"Region Free" code for Pioneer DVD players

regne v · Post by **regne v** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 3:51 pm

The pronto hex below allows to turn region free a Pioneer DVD 668 or 868. I've been trying to translate it into a device upgrade with no luck.

The very first step is confusing: I pasted it into IRTool and decoded it. It shows a "Kenwood/Yamaha" device instead of "Pioneer". Is it OK?.

If the information provided by IRTool were right, is there any guide explaining how to put those values into RM to build the upgrade?.

Thx.

The hex code is:

0000 0067 0000 0044 0155 00ac 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0404 0155 00ac 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0404

Post by **The Robman** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 5:16 pm

You can't be using the JP1 version of IRTool then, or if you are, you can't have DecodeIR.dll downloaded, because when I paste this code into IRTool, I get...

1) Pioneer, dev 163, OBC 153
2) Gap, dev 175.80, OBC 210

I'm gonna have to decode it by hand to verify the second part of the decode.

Post by **The Robman** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 5:22 pm

I just decoded the code by hand and I can verify that the second part is Pioneer, device code 175, OBC 210.

regne v · Post by **regne v** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 11:22 pm

The Robman wrote:you can't have DecodeIR.dll downloaded

You're right. I downloaded twice IRTool the DecodeIR.dll but the DecodeIR zip file seemed to be corrupt.

Very strange that I downloaded it again and now it works as you said. Thx.

As far as I understand if the Pioneer protocol were already loaded in the remote (URC-8060) I only have to assign two keys with IR, one with Setup Code 163, EFC 1 and another with with Setup Code 175, EFC 1. Is it right?

Unfortunately I won't be able to test the codes until next week, but I'll let you know the results.

Thx a lot.

Post by **The Robman** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 9:56 am

No. First off, a quick terminology lesson. The 163 and 175 codes are DEVICE codes, not SETUP codes. A setup code is a number that you would use to program the remote, such as DVD/0571, etc. Device codes are the codes that are actually built into the IR signal itself.

To program this button, program a keymove using the DVD/0571 setup code, select HEX mode and enter "B4 01".

regne v · Post by **regne v** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 12:24 pm

The Robman wrote:No. First off, a quick terminology lesson. The 163 and 175 codes are DEVICE codes, not SETUP codes. A setup code is a number that you would use to program the remote, such as DVD/0571, etc. Device codes are the codes that are actually built into the IR signal itself.

, sorry for the the confusion, it's just that alll this stuff is a huge sea of "codes" for a newbie.

The Robman wrote:To program this button, program a keymove using the DVD/0571 setup code, select HEX mode and enter "B4 01".

Is it really that easy?

OK, I'll let you know if I succeeded.

Thx a lot.

Mark Pierson · Post by **Mark Pierson** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:48 pm

regne v wrote:
The Robman wrote:To program this button, program a keymove using the DVD/0571 setup code, select HEX mode and enter "B4 01".
Is it really that easy?

It is for a JP1 user! 8)

Post by **The Robman** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 2:43 pm

regne v wrote: , sorry for the the confusion, it's just that alll this stuff is a huge sea of "codes" for a newbie.

I know it's a sea of codes, that's why we try to help you refer to them in the correct way, otherwise your confusion will likely confuse us when we try to help you.

Just FYI, if you end up deciding to build an upgrade for this device, you will need to use the "Pioneer MIX" protocol. Unfortunately, this command won't work with the "Pioneer DVD" protocol.

regne v · Post by **regne v** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 3:10 am

It didn't work

you will need to use the "Pioneer MIX" protocol

The 163 and 175 codes are DEVICE codes

1) Pioneer, dev 163, OBC 153

I can verify that the second part is Pioneer, device code 175, OBC 210

program a keymove using the DVD/0571 setup code, select HEX mode and enter "B4 01"

I had to build an upgrade as my URC-8060 doesn't have the DVD/0571 setup code nor the protocols requiered to handle it, so I built this upgrade (setup DVD/2001) and copied it to IR along with the protocol it needed.

I noticed that with devs 163, 175 and commands 153, 210 RM calculated a "B4 01" hex, so i thought everything was OK and assigned a key on the remote to the DVD/2001 "B4 01" hex, but no luck.

Further investigation took me to this remotecentral thread with comment by johnsfine where he says:

Maybe Pioneer intentionally made this signal violate some of the rules of the protocol structure (to keep people searching the command set from finding it or to make it harder to generate with some universal remotes).

May this be the problem?

Post by **The Robman** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 12:29 pm

I don't know why RM thinks that the URC-8060 doesn't have the "Pioneer MIX" protocol in the ROM because it does, so you don't need to copy the protocol when you load the upgrade.

I notice that you really tried to make this difficult for yourself, in that rather than just assign this region free command to a normal button, you made it a keymove, and not even a normal keymove, but a shifted keymove, and not just a normal shifted keymove, but a shifted keymove on a numeric button. That's just about as hard as you could have made this for yourself.

To execute shifted keymoves you need to press the SETUP button before you press the actual button, but for shifted keymoves on numeric keys, you need to press SETUP twice before you press the button.

I just tried your upgrade using the built in protocol and with the region free function assigned to a normal button (I used POWER) and then I learned it using another remote, and it shows up as using the correct Pioneer device and command codes.

Also, just FYI, I noticed that you entered 210 as the second command code in the Setup sheet, this is incorrect. That implies that 210 is sometimes used as the command code in the first part of the signals, which is not the case. However, it didn't do any harm to your upgrade.

regne v · Post by **regne v** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 2:20 pm

It still doesn't work.

rather than just assign this region free command to a normal button, you made it a keymove

I'm sorry, I had assigned the "B4 01" hex to a "normal" key in IR because I noticed that shift-0 was not working. Didn't know about the double pressing of setup for numeric keys.

I don't know why RM thinks that the URC-8060 doesn't have the "Pioneer MIX" protocol

That was the most confusing part. I build the upgrade because RM was requiring me to add a protocol. I noticed that you told me that...

To program this button, program a keymove using the DVD/0571 setup code, select HEX mode and enter "B4 01"

but that requirement of the protocol upgrade made me thought that just the setup code nor the device upgrade wouldn't work.

But wait, the funniest part is that... don't laugh too loud... I WAS USING DVD/0571 TO CONTROL THIS DVD!!!!.

Still with just this keymove it isn't working. If you tell me that everything is right I'll try to find a pronto to test if the code is OK or maybe the DVD just isn't programed to use that function any longer.

Thanks a lot for your time.

johnsfine · Post by **johnsfine** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 3:41 pm

The Robman wrote: 1) Pioneer, dev 163, OBC 153
2) Gap, dev 175.80, OBC 210

I'm gonna have to decode it by hand to verify the second part of the decode.

then

The Robman wrote:I just decoded the code by hand and I can verify that the second part is Pioneer, device code 175, OBC 210.

You might want to take another look at that hand decode, especially at the check byte (and trust those Gap-32 decodes a little more).

regne v wrote: Further investigation took me to this remotecentral thread with comment by johnsfine where he says:
Maybe Pioneer intentionally made this signal violate some of the rules of the protocol structure (to keep people searching the command set from finding it or to make it harder to generate with some universal remotes).
May this be the problem?

I still think that is the problem.

I don't see a way around that other than constructing a special unique protocol, or hand constructing a learned signal. With PB, a special protocol for the second half would be pretty easy. If the whole thing would work as a macro, ordinary Pioneer protocol could be used for the first half. Otherwise the special protocol would need some hand tweaking.

gfb107 · Post by **gfb107** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 3:52 pm

The Robman wrote:I don't know why RM thinks that the URC-8060 doesn't have the "Pioneer MIX" protocol in the ROM because it does, so you don't need to copy the protocol when you load the upgrade.

The RDF lists the protocols built-into the remote in the [Protocols] section. My version of the URC-8060 RDFs include protocol 007E:2 (the :2 means variant 2) as built-in, and in fact when I load his device upgrade RM does NOT generate a protocol upgrade.

regne v · Post by **regne v** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 4:10 pm

My version of the URC-8060 RDFs include protocol 007E:2

I've just downloaded RDFs_for_IR_and_RM_Version_1.17.zip and found that in the "KAMEKAM0 (URC-8060 Kameleon).rdf" file there is a "007E:MIX" protocol, and in "KAM1KAM1 (URC-8060 Kameleon Extender 1).rdf" there is a "007E" protocol. Both files are dated 4/jun/2004.

You might want to take another look at that hand decode, especially at the check byte (and trust those Gap-32 decodes a little more).

I think this is getting too complicated for a "beginners" forum, isn't it?.

Post by **The Robman** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 6:45 pm

I will check my hand decode and see what I missed. Maybe the simplest solution would be for me to create a learned signal that you can cut & paste into your URC-8060. If you post your current URC-8060 memory image in the Diagnosis Area, I can even poste it in there for you.