APEX AD-500

APEX AD-500

IMPORTANT: This page is for the Apex AD-500 --
NOT the 500A, 500B, 500W, or 500WM!

(Update: Some 500WM's actually CAN use the
information and firmware on this page - but please check
the 500WM page first.)

This page explains the procedure for making
your Apex AD-500 region-free and Macrovision-free.

There are multiple versions of players labeled as "AD-500", but only
some of them can be upgraded using the patched firmware from this page.

To find out if your 500 is compatible, do the following:

1. With no disc in the player, turn on the power and push SETUP on your remote.
Does the following menu appear on your screen?

If you see this menu, scroll down to Step #2.

If you don't see this menu, your 500 definitely cannot be upgraded with
the firmware available here...sorry.

2. With your player still displaying the menu shown above,
on your remote, push the following buttons:

STEP
|<< (Skip Back)
>>| (Skip Forward)

Does one of the following appear on your screen?

If your screen shows the above, scroll down to Step #3.

If it says anything else, or if nothing appears, or if you saw the menu shown in Step #1
but you lack the STEP button on your remote, go to www.nerd-out.com/forum,
click on "AD-500/500B/500W/500WM", and ask for assistance.

3. If you saw one of the exact screens shown in Step #2 --
showing version "500DE-1AM" OR "500DE-1MM" --
your player can be upgraded.

Download the firmware upgrade HERE and unzip the files.

This is firmware from the Apex AD-660, customized to work with
an Apex AD-500 that has either firmware version 500DE-1AM or 500DE-1MM.

This firmware is Region-free, RCE-proof, and has the Macrovision turned OFF.
It also has a ZOOM X1.5 function added
(in addition to the usual ZOOM X2 and ZOOM X4).

4. If your player displayed "500DE-1AM" in Step #2,
rename the UAD660.ROM file (which you unzipped) to U500DEAM.ROM.

If your player displayed "500DE-1MM" in Step #2,
rename UAD660.ROM (which you unzipped) to U500DEMM.ROM.

5. Burn the .ROM file you renamed in Step #4,
along with "TEST20MB.TXT", to a blank CD-R/CD-RW.
("TEST20MB.TXT" helps the player find the .ROM file more easily; it has no other function.)
Be sure to apply these specifications before burning the disc:
Data CD, ISO9660, Mode 1, "Close"/"Finalize" disc session.

(If you need help with burning the disc, you might want to check out this excellent article put together by the guys at Area 450. The article references Sampo firmware, but the burning specifications are the same.)

After the disc is burned, view the contents of the disc in Windows Explorer/My Computer/whatever. Once again, right-click on the .ROM file that's burned on the disc and select "Properties" (or do whatever is necessary to view the Properties.) Make sure that the file size is EXACTLY 524,288 bytes.
If the file size is NOT 524,288 bytes, DO NOT CONTINUE!

6. Read the disclaimer:

DISCLAIMER: USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. I DO NOT OWN AN AD-500 PLAYER SO I CANNOT TRY THIS CDR UPGRADE MYSELF. I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY RESULT TO YOUR PLAYER. PERFORMING
THE PROCEDURE DESCRIBED HERE WILL SURELY
VOID THE WARRANTY OF YOUR AD-500!

7. Eject the disc tray on the DVD player.

8. Put the CD-R/CD-RW, data side down, on the tray.

9. Close the disc tray.

10. The upgrade process will now begin.

DO NOT DO ANYTHING UNTIL THE DISC TRAY HAS AUTOMATICALLY EJECTED.

What you see on the screen depends on what firmware you are upgrading from. Some firmwares will cause the screen to change colours, and words or dots may appear on the screen. Other firmwares will show the following words on the screen, either with a scrambled-colour background or a solid blue background:

-- AUTOMATIC UPGRADE --
ERASE/ERASING
WRITE/WRITING
DONE

DO NOT DO ANYTHING UNTIL THE DISC TRAY HAS AUTOMATICALLY EJECTED.

11. Once the upgrade is complete, the disc tray will automatically eject. Remove the disc.
The display may be completely blank, or it may show an assortment of words/characters and icons. This is normal.

12. Turn OFF the POWER on the front of the player (NOT the remote). Wait 10 seconds, and then turn ON the power on the front of the player (NOT the remote).

13. The disc tray should automatically close, and the upgrade should be complete.

14. With no disc in the player, push SETUP, STEP, |<< and >>|
You should get a "VERSION PAGE" which says "AD660-C".
This verifies that you upgraded the player correctly.

ORIGINAL FIRMWARE

NOTE: ONLY THE 500DE-1AM ORIGINAL FIRMWARE IS AVAILABLE. THE 500DE-1MM ORIGINAL FIRMWARE IS NOT AVAILABLE. IF YOUR PLAYER CAME WITH FIRMWARE 500DE-1MM (SEE STEP #2 ABOVE), DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LOAD THE 500DE-1AM FIRMWARE LINKED BELOW!

You can download the original Apex 500DE-1AM firmware by clicking HERE.

Note: This firmware also has a ZOOM X1.5 function added
(in addition to the usual ZOOM X2 and ZOOM X4).

If you are flashing back from the modified Apex 660 firmware, rename the
file to UAD660.ROM after unzipping it.

If you are flashing back from the Sampo 631CF firmware (see below), rename the
file to SAMPODVD.ROM after unzipping it.

The flashing instructions are basically the same as described above.

A MORE ADVANCED OPTION...

Would you like to view JPEG files on your TV? Or how about hooking up a hard drive to your AD-500 and transforming it into an MP3 jukebox? There's a special version of the firmware from the Sampo 631CF which lets you add these exciting features, and you can upgrade to it if your AD-500 meets the flashing requirements outlined at the top of this page.

Note: This is an update over the previous Sampo 631CF firmware linked from this page. This new version works with not only the AD-500's remote, but also the front panel buttons and the VFD (digital display). The "bug" that messed up the audio on Dolby Digital 5.1-encoded DVDs has been fixed. In addition, the bug which caused the left channel audio to be outputted on both channels when playing audio CDs has been fixed.

Here are the steps for applying the Sampo firmware correctly:

1. ***VERY IMPORTANT***
If you are running a previous version of the Sampo 631CF firmware, "flash back" to the original Apex AD-500 firmware or modified AD-660 firmware (see above).
In either case, name the file SAMPODVD.ROM.

For an explanation of why it's important to "flash back" first, see the next section, titled "FOOTNOTES FROM STEP #1 ABOVE".

2. Download the newest Sampo firmware by clicking HERE.
Unzip the SAMPODVD.ROM and TEST20MB.TXT files.

If your player currently has Apex AD-500 firmware, version 500DE-1AM,
rename SAMPODVD.ROM to U500DEAM.ROM

If your player currently has Apex AD-500 firmware, version 500DE-1MM,
rename SAMPODVD.ROM to U500DEMM.ROM

If your player currently has the modified AD-660 firmware (linked above),
rename SAMPODVD.ROM to UAD660.ROM

4. Follow the instructions in the sections above
for burning the disc and performing the upgrade.

5. After the disc tray has automatically ejected,
REMOVE THE DISC! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

6. Push the main power switch (on the front of the player) to the OFF position.
Wait at least 10 seconds, and then push it to the ON position.

7. If you don't see a picture, listen closely to the disc tray after turning the main power switch on. You will hear it make a sound, briefly. Immediately after hearing this sound, push the Power button ON THE REMOTE. Hopefully you'll see the following on your screen:

If nothing happens, or if you see something weird on your screen (i.e., a Sampo logo with a red or gray background, or a scrambled picture), DO NOT PANIC. Just turn off the main power, and try again until you get it right!

8. Once everything is working normally, you must do the following to ensure that
DVDs play properly:

Push SETUP
Go into the MISSING LINKS PAGE menu
Select the MAXICD MODE menu
Select OFF

(If you select the "ON" option for MAXICD MODE, your player will have the ability
to read MP3s, JPEGs, etc. from a DVD-R(W), but attempting to play a
regular DVD will bring up a file browser menu; thus, you should select the
OFF option in order for regular DVDs to play automatically.)

Here's a list of the features available on this version of the firmware:

New Fixes Patcher V1.3
----------------------

Play files (MP3's, JPGS and others) from a DVD-R(W)
-NotMeGuv's MaxiCD Patch, this must be turned ON/Off from the Missing Links menu
in Setup.

Eject after Firmware upgrade
-I've added the Eject command after the Firmware upgrade is completed so the CD-R(W)
you use to upgrade will be ejected after a Firmware Upgrade. (Note: this will not work the first time you load this firmware; it will start working for any subsequent upgrades.)

Fix ADV7170 Video Encoder Black level output

-The picture brightness is now normal when the player is outputting an NTSC signal; it was too dark before.

Fixed Zoom Text
-Changed the "ZOOM X2" to display as "ZOOM2.0" to keep it looking like the "ZOOM1.5"
fix.

Supports Proper Version Number
-Press 1,2,3,4,5 you should see that it matches the Patcher upgrades. Currently
it should say "2.1-01.3 YourPlayerName". The 2.1 is the source
Sampo 631CF V2.1 software and the 01.3 is the Patched version.

CGMS is not so Destructive
-The old CGMS by-pass routine completely by-passed output of Widescreen data and
CGMS data. This should only remove the CGMS info. Unfortunately there are special
DVDs that seem to have the CGMS info in the video stream (Lord of The Rings) and
these are not disbled by either CGMS by-pass method (New or Old).

New Fixes EZPatch V1.2
----------------------

Fixed ZOOM
-I've fixed the ZOOM while in DVD playback mode so it's no longer blocky. It is
perfect, just like the Haier firmware. I also modified the text display to show
the correct ZOOM setting ZOOM1.5 and ZOOM X2, there is no ZOOM X4 mode.

Hiteker Analog Audio Fixed
-With RichardK's help testing, I've fixed the analog audio output to work properly
on the Hiteker players. No more hissing while playing back MP3, CDDA, VCDs and
SVCDs...

Removed Chinese On Screen Message Selection
-Sakman has removed the Chinese message option in the General/On Screen Display
Setup menu. The Chinese fonts had to be removed to make room for the software
additions and the large MPEG2 background image. So this makes the firmware a
little cleaner.

Auto Alphabetizing MP3/File Mode
-I've got the firmware modified to always alphabetize the MP3/file menus. You can
still press the A-Brt button to do this same function in SUB-Folder playback. I
left this in because the playback filelist is created in sub-folder order and some
people like to hear their MP3's in this order rather then alphabetically. Of
course you can always hit SHUFFLE to randomize the playlist.

Hiteker Front Buttons Fixed
-I fixed the front panel buttons so they now work on the Hiteker AD-700 version
with the DV-R320.

Fixed Remote buttons
-Capncybo has mapped out the remote scan code table in the AD-700 DV-R320. So I
took this data and under his suggestions we re-arranged the DVD-Digest and the
PBC OFF buttons (they had the reverse function using the Sampo firmware). Also
made the Vol+ button do the Mark function (set points in the DVD movie to jump to.
Also made the Vol- button do the CF function (jumps to the Compact Flash or Hard
drive without having to remove the DVD/CD in the player.

AD600 ADV7175 bug fixed
-hmpho has found out a small problem with the AD-600 AD7175 mods. This bug would
set the player into black and white mode after it goes to sleep. It has been fixed
now.

AD660 Front Panel Display
-Dano has given me all the data needed to get the front panel display working
properly on the AD-660 and the AD-500. This was broken when I ported everything to the latest
Unofficial Sampo firmware EZPatch.

Older fixes V1.0 and before
---------------------------

Goto Button does the Return Function
-I patched the GOTO button to work like the Return button while in MP3/filemode
allowing you to select the types of files you want to playback.

Large Random Playlists mods
-I modified the Sub-T (sub-folder) mode to work so that whenever you hit shuffle
it now creates a large Random playlist and forces the player into ALL continous
playback mode. Press SUB-T again to go back to normal.

UOP - disabled
-Old hack thanks to Morbo

Increased number of files in SUB-T playback mode
-NotMeGuv increased the number of MP3's (9999) and other files (1396) in the
sub-folder playback mode.

Increased file counter in MP3/Filemode
-NotMeGuv fixed the MP3 file mode to show 4 digit numbers now to allow better
handling of large numbers of files.

SCART Menu Option
-NotMeGuv's SCART output (Menu option) has been added.

5.1 Analog audio speaker selection
-NOTMEGuv's other speaker output selection (Menu option) this is mainly for
Hiteker owners.

MP3/Filemode Sub-folder playback Handling
-Me

Analog Volume control during MP3/MPG playback
-I added in extra code so MP3/MPG Playback now has analog volume control.

Sorting option with A-Brpt Button
-I added file mode Sorting

Boot to On - No More Standby mode
-Indigonose's Boot-up to On patch (no more hitting the remote power or Open/Close
button).

VFD doesn't blink anymore
-Indignose's No more Blinking when turned on patch

Fixed Front Panel Display
-Indignose has fixed the Front panel display.

Remote control works properly
-I copied the remote code table into the Sampo firmware
-Note that the Sampo firmware doesn't support volume control
or Muting during DVD playback so these features wont work.

Front Panel Buttons work perfectly.
-I copied the front panel button table into the Sampo firmware

Analog audio output works on APEX machines
-I fixed the Analog audio output.

Check the OneFirmwareForAll Yahoo Group to find out if additional features are available. You can always upgrade from the Sampo firmware you just loaded to a newer version by following the instructions posted on the Yahoo Group.

Here's what the Sampo 631CF firmware looks like when playing MP3s...

FOOTNOTES FROM STEP #1 ABOVE

Here's why it's necessary to flash back to the Apex firmware first:

Previous versions of the Sampo firmware do NOT automatically eject the disc tray after the firmware is upgraded. The Apex/Hiteker firmware DOES eject the disc tray.

And why is it important for the disc tray to eject? Because this allows you to REMOVE THE DISC before cycling the main power switch. You definitely DO NOT want the disc to still be in the player after cycling the power. The player may start re-reading the disc, and re-upgrading the firmware, but you may not know it...if you turn off the power while the firmware is re-upgrading, your firmware chip will get ruined!

The reason you won't know if the firmware is re-upgrading: the previous Sampo firmware does NOT automatically output a picture after cycling the main power.

In order to get a picture, see Step #7 above.

WHERE TO GET HELP

AD-500/500B/500W/500WM forum on Nerd-Out.com

OneFirmwareForAll Yahoo Group (if you're using the Sampo firmware).

Please Note! I do not own an Apex AD-500 player. All care taken in accurately providing this information which is kindly provided by others who do own these models. Please visit the sites linked above if you require any assistance.

ALSO NOTE I AM NOT A FIRMWARE PROGRAMMER!!!
So please don't ask me when other features will be available...