Benje Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 Has anyone had a problem getting their DIY region free mod to work? I purchased the pro kit from bluraychip.dk and tried installing it on my BDP-93 yesterday. After connecting everything up I powered the device on but it just seemed to hang forever and a day. It displayed the Oppo logo onscreen but was unresponsive to any button presses on either the remote or the front panel, other than the power button. When I recycled the power the player then operated properly but did not acquire the intended region free capability. So I totally disconnected everything and started again from scratch only to experience the same issues above. I have firmware BDP9x-42-0323 installed. Felix I have tried, and tried, and tried to get my chip to work. I have installed, de-commissioned, re-installed at least 4 or 5 times. With the pro-chip. I am getting a better 'snap' when connecting the wires, and seem to do a better job with the ribbon cable as well. Still, it doesn't work - it just hangs there. I have tried region 1, region 2 and region 3. My wife is getting upset now - even the DVD wouldn't play the other day (it was a zone 4). I don't use the superdisc, ever. I am now running the beta firmware, but wasn't when I first tried. I am now 6 weeks into trying to get this to work, and haven't had any email response from blueraychip.dk. I expect I have an expensive piece of spacejunk. We will see. Benje (Adelaide BDP-93 owner)
Felix.. Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 (edited) Are you trying to power it up with the number keys on the remote? Yes norseman I've followed the bluraychip.dk instructions to a T. Have powered it on with all 3 number buttons on the remote and it still hangs. Had you previously installed the Superdisc for DVD region free? Seem to recall reading that after applying the superdisc you need to apply a later firmware before the region free kit will work. No never touched Superdisc. Only installed the latest Oppo approved firmware before installing the mod. FelixI have tried, and tried, and tried to get my chip to work. I have installed, de-commissioned, re-installed at least 4 or 5 times. With the pro-chip. I am getting a better 'snap' when connecting the wires, and seem to do a better job with the ribbon cable as well. Still, it doesn't work - it just hangs there. I am now 6 weeks into trying to get this to work, and haven't had any email response from blueraychip.dk. I expect I have an expensive piece of spacejunk. We will see. Benje (Adelaide BDP-93 owner) Yes I pretty much have the identical experience to you Benje. Not sounding good that bluraychip.dk don't even respond to emails. I had trouble inserting one of the ribbon cables into one of the slots but believe it's inserted properly now. But if I had to speculate what the problem was my prime susepect would be those ribbon cables. You just don't get the same level of feedback that you get from other connection types to let you know you have a proper connection. Or maybe the mod chip is just a dud?? Edited July 4, 2011 by Felix.
Quark Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 Mmm, the pro kit on my 95 has now stopped changing regions - must be contagious.
Quark Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 FelixI have tried, and tried, and tried to get my chip to work. I have installed, de-commissioned, re-installed at least 4 or 5 times. With the pro-chip. I am getting a better 'snap' when connecting the wires, and seem to do a better job with the ribbon cable as well. Still, it doesn't work - it just hangs there. I have tried region 1, region 2 and region 3. My wife is getting upset now - even the DVD wouldn't play the other day (it was a zone 4). I don't use the superdisc, ever. I am now running the beta firmware, but wasn't when I first tried. I am now 6 weeks into trying to get this to work, and haven't had any email response from blueraychip.dk. I expect I have an expensive piece of spacejunk. We will see. Benje (Adelaide BDP-93 owner) If you paid by credit card, time to raise a dispute via your bank. If Paypal I'm not sure that you're still in the dispute window.
Quark Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 Yes norseman I've followed the bluraychip.dk instructions to a T. Have powered it on with all 3 number buttons on the remote and it still hangs.No never touched Superdisc. Only installed the latest Oppo approved firmware before installing the mod. Yes I pretty much have the identical experience to you Benje. Not sounding good that bluraychip.dk don't even respond to emails. I had trouble inserting one of the ribbon cables into one of the slots but believe it's inserted properly now. But if I had to speculate what the problem was my prime susepect would be those ribbon cables. You just don't get the same level of feedback that you get from other connection types to let you know you have a proper connection. Or maybe the mod chip is just a dud?? I got my 95 locally with the pro kit installed and have flagged the issue with mine (no longer changing regions) in an e-mail to the provider tonight. Will let you know of any feedback I get on potential fixes.
djOS Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 Over at AVS there seems to be quite a few issues with the 93, a real shame as the 83 is superb!
Felix.. Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 I got my 95 locally with the pro kit installed and have flagged the issue with mine (no longer changing regions) in an e-mail to the provider tonight. Will let you know of any feedback I get on potential fixes. Thanks Quark I'll give it one more go but I have a feeling it will be a lost cause in my case. I have a Region B PS3 so have my regions covered and it's not the end of the world but it's sure annoying when something that should work doesn't.
Quark Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 (edited) Thanks QuarkI'll give it one more go but I have a feeling it will be a lost cause in my case. I have a Region B PS3 so have my regions covered and it's not the end of the world but it's sure annoying when something that should work doesn't. Good to hear you've got a back up. One of the early hold ups with the pro kits was that the first versions weren't working when the rear USB port was in use. Just in case I tried unplugging the wireless connection from mine, but it made no difference. Edited July 4, 2011 by Quark
blairy Posted July 4, 2011 Author Posted July 4, 2011 There was a batch of chips early on in the piece that didn't work when usb was connected. Make sure there is no disc in your player and try disconnecting usb, esata, ethernet etc, clear out the BD live stuff, reset the player, turn off for a couple of minutes and then restart usin number on remote for relevant region. If that doesnt' work either the chip isn't installed correctly or you' may have got a dud (I'd say). Mind you now that others are saying there's have stopped worked might check mine. cheers blairy
Benje Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 There was a batch of chips early on in the piece that didn't work when usb was connected.Make sure there is no disc in your player and try disconnecting usb, esata, ethernet etc, clear out the BD live stuff, reset the player, turn off for a couple of minutes and then restart usin number on remote for relevant region. If that doesnt' work either the chip isn't installed correctly or you' may have got a dud (I'd say). Mind you now that others are saying there's have stopped worked might check mine. cheers blairy Blairy thanks for that, there are some ideas to try. I know my chip is from a later batch, as its appearance is now different (slightly). Mine has definitely been connected to the ethernet, but no USB though and no estata, and no disc (I think). And no superdisc. I have gone (recently) to beta firmware which has been excellent for me. Streaming multi-channel hi-res FLAC from the network and/or USB! with embedded album art and track information. I will try the player reset as well. Benje
blairy Posted July 4, 2011 Author Posted July 4, 2011 And posted on AVS forum.... Don't know if this has been posted but for anyone who has the Bluraychip mod and has installed the latest beta firmware from Oppo, they may find that the region won't be changing if the rear USB port is being used. Bluraychip.dk are aware of this and a firware update will be coming to correct it. Was in contact with Casper throughout the day yesterday trying to work out why my region wasn't changing and finally got it sorted around midnight. This affected my European player with latest Beta firmware - I don't know if its an issue with the US players. Apologies if this has already been posted.
IanD1503559705 Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 Over at AVS there seems to be quite a few issues with the 93, a real shame as the 83 is superb! I'm not so sure it is issues with the 93 per se (onboard functions work quite well), but with peripheral equipment such as mod kits, streaming from servers and handshaking issues with certain displays and AVR. Oppodigital seem to be very responsive in fixing issues, which is more than one can say for many other brands, and HDMI is proving to be a nightmare generally.
Quark Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 (edited) I’ve done a bit more experimenting and have found that the region free kit is working for some discs, but not for others. Note, today’s testing was done with no USB port in use, network off and after persistent storage was cleared and settings reset to default. It works for a UK (region B ) version of Centurion. It doesn’t work for the Australian version of Quantum of Solace or the French version of Mission to Mars (region B ). Have had contact from the 95's local provider in response to last night's e-mail and have just forwarded on the above information. Presume this will be a firmware fix rather than hardware. Edit: I have the latest beta firmware installed. Edited July 5, 2011 by Quark
blairy Posted July 5, 2011 Author Posted July 5, 2011 I’ve done a bit more experimenting and have found that the region free kit is working for some discs, but not for others.Note, today’s testing was done with no USB port in use, network off and after persistent storage was cleared and settings reset to default. It works for a UK (region B ) version of Centurion. It doesn’t work for the Australian version of Quantum of Solace or the French version of Mission to Mars (region B ). Have had contact from the 95's local provider in response to last night's e-mail and have just forwarded on the above information. Presume this will be a firmware fix rather than hardware. Edit: I have the latest beta firmware installed. See my post #471. Apparently there's issues with the kit with the new beta firmware. Bluraychip.dk said ot be working on a fw update blairy
Quark Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 (edited) See my post #471.Apparently there's issues with the kit with the new beta firmware. Bluraychip.dk said ot be working on a fw update blairy Thanks blairy - saw your post, looks like the USB port doesn't need to be in use for there to be an issue. My contact is dealing with their firmware guru, so I'm hoping it's just a firmware fix. Edited July 5, 2011 by Quark
gripen Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 Has anyone had a problem getting their DIY region free mod to work? I purchased the pro kit from bluraychip.dk and tried installing it on my BDP-93 yesterday. After connecting everything up I powered the device on but it just seemed to hang forever and a day. It displayed the Oppo logo onscreen but was unresponsive to any button presses on either the remote or the front panel, other than the power button. When I recycled the power the player then operated properly but did not acquire the intended region free capability. So I totally disconnected everything and started again from scratch only to experience the same issues above. I have firmware BDP9x-42-0323 installed. I had similar problems with my Region Free Kit. In the end I had to ask for a replacement. The second one works fine. I have read that about 5% of the kits can be faulty.
Quark Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 Thanks blairy - saw your post, looks like the USB port doesn't need to be in use for there to be an issue. My contact is dealing with their firmware guru, so I'm hoping it's just a firmware fix. Just an update - after some testing the current thinking is that the kit has developed a fault.
Felix.. Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 (edited) I had similar problems with my Region Free Kit. In the end I had to ask for a replacement. The second one works fine. I have read that about 5% of the kits can be faulty. Thanks for the info gripen. I've had a fairly good run with electronics with my last equipment failure being a RROD on a 360 about 4 years ago and then recently my Oppo 83 developed a problem with the tray mechanism which lead me to the upgrade to the 93. However if bluraychip.dk won't even respond to Benje's emails not sure how I'm going to go on seeking a replacement from them. Is that where you got your kit from? Edited July 5, 2011 by Felix.
Benje Posted July 6, 2011 Posted July 6, 2011 Thanks for the info gripen. I've had a fairly good run with electronics with my last equipment failure being a RROD on a 360 about 4 years ago and then recently my Oppo 83 developed a problem with the tray mechanism which lead me to the upgrade to the 93.However if bluraychip.dk won't even respond to Benje's emails not sure how I'm going to go on seeking a replacement from them. Is that where you got your kit from? No luck last night with the different method of installing the chip. I am going to try an 'experienced' chip installer tonight, and if that fails the chip is going back to blueraychip.dl. I don't know what it is with getting region-free on an Oppo. Perhaps 'Gary' operates blueraychip.dk? . At this stage I am not concerned with blueraychip.dk - I might be soon but not at this time, and I am encouraged by the number of people with successful installations. Benje
Quark Posted July 6, 2011 Posted July 6, 2011 Just an update - after some testing the current thinking is that the kit has developed a fault. A further update, Ken from Merlin Audio Design has obtained a firmware update for the pro kit and I applied it this morning. Fixed! I can't stress how responsive and helpful Ken has been in this process. Ken will be putting the firmware update for the pro kit on his Merlin Audio Design website soon. Note the pro kit firmware update is for region changing problems that emerge after applying the most recent Oppo beta firmware to the 93/95s fitted with a pro kit. FYI, when I first changed regions and tried a locked disc after applying the pro kit firmware update I did have a region warning flash for about half a second, but it disappeared and the disc played. Until the pro kit firmware update is more widely available, I'm happy to e-mail a copy if you PM me. Note: you use at your own risk - especially the need to have a USB stick formatted to FAT or FAT32, not NTFS.
Felix.. Posted July 6, 2011 Posted July 6, 2011 A further update, Ken from Merlin Audio Design has obtained a firmware update for the pro kit and I applied it this morning. Fixed! Good to hear!
Anden Posted July 6, 2011 Posted July 6, 2011 A further update, Ken from Merlin Audio Design has obtained a firmware update for the pro kit and I applied it this morning. Fixed! I can't stress how responsive and helpful Ken has been in this process. Ken will be putting the firmware update for the pro kit on his Merlin Audio Design website soon. Note the pro kit firmware update is for region changing problems that emerge after applying the most recent Oppo beta firmware to the 93/95s fitted with a pro kit. FYI, when I first changed regions and tried a locked disc after applying the pro kit firmware update I did have a region warning flash for about half a second, but it disappeared and the disc played. Until the pro kit firmware update is more widely available, I'm happy to e-mail a copy if you PM me. Note: you use at your own risk - especially the need to have a USB stick formatted to FAT or FAT32, not NTFS. Good to hear. Glad i didn't upgrade the firmware on the 95 yet then Could this be OPPO's attempt at tryin to region lock the machines.
Quark Posted July 6, 2011 Posted July 6, 2011 Could this be OPPO's attempt at tryin to region lock the machines. I doubt it was deliberate - would undermine their sales.
Quark Posted July 6, 2011 Posted July 6, 2011 A further update, Ken from Merlin Audio Design has obtained a firmware update for the pro kit and I applied it this morning. Fixed! I can't stress how responsive and helpful Ken has been in this process. Ken will be putting the firmware update for the pro kit on his Merlin Audio Design website soon. Note the pro kit firmware update is for region changing problems that emerge after applying the most recent Oppo beta firmware to the 93/95s fitted with a pro kit. FYI, when I first changed regions and tried a locked disc after applying the pro kit firmware update I did have a region warning flash for about half a second, but it disappeared and the disc played. Until the pro kit firmware update is more widely available, I'm happy to e-mail a copy if you PM me. Note: you use at your own risk - especially the need to have a USB stick formatted to FAT or FAT32, not NTFS. A further update: looks like the current firmware fix restores region free only while there are no USB connections. When a USB device is connected the player reverts to region A, but is unlocked again once all USB devices are unplugged. Will advise of any further developments - I presume there will be another firmware update at some point.
dat1503561652 Posted July 6, 2011 Posted July 6, 2011 Mine with the latest beta firmware, tried this morning with both back & front USB connected & it can change region without a problem.
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