot access it.

Any tips?
What's the "TV monitor" mentioned?

Note: The operation in this mode must use a remote commander and TV
monitor.
Setting method of the BD service mode:
1. Connect this unit with TV monitor.
2. Press the [turn-on] button to turn the power on.
3. Press button in order of the [DISPLAY] -> [0] -> [2] -> [1] ->
[SUBTITLE] on the remote commander. (Make the interval
when each button is pressed within two seconds)
4. Enter the BD service mode. The OSD menu on TV monitor
can be operated by remote commander.


Thanks,
Fabio

[loster]

I think what they mean is some type of display device. This means a television or a video monitor.

[fabioluzo]

It worked! The "secret" is to press the sequence [DISPLAY] -> [0] -> [2] -> [1] -> [SUBTITLE] very fast, so in less than 2 sec!

[jman98]

WHAT worked? WHY did you want to enter Service Mode?

We can't read minds.

[fabioluzo]

WHAT worked? WHY did you want to enter Service Mode?

We can't read minds.

Ok, sorry.
I'm trying to make my Sony BDV-N790W (purchased in USA) region free for DVD.
I purchased this hack remote control - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-DVD-Blu-ray-player-multi-region-hack-remote-/110665303085...10665303085%26

I tried to use it but it didn't work. The guy that sold the hack remote to me said that MAYBE if I put the BDV-N790W on Service Mode could work, as this is the way works on some Sony's devices.
So I did now, but unfortunately the hack didn't work for DVD region free.

I'm still looking for the method to have this device region free for DVDs. Could you help me?


Thanks,
Fabio

[jman98]

Almost nothing sold anywhere in the world by Sony and Samsung can be made region free.

We have never had a report of any Sony BluRay player sold in the USA and Canada that can be made region free. Sorry.

[fabioluzo]

Almost nothing sold anywhere in the world by Sony and Samsung can be made region free.

We have never had a report of any Sony BluRay player sold in the USA and Canada that can be made region free. Sorry.

Hi - There are many Sony models ones sold in Europe that can be made region free.
Even that amazon.co.uk publishes how to do it: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000013633

Maybe the ones sold in USA has some specific command or something different to be done. How to discover it?


Thanks,
Fabio

[hech54]

Hi - There are many Sony models ones sold in Europe that can be made region free.
Even that amazon.co.uk publishes how to do it: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000013633

Maybe the ones sold in USA has some specific command or something different to be done. How to discover it?


Thanks,
Fabio

What part of this don't you understand?

Almost nothing sold anywhere in the world by Sony and Samsung can be made region free.

The amazon link you provided is about as useful as that remote you bought....the one that doesn't work....and older than dirt.
You are trying to hack a Blu Ray Home Theater system.
NOT going to happen.

[hech54]

We are also taking bets on how long it will take you to come back.....say that you have successfully hacked this machine while not giving any details on how you did it......because you will be lying.

[fabioluzo]

We are also taking bets on how long it will take you to come back.....say that you have successfully hacked this machine while not giving any details on how you did it......because you will be lying.

On the DVD Hacks forum in this web site I can see some Sony models could be made region free. Also in Europe is common that you can find instructions that seems to work.

The guy that sold the hack control for me advised that could not work and, in this case, he will return back the money I paid, and so did he.
I do not understand your "will be lying". I'm sure that many people that says here that could unlock region, it was for real.

Anyway, that's what the UK guy replied to me yesterday related to Sony models sold in USA after some tries:

"That's what I mean, I don't think there is a "secret" for these US models 'cause it would surely have been leaked somewhere in the 10 years that the codes for European models have been known. If there was some secret Sony service remote control that worked on the US players I'm 100% sure it would be copied and I'd know about it.

I think they genuinely only intend European models to be "hackable" (due to the large amount of sales they'd lose in Europe if it wasn't hackable by remote) and for some reason they leave the code there in a few US models so it's just luck if it works on some of them or not.

There'll be a Sony service tool that runs software on a PC and plugs into a service port on the main board inside the player, that will allow things like region to be re-programmed, but I've never had access to this kind of kit for any Sony player. I had it for some Pioneer players about 10 years ago and you can see similar tools are mentioned in some of the Sony service manuals, but it's not available to buy... some of these tools are only available to Sony service centres and some are only allowed at Sony headquarters so aren't even available to shops etc."

[jman98]

Almost NOTHING sold ANYWHERE in the world by Sony or Samsung can be made region free. Yes, there are a FEW players that can be made region free. But what always happens is exactly what is happening here in this thread - disbelief and stubborn insistence that if you try hard enough, you will unlock it.

This is what we are trying to tell you - "If you buy a Sony player, the odds are probably less than 10% that you will unlock it. They're probably zero if you buy one in the USA/Canada."

This is what you heard us tell you - "ALL Sony players can be unlocked and if you look hard enough, you'll find out the secret way to do it."

People lie here all the time. It happens.

Some years ago it was possible to find some Sony players that could be unlocked. But those instructions at Amazon UK are for old DVD players, not BluRay players. I don't expect you to pay attention, but for the benefits of others who will read this thread later, here are the rules of unlocking.
1) If Sony or Samsung made it, it probably can't be unlocked. The fact that one or two players sold somewhere in the world can be unlocked does NOT mean you can ignore this rule and anything you buy that they make anywhere in the world can be unlocked.
2) If it's a specialty player (ie. TV/DVD, DVD/VCR, portable, car player, home theater, etc.) it probably can't be unlocked.
3) Most players sold in the USA and Canada cannot be unlocked.
4) If you find an unlock code for a BluRay player and it really works, it will very likely only unlock DVD playback and not BluRay playback. And for North Americans, we've had reports that a Philips BluRay player can be unlocked for DVD playback only (BluRay is still locked) but the player cannot convert between PAL and NTSC, which is a big problem for a lot of us in North America. If Philips does this, other manufacturers may also do it.
5) Some of the unlock instructions we have are missing steps or are just lies and they never worked. I'm not saying that this is common, but it does happen.
6) Sometimes the unlock instructions are correct, but they only work on models sold in other parts of the world, like maybe Australia, and they won't work anywhere else due to hardware differences. Or they were correct, but hardware and/or firmware changes in the model since they came out now prevent unlocking.

[fabioluzo]

... I don't expect you to pay attention, but for the benefits of others who will read this thread later, here are the rules of unlocking.
...

Thanks Jman98. I do not understand why you think I'm not paying attention on your comments. And yes, I'm only looking at DVD region free - the BluRay has the same region for North and South America, fortunately.

Please, what about some Service Center or some hardware change on DVD device? Any chip change can made the DVD region free?


Thanks,
Fabio

[Cornucopia]

A lot easier thing to do than trying to unlock your player would be to rip the DVD and reburn it as region-free. Then ANY player (given the same/correct system - NTSC or PAL as the case may be) would be able to play it.

Scott