MAGNAVOX MDVD-100
(MediaTek chipset version)

THIS PAGE RELATES TO THE NEWER MDVD-100 CURRENTLY BEING SOLD AT KMART IN AUSTRALIA.

You can tell the newer version of the MDVD-100 without taking the cover off because it has a different rear socket layout to the older version and says "HELLO" in the display.

You can also see on screen the software version from the main menu. If yours says "Software Ver: M-XQ-M" then yours is the newer MDVD-100.

Taking off the cover reveals a lot of differences. The most noticeable difference is that the DVD-ROM drive (loader) is NOT an IDE interface. Also the firmware chip is directly soldered to the circuit board. And lastly the processor is not an ESS chip, but the MediaTek MT1369 chip which as of yet very little is known about. Couple this with the fact that the firmware chip is not easily removable means that this player cannot be modified like the older version can.

Also a word of caution with the newer MDVD-100: I have had a few reports that the newer MDVD-100 has problems like skipping scenes on a DVD and also reports that it refuses to play certain mpeg files burnt onto CD-R's. I have even had a report that once it has refused to play an mpeg, it cannot play anything for hours - and sometimes can't even play DVDs once an mpeg has refused to play and the drive has frozen. This might be that the particular drive is faulty or slightly out of alignment, however a point to note all the same. These problems do not apply to the older (ESS processor based) players.

Below are some pictures and brief information on the newer MDVD-100.

The newer Magnavox MDVD-100 player, front view with the cover removed. Note how it looks pretty much the same as the older MDVD-100

Inside the newer MDVD-100. As can be seen this differs greatly from the older version of the MDVD-100, especially the mainboard on the left side of this photo.

Close up of the logic board. As can be seen it uses the MediaTek MT1369 processor.

A closeup view of the "brains" side of the logic board. Apart from the MT1369 processor you can also see the MT1336 chip and the BA5954 chip that controls the DVD-ROM drive. The firmware chip that interests us for the purpose of removing Macrovision is the one covered with the white sticker. As can be seen unless someone possesses the necessary tools to remove the chip and then the tools required to read the chip in a chip programmer then not much hope is held. Also knowledge of how the MT1369 works will be needed to complete the task.

Rear view showing the connections. This is the best way to see if your player is the new version or the old version of the MDVD-100 without powering it up.

WHERE TO GET FURTHER HELP

You can get further assistance from the helpful guys at the Yahoo Magnavox Page or you can also look at the Yahoo OneFirmwareForAll Page for more information on firmware hacking. Unfortunately I am not a firmware programmer so I cannot answer any questions regarding different (custom) features for your MDVD-100. These guys can!