DIGITREX GK-705
The information on this page has been kindly donated by John Tserkezis who with the help of Tony H of the "One Firmware For All" fame have been able to work out how to make the Digitrex GK-705 Macrovision disabled, UOP (FBI/Copyright warning) disabled and CGMS copy management disabled.
Does this firmware also make the GK-705 all region? Don't know. John's test unit was already all region out of the box just like every other (Australian at least) GK-705 is that we know of. If yours isn't but you happen to use this firmware and it makes it all region then great! Remember to email me so I can update this page too!
The GK-705 mainboard. Make sure yours is the same layout as this before updating. Click picture to enlarge
WARNING: Before applying this new firmware please ensure your player looks EXACTLY the same in board layout as the picture above. If you find your GK-705 is NOT same internally DON'T PATCH YOUR DVD PLAYER as it more than likely will kill it.
PLEASE NOTE: USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. NEITHER MYSELF, JOHN OR TONYH ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY RESULT.
Click HERE for the all-region, Macrovision, UOP, CGMS disabled firmware
The original GK705 firmware can be downloaded HERE
INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLYING THE FIRMWARE
Step 1- Download the modified firmware (above).
Step 2- Make a CD with just the UGK705A8.ROM firmware file. Unlike other DVD players there is no need to add the 20Mb padding text file, it appears to work without it.
Step 3- Do the last minute checks, make sure it IS indeed the file you intend on uploading, it's the correct filesize, and it's the same as the one you created on your hard drive. Don't forget to ensure your mainboard looks like the one in the picture above!
Step 4- Insert the CD into the drive and close the tray. There will be a short pause while the player loads the disk. The screen will go blank, and the screen will display "- - AUTOMATIC UPGRADE - - PLEASE WAIT. . . ERASING.....WRITING......DONE" You should also get fuzzy corrupted video in the background at this point. This is normal. The whole process will take about a minute with the longest pause being between "WRITING" and "DONE"
Step 5- At this point, the screen will blank out, there will be a pause of about 5 seconds, the player display will blank out and the disk will eject. Power down the player (from the front panel) wait a few seconds and power it up again.
That's it. If your player powers back up normally it worked! The only way to check for sure is to see if Macrovision or CGMS was disabled. I assume this is the reason you applied this firmware in the first place so it shouldn't be hard to verify if it worked or not!
IT DIDN'T WORK.... NOW WHAT?
This happens sometimes. One of three outcomes can happen:
1. Player appeared to accept the upgrade OK but didn't power back up. This happens usually because people try and cut corners using a 2nd hand CD, burn it too quick, don't close the session or use CDRW media. Please don't cut corners. It's a 1MB file so it is not going to take all day to burn slowly and cheap CDR media is OK but make sure the disc is clean and scratch free. CDRW usually works but why risk it for under 50 cents on a CDR?
2. Player refused to upgrade and may bring up an MP3 menu: Make sure the filename is EXACTLY as you see it above. If not correct it and try again. In some players is must be all UPPERCASE too.
3. Player refused to upgrade even though the filename is OK: DVD player manufacturers like to keep us on our toes and change the filename the player looks for. Because this is stored on the chip it means the chip will need removal and read to determine the new filename, however this is a delicate procedure and unfortunately is out of the capabilities of most end users. You could also try and guess the filename if you had the time and inclination. If you do happen to find any new filenames please feel free to email me the details.
I do not own a GK-705 player so please do not ask me for any support! Questions can be asked in the Apex Forums in the "All Other Players" section.
