APEX AD-5131

There are many different versions of the Apex AD-5131. At this time, only two versions
can be made region-free and Macrovision-free.

You would want to make your player region-free so that you can play DVDs bought from anywhere in the world -- not just those in your "region".

You would want to make your player Macrovision-free if you have to hook it up through a VCR (or a projector) and the picture constantly fades in and out.
This upgrade gets rid of the fading.

IMPORTANT: If you are hoping to make copies of your DVDs from your player to digital recording sources (i.e. a digital camera or a digital video recorder), YOU HAVE COME TO THE WRONG PLACE! The firmware upgrades available on this page DO NOT disable the digital copy protection that prevents this sort of copying. Digital recording is protected by something known as CGMS/A -- this is DIFFERENT from Macrovision!

To find out which version of the 5131 you have, do the following:

1. Open the disc tray.

2. Push the following buttons on the remote control:

SETUP
SLOW
|<< Track Back
>>| Track Forward

You should now see a screen that displays the player's firmware version -- it will be either "AD3201-2AM" or "AD5131-2". Make a note of what firmware version you have.

(If you don't see a firmware version screen at this time, then there is no upgrade
available for your player. Sorry.)

Now, you will need to open up your player. But before doing anything, eject the disc carousel. Then turn off the power and unplug the player. Make sure that the disc carousel remains open.

Here's what you should see at this point:

 

With the rear of the player turned towards you (as in the picture above),
look at the lower right corner of the green circuit board.

You are looking for labels printed DIRECTLY on the chip -
if there is a white sticker on top of the chip, remove it first!

You should see a firmware chip that says either "HYUNDAI",
or a firmware chip that starts with the numbers "AT49"
(it may also have a symbol that says "ATMEL")

 

Here's a picture of a HYUNDAI chip:

 

And here's a picture of an AT49 chip
that has the ATMEL symbol
(again, some chips may not have the symbol)


 

Here's an example of a circuit board that has the HYUNDAI chip,
followed by one that has the AT49 (ATMEL) chip:


This player has a "HYUNDAI" firmware chip, as denoted by the BLUE box.

 


This player has an AT49 (ATMEL) firmware chip, as denoted by the BLUE box.

 

The two chips located in the area of the RED X (in the pictures above)
may also say HYUNDAI or AT49 (ATMEL).
BUT THESE ARE NOT THE FIRMWARE CHIPS.
IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT IT SAYS ON THESE CHIPS -- IGNORE THEM!

What's important is the type of chip in the lower right corner, in the same location as the chip outlined by the blue box in each of the pictures above!

Whether or not you can upgrade depends on the combination of the firmware chip and firmware version you have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If your player has some other type of firmware chip, regardless of what firmware version you have, there is no upgrade available for your player.
Please report your findings on the AD-5131 forum.


Replace the cover on your player.

WARNING: There is no guarantee that the above guidelines for choosing the right firmware to download, based on firmware chip type and firmware version, will hold true 100% of the time. The guidelines are based on reports posted by users on the AD-5131 forum. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate. However, even if you follow the guidelines and procedures perfectly, and you end up with a dead machine, the only person who's responsible is you. Please keep this in mind before you proceed.

APPLYING THE FIRMWARE UPGRADE

1. Unzip the U5131MX8.ROM file contained in the file you downloaded.

If the firmware version currently on your player is AD5131-2, you must rename
U5131MX8.ROM to U5131A8M.ROM -- otherwise the upgrade will not work!

2. Open your CD burning program. Perform the steps necessary to set up
the process of creating a new data CD.

3. Burn the .ROM file to a blank CD-R/CD-RW.
Be sure to apply these specifications before burning the disc:
Data CD, ISO9660, Mode 1, "Close"/"Finalize" disc session.

Note: you may wish to place the ROM file inside of a subfolder on the disc. This prevents the upgrade from starting automatically. It is highly recommended that you do this, because the player does NOT automatically eject the disc carousel after the firmware upgrade is complete.

(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 basically the same. Note that the article does NOT make any mention about creating a subfolder, or closing/finalizing the disc, so you will need to figure
out those steps on your own.)

4. After the disc is burned, view the contents of the disc in Windows Explorer/My Computer/whatever. Right-click on the .ROM file(s) 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 1,048,576 bytes.
If the file size is NOT 1,048,576 bytes, DO NOT CONTINUE!

5. Read the disclaimer:

DISCLAIMER: USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. I DO NOT OWN THIS 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 PLAYER!

6. Eject the disc tray (carousel) on the DVD player.

7. Push SETUP. Enter the PREFERENCES menu. Scroll down to the DEFAULTS option. Select the RESET option and push PLAY (ENTER). Then push SETUP to exit the menu.

8. Put the CD-R/CD-RW, data side down, on Position #3
(Disc #3) on the disc carousel.

(Do not place the disc on Position #1, especially if you burned the CD without placing the ROM file inside a subfolder. Otherwise, after the first upgrade is complete and you cycle the power, the player will start reading from Position #1 and it will begin re-upgrading.)

9. Close the disc tray.

10. The upgrade process will begin as soon as the player begins reading from Disc #3.

(Note: If you used the Easy CD Creator/CDRWIN image files, or if you manually placed the .ROM file inside a subfolder, the file browser menu will appear - use the arrow keys on the remote to select the folder and then push ENTER or PLAY...for the Easy CD Creator/CDRWIN image files, you would select the folder named "PATCHED".)

DO NOTHING AT THIS POINT. LET THE UPGRADE PROCEED.

You should see the following screens, in this order:



DO NOTHING AT THIS POINT. LET THE UPGRADE PROCEED.

DO NOTHING AT THIS POINT. LET THE UPGRADE PROCEED.

DO NOTHING AT THIS POINT. LET THE UPGRADE PROCEED.

DO NOTHING AT THIS POINT. LET THE UPGRADE PROCEED.

11. Once the upgrade is complete, the screen will go blank. Wait 15 seconds.
Then, turn OFF the power with the MAIN POWER SWITCH
(NOT the remote control power button). Wait another 15 seconds. Then turn
ON the power with the main power switch.

12. Before the player begins reading Disc #3, eject the disc carousel and remove the disc.
If the player has begun reading Disc #3, and the upgrade starts happening again, let the player re-upgrade itself and then repeat Steps 10 and 11.

 

13. Push SETUP. Enter the PREFERENCES menu. Scroll down to the DEFAULTS option. Select the RESET option and push PLAY (ENTER). Then push SETUP to exit the menu.

RETURNING TO THE ORIGINAL (FACTORY) FIRMWARE

 

 

Repeat Steps 2 through 13 above.

WHERE TO GET HELP

AD-5131 forum

Please Note! I do not own an Apex AD-5131 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...