DVS DSL-600A and DVS DSL-710A DVD-ROM loaders. Either model can look like the pictures above... You have to check the sticker on the loader itself to find out which one you have.
UPGRADING THE FIRMWARE ON YOUR DVD-ROM DRIVE
DVS DSL-600A and DVS DSL-710A DVD-ROM loaders. Either model can look like the pictures above... You have to check the sticker on the loader itself to find out which one you have.
The DVD-ROM drives used in most Apex DVD players are made by a company called DVS in Korea. These units are pretty much a standard computer IDE interface DVD-ROM drive and act as such if you plug the drive into your computer on the IDE interface. Windows 98 and above will automatically recognise the drive.
There are two methods of upgrading the firmware depending on the version. Some drives can be upgraded by making a CDR with the correct firmware update, while others can be upgraded using PC software and connecting the drive to your computer. Some models have both options.
How do you find out the firmware version on your drive? Easy. There will be a sticker on the drive, either on the top or alternatively on the left or right hand side. The firmware version consists of two letters and two numbers. The letters are the firmware type and the numbers indicate revision number. For example, my drive is an LD11. Therefore it is an LD type firmware and the revision is 11. This means I can use a later version of the firmware (for example LD-12), but NOT a firmware version with a different letter.
Also be aware that sometimes a decimal point is put in between the two numbers. For example your loader may say "LT-1.8". Just ignore the decimal point and treat it as "LT-18".
If your DVD-ROM drive DOES NOT have a firmware revision sticker you can always connect it up to a computer running Windows via the IDE interface and run a program called DriveInfo to tell you the firmware version. You can get DriveInfo V1.1 HERE.
DOES THIS FIRMWARE TURN OFF REGIONS OR MACROVISION?
Do not get the DVD-ROM drive firmware confused with the main board firmware. For example some people are worried if they upgrade their DVD-ROM firmware they will lose the Loophole Menu on other features depending on what DVD player they have. The good news is you won't lose any features. What you had before is what you will have after! Upgrading the DVD-ROM loader firmware DOES NOT turn off Macrovision or change the Region setting. That is done by the firmware on the main circuit board of your DVD player.
IMPORTANT NOTES (the most commonly asked questions):
1. You can only use the same firmware type upgrade that your drive has. Therefore if you have a "LK" type drive you can ONLY use an "LK" upgrade.
2. You cannot extract your old firmware before you upgrade.
3. I don't know what each version does (this information is not supplied with the firmware) nor do I have any other firmware than the ones listed on this page.
PLEASE NOTE BEFORE DOWNLOADING:
Let me make this PERFECTLY CLEAR:
I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR DRIVE. THESE FIRMWARE UPDATES ARE USED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
The updates DO work but I can not offer any further support than what is available here. Please do not email me asking how to fix the drive if it has been damaged by upgrading. The risks are noted here and if you proceed then it is AT YOUR OWN RISK. Thank You.
Upgrading using the wrong firmware may make your drive useless, so check the model number and firmware version before upgrading.
Furthermore, DO NOT UPGRADE JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT! Upgrading is only suggested if you have already tried the latest firmware on the main board of your DVD player, or if your DVD-ROM loader unit does not read CDR discs properly. Just upgrading your DVD-ROM loader firmware because there is a later version on this site and there is NOTHING WRONG with your drive is EXTREMELY RISKY!
Also note I have not been given any information what the firmware upgrades do so if anyone knows what the improvements are for any or all of the firmware below please EMAIL ME.
PLEASE READ - TIPS FOR UPGRADING
CDR UPGRADE METHOD
If you are attempting a CDR upgrade it has been reported a more successful way of doing it is to unplug the 40-way ribbon cable that goes to the mainboard BEFORE you begin upgrading. The reason is that the drive firmware upgrade may be interrupted by the mainboard and this can cause the drive to fail and NOT RECOVER therefore RUINING your drive.
The procedure is this: With the DVD player turned off and the tray already open, unplug the ribbon cable, put the CDR in the tray and then apply power. The tray may close automatically or just give it a gentle push to close it. The firmware will then begin to upgrade as per the readme file included in the firmware zip file. After the firmware has been upgraded (when the tray closes again), turn off the power and plug the ribbon cable back in.
Here are some detailed instructions for CDR upgrading:
1) Power on the DVD Player.
2) Open the tray (and remove any disc if present).
3) Turn off the player's power (with the tray open) using the POWER button on the player (NOT the remote control).
4) Open the case and disconnect the ATAPI cable - you may have to use a knife to cut through the blobs of glue. *BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO CUT THE BOARD!!!*
5) Put the upgrade CD in the tray.* (see note below)
6) Power on the DVD Player using the power button on the DVD player. The tray will close by itself immediately after power-up.
7) Wait until the tray opens by itself (This takes less than 30
seconds).
8) Take the CD out.
9) Wait until the tray closes by itself (This takes less than 60 seconds).
10) Power off the DVD player
11) Connect the ATAPI cable again.
12) Power on the DVD player using the Power button on the player
* Note: I used Adaptec Easy CD Creator v.4.0 with the following settings in the CD Layout Properties:
Volume Label: ATPLDR_DOWN
File System: ISO9660
Mode 1: CD-ROM
For the 40MB dummy file I zipped up just over 40 megs worth of files (I used MP3s) and copied this zipped file along with the unzipped
firmware files to the CD.
PC UPGRADE METHOD
If you are attempting a PC upgrade it often works better connecting the drive as the Secondary Master device. If you have a long enough IDE ribbon cable you can leave the drive installed in the DVD player and perform the upgrade this way. Here is an interesting tip sent to me by someone who was able to recover a failed upgrade. Remember this will ONLY work if the PC upgrade version is available: "I had a completely dead drive. I tried to upgrade it with the CD-ROM upgrade version, and accidentally shut the system off while the tray was still open. After that it wouldn't respond to anything. I got the PC upgrade version and I managed to fix the drive by running the ROM upgrade program inside of Windows. If I ran it straight from DOS it wouldn't work because it couldn't detect the DVD drive. Also, it was connected as the only device on my secondary IDE when it succeeded."
Some tips for making a bootable floppy disc for the PC upgrade method have been kindly provided by nic2k2 on the Apex Forums Thanks for the information!
"When upgrading the loader with the PC method, you must make a bootable floppy with a CDRom driver. The following files must be on that floppy:
- Himem.sys (from the windows folder)
- Oakcdrom.sys (from the command folder, inside the windows folder)
- MSCDEX.exe (ditto)
- Config.sys (make it yourself, with notepad)
And the upgrade firmware files.
Put the following lines in your config.sys file:
device=himem.sys /testmem:off
devicehigh=Oakcdrom.sys /D:cd1
dos=high,umb
installhigh=MSCDEX.exe /D:cd1
Save it. Make sure to change the "save as type" to "all files", in the save dialog box, and call it "Config.sys".
Alternatly, you can make a windows boot floppy, put your upgrade files on a second floppy and swap disks once the PC is up. To make a windows boot floppy, go to "add remove programs" in the control panel. Click on the "start up disk" tab and follow the instructions."
WHY IS THERE SOMETIMES MORE THAN ONE FIRMWARE VERSION NUMBER LISTED BELOW?
This is because some people have requested the ability to "downgrade". Therefore I have made available ALL the firmware I have. If you find any other old firmware please email me!
WHY DO I NOW GET "BLOCKY" PLAYBACK PERFORMANCE AFTER UPGRADING, ESPECIALLY WITH VCD/SVCD DISCS?
This is rather interesting and for the most part has been solved - by accident! It turns out that sometimes the loader upgrades alter the data transfer characteristics. However this does not happen with every loader or every firmware. The solution? Many people have reported that replacing the standard IDE cable with an 80-wire (ATA-133 type) IDE cable as used in modern computers fixes the problem. I cannot guarantee it will work for you but it is worth a shot.
(click picture for larger image)
THE LOADER FIRMWARE
DSL-600A LB FIRMWARE (LB-14)
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version.
DSL-600A LD FIRMWARE.
Click HERE to get the PC upgrade version (LD-10 and LD-11).
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version (LD-12).
Click HERE to get the PC upgrade version (LD-12).
Note: Some issues exist with MP3 and SVCD playback with LD-12
DSL-600A LE FIRMWARE (LE-10)
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version.
DSL-600A LI FIRMWARE
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version (LI-17).
Click HERE to get the PC upgrade version (LI-17).
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version (LI-18).
*CONFIRMED: LI-18 will allow DVD-R/RW and most of the time DVD+R/RW playback
DSL-600A LJ FIRMWARE (LJ-15)
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version.
Click HERE for the CD-ROM image ready to burn using Nero or CDRwin.
DSL-710A LK FIRMWARE (LK-18)
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version.
Click HERE to get the PC upgrade version.
DSL-710A LK FIRMWARE (LK-20)
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version ONLY.
DSL-710A LM FIRMWARE
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version. (LM-06)
Click HERE to get the PC upgrade version. (LM-06)
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version. (LM-08)
Click HERE to get the PC upgrade version (LM-09)
DSL-710A LO FIRMWARE
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version. (LO-14)
Click HERE to get the PC upgrade version. (LO-14)
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version. (LO-15)
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version. (LO-16)
Click HERE to get the PC upgrade version (LO-16)
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version (LO-18)
*CONFIRMED: LO-16 will allow DVD-R/RW and most of the time DVD+R/RW playback
*CONFIRMED: LO-18 will allow DVD-R/RW and most of the time DVD+R/RW playback
DSL-710A LP FIRMWARE
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version (LP-05)
Click HERE to get the PC upgrade version (LP-06).
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version (LP-08).
*NOTE* There is a LP-07 upgrade but it does not support SVCD. Be careful if you find and/or use LP-07.
LP-06 is OK and supports SVCD, so is LP-08.
DSL-710A LT FIRMWARE
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version (LT-17).
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version (LT-18).
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version (LT-20).
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version (LT-21).
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version (LT-24).
(Actually shows "LT-23" on a PC after upgrading but works OK)
*CONFIRMED: LT-24 will allow DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW playback
Note: LT-1x series loaders it is NOT recommended to use past LT-24
Click HERE to get the CDR upgrade version (LT-37)
Note use only 7.5 or 7.6 on an LT 7.x series loader!
LT 7.x to LT 7.5 CDR firmware HERE
LT 7.x to LT 7.6 CDR firmware HERE
*CONFIRMED: LT 7.6 will improve DVD-R/RW and most of the time DVD+R/RW playback
If anyone would like to contribute different loader firmware or help fill in the gaps please email me. I am also interested in expanding the list of confirmed DVD Recordable compatibility after upgrading, so if you find a firmware does allow for DVD Recordable playback please let me know.
Also note that what you see is all I have so please do not ask "Do I have an older version?". If anyone has older version of firmware it would be appreciated. Thanks.
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