APEX AD-500A


Unlike most players discussed on this site,
there are TWO primary reasons to upgrade the firmware on an Apex AD-500A:

1. To gain access to the famous "LOOPHOLES" menu
(which allows you to change the Region and Macrovision settings)

2. To enable MP3 support

NOTE: The instructions on this page assume that you have never upgraded your 500A in the past. If you have upgraded it in the past, and you cannot figure out how to alter the instructions accordingly for the upgrade described here,
join the Shinco Yahoo Group and ask for assistance.

The first step in this process is to open up your 500A and determine what kind of video encoder chip is on the circuit board. You will probably have either the "CS4955" chip or the "BT865" chip. The chip is most likely located on one of the corners of the circuit board.

Here's a close-up of the "CS4955" chip:



If you can't find the "CS4955" chip, look instead for the "BT865" chip:



Carefully make a note of which chip you have.

IF YOU CANNOT LOCATE EITHER THE "CS4955" OR THE "BT865" CHIP ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD, OR IF YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF VIDEO CHIP, DO NOT CONTINUE. THE INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED HERE ARE PROVIDED ONLY FOR THE "CS4955" CHIP AND THE "BT865" CHIP. IF YOUR PLAYER HAS A DIFFERENT CHIP, PERFORMING UPGRADES WITH THE FIRMWARE PROVIDED HERE WILL CAUSE YOUR PLAYER TO STOP FUNCTIONING!

Unlike many other players discussed on this site, Shinco-built players (such as the AD-500A) do not allow you to simply download firmware and burn that firmware to a CD for upgrading purposes. Instead, you must download the firmware AND a special program. The special program, in conjunction with the firmware you download, will create a separate file which is used for upgrading.

For the purpose of clarity, these instructions assume that all files will be downloaded to the Windows Desktop (i.e., C:\WINDOWS\Desktop) and all folders created will be on the Desktop (i.e., C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\My_New_Folder)

1. Download the "Shinco CD Generator" program by clicking HERE.

2. Based on the video encoder chip in your player (SEE ABOVE),
download the appropriate file below:

It is very important to know which video chip you have, and to download the appropriate corresponding file in the instructions below.
Do NOT get this step wrong!


IF YOU HAVE THE "CS4955" CHIP:
Download THIS file.


IF YOU HAVE THE "BT865" CHIP:
Download THIS file.


DO NOT DOWNLOAD BOTH FILES!!!
DOWNLOAD ONLY THE FILE YOU NEED!!!


3. Unzip the contents of the Shinco CD Generator file you downloaded (Shinco_CD_generator.zip) to the Windows Desktop, into a new folder named "Shincocd".
(i.e., C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\Shincocd).

After unzipping, you should have the following files inside the "Shincocd" folder:

MakeASD.bat
mce.bin
Readme.txt
rest.bin
SHINCOCD.EXE
subst.bin

 

4. The file you downloaded in Step #2 will contain a file named readme.txt and a file named ROM.BIN. Unzip the ROM.BIN file to the "Shincocd" directory.

After unzipping, you should now have the following files inside the "Shincocd" folder:

MakeASD.bat
mce.bin
Readme.txt
rest.bin
ROM.BIN
SHINCOCD.EXE
subst.bin


5. Now, double-click on the SHINCOCD.EXE file. An MS-DOS window will now appear:


6a. If your player has the "CS4955" video encoder chip,
enter "42" (without the quotation marks)
and push "Enter" or "Return" on your keyboard.

6b. If your player has the "BT865" video encoder chip,
enter "57" (without the quotation marks)
and push "Enter" or "Return" on your keyboard.


These numbers are known as "machine codes".


7. You should now see the following sentence added to the MS-DOS window
(without the quotation marks) --

" POIUYTRE.ASD succesfully generated ! "


8. You should now see all of the following files inside the "Shincocd" folder:

MakeASD.bat
mce.bin
POIUYTRE.ASD
Readme.txt
rest.bin
ROM.BIN
ROMOUT.BIN
SHINCOCD.EXE
subst.bin


9. Right-click on the POIUYTRE.ASD file and select "Properties" (or do whatever is necessary to view the Properties.) Make sure that the file size is EXACTLY 2,276,401 bytes.
If the file size is NOT 2,276,401 bytes, DO NOT CONTINUE!

10. Burn the POIUYTRE.ASD 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.

(If you don't know how to apply these specifications, or if you need any other 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.)

11. Read this disclaimer:

DISCLAIMER: USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. I DO NOT OWN AN AD-500A, SO I CANNOT TRY THIS 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-500A!

12. Eject the disc tray on the DVD player.

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

14. Close the disc tray.

15. Within a few seconds, the screen will start changing colours, and a message that says the following will appear:

READY TO UPDATE CODE.
YES: PRESS PLAY.
NO: PRESS STOP.

(If you got a different message, scroll down to the next section for help.)

16. Push PLAY on the remote control (Pushing PLAY on the front panel will not work.)

17. Now the screen will read as follows:

FILE ID IN PROCESS...
SCREEN WILL BE ABNORMAL
DO NOT SWITCH OFF
PLEASE WAIT 4-6 MINUTES



18. Soon the screen will say this:

WRITING
SCREEN WILL BE ABNORMAL
DO NOT SWITCH OFF
PLEASE WAIT 4-6 MINUTES

NOTE: The above screen may say "WRITING MX"
instead of "WRITING". Or, you may see a "WRITING MX"
screen in addition to the one shown above.

19. Eventually, you will see:

DONE
SCREEN WILL BE ABNORMAL
DO NOT SWITCH OFF
PLEASE WAIT 4-6 MINUTES

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE SCREEN WILL GO
BLANK EITHER WITHOUT SHOWING THE SCREEN
ABOVE, OR AFTER SHOWING THE SCREEN ABOVE.

20. The VFD (digital display) will go blank.

21. BE PATIENT! It says to wait 4-6 minutes, but wait 10 minutes just to play it safe. After the 10 minutes have passed, listen closely and make sure no sounds are coming from the player. If you are hearing sounds, continue to wait until they are gone.

22. Put the Power switch back in the "OFF" position. Now, turn it "ON". LET THE PLAYER READ THE DISC. INSTEAD OF RE-UPGRADING, A BLUE "VCD" SCREEN WILL APPEAR. ONCE YOU SEE THIS THIS BLUE "VCD" SCREEN, IT WILL BE SAFE TO EJECT THE DISC. PUSH OPEN/CLOSE ON THE REMOTE CONTROL
IN ORDER TO EJECT THE DISC.

23. Push "SETUP" on the remote control. If the menu looks like the following - congratulations, you have applied the upgrade correctly:



24. Here's a sample of what you'll find in the "LOOPHOLES" menu (if you have the "BT865" chip, and of course used the corresponding file, you will also have "CSS", "AUTOMUTE", and "DITHER" options in the menu) --



"I GOT A DIFFERENT MESSAGE IN STEP #15"

If, in Step #15, you were taken to a blue screen that says "VCD" (and some other letters/numbers), it means that your 500A uses a different machine code other than
42 (for the "CS4955" video encoder units) or 57 (for the "BT865" video encoder units.)

If you have a "CS4955" player, and using code "42"
generated the blue "VCD" screen, go to the Shinco Yahoo Group and ask for help.


If you have a "BT865" player, and using code "57" generated the blue "VCD"
screen...repeat the steps above, but in Step #6b, enter "4A" instead of "57" as the machine code.

If you try this, but you still get the blue "VCD" screen,
please go to the Shinco Yahoo Group and ask for help.

"AFTER I UPGRADED, THE SOUND PLAYS
TOO FAST OR TOO SLOW, AND/OR
THE VIDEO IS UNSTABLE"

If you have upgraded a "CS4955"-chipped 500A, and you find that the sound is playing too fast (or too slow), and/or you find that DVDs and VCDs fail to play smoothly, it is best to remove the Loopholes Menu (see below) by returning to the original firmware.
Then join the Shinco Yahoo Group
and explain your dilemma - someone might be able to help.

If you have upgraded a "BT865"-chipped 500A, and you find that the sound is playing too fast (or too slow), and/or you find that DVDs and VCDs fail to play smoothly, you may have another option. Firmware from a European player known as the Redstar 228 may work on your BT865-chipped 500A.

Repeat the 24 steps above, EXCEPT for these changes:

* In Step #2, download THIS file instead of the one linked in the main instructions.

* In Step #6b, enter "3E" as the machine code.
(This assumes that you're experiencing the problems AFTER already upgrading - if this is your
first time upgrading, try "4A" or "57" as the machine code.)

* After turning the power ON in Step #21, you will get either a black screen, or a "scrambled cable channel" type picture. DO NOT PANIC. Just follow these steps:

a. Remove the disc.

b. Leave the power turned ON.

c. Then push these buttons on the remote fairly slowly:

SETUP
PLAY
Down Arrow (blue colour)
Right Arrow (blue colour)
Down Arrow (blue colour)
PLAY

This should "clear up" the picture and allow normal, stable audio and video playback.


If you are still having problems, join the Shinco Yahoo Group
and explain your dilemma - someone might be able to help.

REMOVING THE LOOPHOLES MENU


IF YOU HAVE THE "CS4955" CHIP:

To remove the Loopholes Menu on a "CS4955"-chipped player, repeat the 24 steps above, EXCEPT for these changes:

* In Step #2, download THIS file instead of the one linked in the main instructions.

* In Step #6a, enter "3E" as the machine code (this is assuming that you've upgraded with the firmware linked in the main instructions. If you've upgraded with other firmware, you will need to determine/enter the machine code of that firmware.)


IF YOU HAVE THE "BT865" CHIP:

To remove the Loopholes Menu on a "BT865"-chipped player, repeat the 24 steps above, EXCEPT for these changes:


* In Step #2, download THIS file instead of the one linked in the main instructions.

* In Step 6a...

- Enter "3E" as the machine code if you upgraded
with the firmware linked in the main instructions
- Enter "4A" if you upgraded with the Redstar 228 firmware,
located in the section directly above this one

WHERE TO GET HELP / ADVANCED OPTIONS

AD-500A forum on Nerd-Out.com

Shinco Yahoo Group

To learn about other modifications you can make to the firmware,
join the Shinco Yahoo Group and the EZPatch Yahoo Group.

Please Note! I do not own an Apex AD-500A. 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...