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 Post subject: Panasonic 4K players are finally ripped apart!
PostPosted: 07 Jul 2021, 17:01 
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So today I received a modchip for my Panasonic DP-UB820 UHD Blu Ray player. It was a bit tricky to fit. My soldering skills are not exactly great and I had to reflow a couple of pads to get the microscopic wire core to sit still, but in the end it all worked great.

The player can now be converted to region A, B or C via the remote control. This is perfect for when the top menu trick doesn't work. Though even better, it works for 'hard locked' discs that just cannot be tricked in to playing. I tested out a known hard locked disc in my library, Shout Factory's The Street Fighter Collection. It now works perfectly.

Also this is good preparation for censored Arrow releases that don't play uncensored on Region B and C players, regardless of the top menu.trick, it's a branching code that only works on.detected Region A players. Great stuff! (Only one it won't work on to date is The Sister Street Fighter Collection, which Arrow did not use the branching modification on, you HAVE to buy the Region A disc, this is due to.a.censors request or something).

The newer Panasonic UHD players could not be modified until very recently (I'm aware some sort of remotely controlled firmware was available but not easy to get access to I think?). Having this chip installed and working is a real boon. :thumbup:

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 Post subject: Re: Panasonic 4K players are finally ripped apart!
PostPosted: 07 Jul 2021, 17:27 
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Does it unlock DVD region also?

I’m the one guy who’d rather solder a chip in that flash something...
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 Post subject: Re: Panasonic 4K players are finally ripped apart!
PostPosted: 07 Jul 2021, 17:33 
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signofzeta wrote:
Does it unlock DVD region also


Yes. DVD multiregion is built in to the modchip, you don't need to do anything to use it as it's automatic once the chip is installed. I already unlocked mine a while back with a custom remote control I got from eBay a year or so ago though.

The other good thing I forgot to mention about this chip is that even.if you disconnect the player from the mains, the hardware region code you chose remains fixed until you change it again manually. A similar modchip can't do this apparently. Oh and also firmware updates do not affect the modchip, so you can update as normal with no problems and don't need to worry about the chip being deactivated etc.

No more worrying about if Region A or C discs will work with the top menu trick for me any more! No need to buy a dedicated player or import certain.discs to access specific branches on discs. Hooray!

Edit: I should also add, I 'think' it lifts restrictions on discs so you can skip warnings, trailers etc. Not 100% on that but all the discs I've tried so far that I know are unskippable it works on.
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 Post subject: Re: Panasonic 4K players are finally ripped apart!
PostPosted: 07 Jul 2021, 17:55 
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I guess Oppo guys knew that everyone was going to mod the player, they included a header on the board to tap. My upgrade kit came with a 4 pin connector and it was 20 second install. Let’s see if the new Oppo clones will follow suit.
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 Post subject: Re: Panasonic 4K players are finally ripped apart!
PostPosted: 07 Jul 2021, 18:17 
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I guess legally you’re required to enforce region but practically you can make it easy to kill.

Reminds me of some modern day Korg stuff that has super useful features hidden away and undocumented. When you look at the PCB of a Monotribe, for example, they clearly labeled MIDI in and out. You just to wire a jack and it will work. Two wires and a DIN. Obviously you’d want optoisolators there or whatever but technically you could strip the end off a cable and solder the wires to the board. With MIDI that thing is massively more fun.

The same device receives software updates 1980s style. You get an audio file and play it into the clock port, IIRC. Korg is weird. Fun, but weird.
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 Post subject: Re: Panasonic 4K players are finally ripped apart!
PostPosted: 08 Jul 2021, 07:41 
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Bizarre coincidence (to me) that you mentioned the Monotribe. I have one and also modded it for Midi In/Out. You can feed the wires through the battery door if you don't want to destroy the metal housing.

I bought a step cutter for my Dremel and just cut holes in the side of the case.

https://amazingmachines.com.br/products_miditribe.html

A nice write up about it is here:

https://www.bebetterstudios.com/blog/2013/03/04/monotribe-midi-modification/
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 Post subject: Re: Panasonic 4K players are finally ripped apart!
PostPosted: 08 Jul 2021, 11:17 
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teddanson wrote:
Also this is good preparation for censored Arrow releases that don't play uncensored on Region B and C players, regardless of the top menu.

Say what? :?
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 Post subject: Re: Panasonic 4K players are finally ripped apart!
PostPosted: 08 Jul 2021, 12:08 
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takeshi666 wrote:
Say what? :?


Sorry that does look a bit confusing!

So what Arrow have done recently (as well as in the past) is to censor some discs but retain the uncensored prints of films on the same discs. They appear to be pretty transparent about this which is how I learned about Years Of Lead being censored for Region B and C but playing back uncensored on Region A players. I think this is done with some sort of branching configuration. You cannot get around it without the physical player being from the specific region required in order for the disc to play it back uncensored. This is where the modchip comes in useful as it changes the region of the player right down at firmware level, with the added benefit of the player retaining that state even when mains power is lost. The region you choose will remain in place until you actively change it again.

See below:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=18996019&postcount=80

Sister Street Fighter is an exception. It was reframed for Region B and C with no 'hidden' uncensored version on the disc. To get the uncensored version of the trilogy you have to buy the Region A release.

EDIT: I should probably add that The Exterminator is a whole different bag of grapefruits. The print Arrow used is optically censored. The promo PAL Laserdisc I have is (quite incredibly) not optically censored, which is quite the coup considering the director censored it himself! No idea where that print was sourced from! See below:

https://forum.lddb.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=9178
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 Post subject: Re: Panasonic 4K players are finally ripped apart!
PostPosted: 08 Jul 2021, 13:03 
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Well that's pretty disappointing. At least the Conan the Barbarian disc had the good sense to only play the cut version if the player language was set to English, which is a lot easier to get around.
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