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OPPO Digital DV-970HD: up-conversion patch

post #1 of 364
4/10/07 at 12:47pm
Thread Starter 
It seems there are quite a few DV-970HD owners like me that have displays with component video inputs, want up-conversion to 720p or 1080i on all discs and want to stay current with the latest firmware releases.

To that end I am releasing a firmware patcher. I call it the DV-970HD Firmware Modification Tool or "970FMT" for short.

Requirements:
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
ISO extraction software (WinRAR, Daemon Tools, etc.)
CD burning software

Instructions:
Step-by-step instructions are embedded in the program. Click the "How to" button to read them.

Keep in mind I am providing this free of charge and without warranty of any kind. You are entirely responsible for what you do to your 970 and you are taking a risk by flashing it with modified firmware. The risk is greater with firmware revisions other than 4A-0111 and 4A-0209 as they are the only ones I have tested and confirmed to work on my player. Be sensible. Don't take the risk if you aren't willing to accept the possible outcome of owning a dead DVD player.

Download 970FMT here:
http://www.box.net/shared/ak0jg6gbc0
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post #2 of 364
4/10/07 at 1:02pm
I'm really curious to know which sections of the firmware required modification.

There are three differences between the 0613 hacked and original versions that are greater in length than 1 byte and represent anything other than a change from the string "v" to the string "V"

The two obvious differences are the two large blocks, the largest one being the replacement of legit code with the code from the Adobe PS PowerPC binary as I mentioned in my thread, and the second being all the trailing code that is in the hacked version, but is totally absent from every release version I've checked going back to the earliest firmware I could find.

There was also one 2 byte difference that I presumed to be inconsequential, and due to it's small size and the commonality of the hex values (01 00) it was hard to find in any newer release firmwares. That is until last week when I noticed a general pattern in the surrounding bytes of the firmware which I could then try to match between the hacked 0613 firmware and any subsequent release firmwares.

Bah. Anyway. I'm super curious to know what you found.
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post #3 of 364
4/10/07 at 1:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:


I'm really curious to know which sections of the firmware required modification.

Only the V's need changed and of course the checksum. Hopefully this will hold true for future firmware releases as well.
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post #4 of 364
4/10/07 at 1:52pm
Applying the patch to the 0613 firmware doesn't result in a duplicate of the hacked 0613 firmware.

The "v" characters are just a change from the version string printing "Mver " or "MVer "

I can't fathom how that could have any effect on the HDCP code? I would think at the very least you'd have to figure out the address of the call to the function that returns the HDCP validation flags and short circuit it.

Though making that change would also have no effect on whether or not the modified firmware would successfully flash back to the device.

My understanding is that you can set the player to 720p and 1080i from the remote by pressing the HDMI button, and the LED display will show you whatever resolution you've picked. However, despite that, the player will still only be outputting 480i/p over component.

Eh, who cares. If it works, it works.

Anyone with a player want to verify this by applying the patch and seeing if their display (TV, projector, etc.) shows that it's getting a 720p or 1080i signal on its component input?
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post #5 of 364
4/10/07 at 2:19pm
this is impressive. might it not be better to perhaps (also) release the actual hacked firmware? it's not as if there are that many firmware releases in the first place. and we should definately try to get verification as well.
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post #6 of 364
4/10/07 at 3:16pm
OK, so I just tried this app to create a hacked version of 4A_0209. Did I do this correctly - the app you provided asks to specify the location of the firmware to be modded in the .bin format. I downloaded the latest firmware from Oppo's site for the 970 which an .iso file, version 4A-0209. To get the .bin file, I used Imgburn software to create the image on a disc (I couldn't find the option to burn it to my hard-drive). I then copied the .bin file (935.BIN) into my folder which has the Oppo files and this new 970FMT app. Launched 970FMT, pointed to this 935.BIN file checked off make backup of original, and within a second it created a new file in this folder called 935_backup.bin. So I imagine it modded the orig binary file, 935.BIN, correct?

I then used Nero 6.6 Ultra to burn a CD-R (disc type was CR-ROM(ISO) ). I selected all the options as per the help window in 970FMT (no multisession, write-once, ISO-9660 ONLY, label name "OP_4A_0209", etc) and then burned it at 8x speed.

Did I get this right before jamming this into the oppo970?

Thanks crometus for providing this!!!!
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post #7 of 364
4/10/07 at 3:18pm
That sounds about right.

It modifies the original .BIN file, and optionally saves a backup copy to the same directory which includes "backup" in the file name.
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post #8 of 364
4/10/07 at 3:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by afx View Post

this is impressive. might it not be better to perhaps (also) release the actual hacked firmware? it's not as if there are that many firmware releases in the first place. and we should definately try to get verification as well.

The firmware is the intellectual property of OPPO Digital. I don't believe it's lawful to host or otherwise distribute their original firmware code without permission, let alone modified firmware that violates DVD Forum rules. IMHO it's not terribly difficult or time-consuming to patch your own firmware, unless you're a Mac or Linux user (no .NET Framework).
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post #9 of 364
4/10/07 at 3:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by daggerNC View Post

OK, so I just tried this app to create a hacked version of 4A_0209. Did I do this correctly - the app you provided asks to specify the location of the firmware to be modded in the .bin format. I downloaded the latest firmware from Oppo's site for the 970 which an .iso file, version 4A-0209. To get the .bin file, I used Imgburn software to create the image on a disc (I couldn't find the option to burn it to my hard-drive). I then copied the .bin file (935.BIN) into my folder which has the Oppo files and this new 970FMT app. Launched 970FMT, pointed to this 935.BIN file checked off make backup of original, and within a second it created a new file in this folder called 935_backup.bin. So I imagine it modded the orig binary file, 935.BIN, correct?

I then used Nero 6.6 Ultra to burn a CD-R (disc type was CR-ROM(ISO) ). I selected all the options as per the help window in 970FMT (no multisession, write-once, ISO-9660 ONLY, label name "OP_4A_0209", etc) and then burned it at 8x speed.

Did I get this right before jamming this into the oppo970?

Thanks crometus for providing this!!!!

It sounds like you got everything right - 935.bin is the correct file, not the backup. I used Nero as well. If burn with the wrong settings, you'll get an "Unknown Disc" message when you load the disc in your 970.
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post #10 of 364
4/10/07 at 5:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crometus View Post

The firmware is the intellectual property of OPPO Digital. I don't believe it's lawful to host or otherwise distribute their original firmware code without permission, let alone modified firmware that violates DVD Forum rules. IMHO it's not terribly difficult or time-consuming to patch your own firmware, unless you're a Mac or Linux user (no .NET Framework).

haven't thought about that, but that makes sense. what about md5 hash codes .. maybe??
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post #11 of 364
4/11/07 at 8:45am
Hi Crometus, I just did the patch, 100% working, great job, thanks a lot.

Sir Phillip
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post #12 of 364
4/11/07 at 8:48am
Has anybody verified this yet?

With all the people clamoring for such a firmware mod I'd think there'd be a long list of people writing back with their results.

As always, make sure you're looking at the display's (TV, projector, etc.) status as to whether or not it is receiving 720p or 1080i from the Oppo over the component input.

The Oppo will let you "change" the resolution on its LED screen without actually affecting what is going out the component connection, so the only way to really check is at the display.

I would very much like this to work so I can stop digging through ARM Thumb assembly, and so I can put a 970 on order
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post #13 of 364
4/11/07 at 9:07am
Yeah, checked via LCD-Display. Works great, resets the settings, so you have to go through the setup again. But no problem at all. Just follow the instructions. Thanks again, Crometus.
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post #14 of 364
4/11/07 at 9:22am
Hi SirPhillip,

What do you mean by resets settings? Do you have to reset the resolution every time you power up the 970? or just after the update?

RR
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post #15 of 364
4/11/07 at 9:28am
I tried burning the disk but it didn't work when I put it in the DVD player - I am burning with Nero - is it supposed to be a bootable disk?
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post #16 of 364
4/11/07 at 9:39am
What exactly is this patch fixing? Are all manafactured DVDs (ie ones rented or bought) able to be upscaled through component? Is this just for watching DVDs that you burned yourself? Thanks
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post #17 of 364
4/11/07 at 9:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by afx View Post

haven't thought about that, but that makes sense. what about md5 hash codes .. maybe??

Here are MD5 hashes of the files I flashed my player with:

4A-0111
9933BBEFAE511C790FB385D8BBB680F4

4A-0209
1BC4A325B09E8D433767AC4410290381
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post #18 of 364
4/11/07 at 9:49am
Just after the update you have to do the setup again. I checked it with original manufactured DVDs playing before and after patch to be sure.
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post #19 of 364
4/11/07 at 9:49am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasoraso View Post

I tried burning the disk but it didn't work when I put it in the DVD player - I am burning with Nero - is it supposed to be a bootable disk?

No. Did you burn it as bootable?
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post #20 of 364
4/11/07 at 9:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by SirPhillip View Post

Hi Crometus, I just did the patch, 100% working, great job, thanks a lot.

I'm glad it worked for you. Thanks for posting about your success here.
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post #21 of 364
4/11/07 at 11:46am
IIRC, the firmware version, 4A-0209, is the latest from oppo for the 970?

Best,
jeff
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post #22 of 364
4/11/07 at 4:59pm
I can confirm that this hack software is working on all official and non-official firmware from OPPO Digital Inc.

As a bonus, this hacking software, at least on a superficial level (I have not done major testing with the unit after the flash), will make the DV-981HD non-HDCP compliant. So all you people without HDCP support can take advantage of the processing from the DV-981HD product.
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post #23 of 364
4/11/07 at 5:36pm
Thanks for the patching tool! I just did it and it works fine.

Best,
jeff
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post #24 of 364
4/11/07 at 7:18pm
Would someone mind giving a quick rundown of what the currently available 970 hack is missing, that you could get by applying this patch to the latest unhacked version?

Also, does this patch work on the 971 to allow upconvert through component?

Thanks much.
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post #25 of 364
4/11/07 at 7:41pm
Can someone just post a link to the hacked ISO? As far as I can tell, there have been no complaints about the hacked firmware before (and it was posted several times in the 970 FAQ thread).
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post #26 of 364
4/11/07 at 7:53pm
the newest firmware has gapless SACD playback and gives you a track counter on the front panel, at least, and probably some other stuff.


To find the original hack, search for user lament. It's in his sig.

don't know if this'll work on the 971 firmware, but note neuromancer's post above that it works on the 981 firmware, IIRC.


jeff
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post #27 of 364
4/11/07 at 8:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuromancer View Post

I can confirm that this hack software is working on all official and non-official firmware from OPPO Digital Inc.

As a bonus, this hacking software, at least on a superficial level (I have not done major testing with the unit after the flash), will make the DV-981HD non-HDCP compliant. So all you people without HDCP support can take advantage of the processing from the DV-981HD product.

Sorry if I'm dense , but does that mean that the 981 will upconvert to 1080i via component output?? What about the 971??
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post #28 of 364
4/11/07 at 9:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuromancer View Post

I can confirm that this hack software is working on all official and non-official firmware from OPPO Digital Inc.

As a bonus, this hacking software, at least on a superficial level (I have not done major testing with the unit after the flash), will make the DV-981HD non-HDCP compliant. So all you people without HDCP support can take advantage of the processing from the DV-981HD product.

Now that is interesting, Neuromancer. Slick discovery - both for folks with non-HDCP DVI displays (older DVI HDTV's or newer DVI computer monitors) and for folks with HDCP-finicky HDMI displays.
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post #29 of 364
4/11/07 at 9:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by greeno View Post

don't know if this'll work on the 971 firmware, but note neuromancer's post above that it works on the 981 firmware, IIRC.


jeff

I don't know how useful hacking the 971's firmware would be - the component output is physically separate from the hardware that does scaling and deinterlacing (so no firmware changes will generate better than 480i output) and the DVI output is already free from HDCP (so there's no HDCP to disable).
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post #30 of 364
4/11/07 at 9:15pm
I'm not getting the old hack to load...getting a CHECKSUM FAIL message within 8 seconds. Tried Burnatonce, Imgburn, CD creator, different speeds, nada. Is the latest version of NERO the way to go with these firmware upgrades hacked or not? I only stock CD-rw at home, does it only work with a CD-r?
Thanks-
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