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"Region Free" code for Pioneer DVD players
Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 3:51 pm
by regne v
The pronto hex below allows to turn region free a Pioneer DVD 668 or 868. I've been trying to translate it into a device upgrade with no luck.
The very first step is confusing: I pasted it into IRTool and decoded it. It shows a "Kenwood/Yamaha" device instead of "Pioneer". Is it OK?.
If the information provided by IRTool were right, is there any guide explaining how to put those values into RM to build the upgrade?.
Thx.
The hex code is:
0000 0067 0000 0044 0155 00ac 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0404 0155 00ac 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0404
Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 5:16 pm
by The Robman
You can't be using the JP1 version of IRTool then, or if you are, you can't have DecodeIR.dll downloaded, because when I paste this code into IRTool, I get...
1) Pioneer, dev 163, OBC 153
2) Gap, dev 175.80, OBC 210
I'm gonna have to decode it by hand to verify the second part of the decode.
Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 5:22 pm
by The Robman
I just decoded the code by hand and I can verify that the second part is Pioneer, device code 175, OBC 210.
Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 11:22 pm
by regne v
The Robman wrote:you can't have DecodeIR.dll downloaded
You're right. I downloaded twice IRTool the DecodeIR.dll but the DecodeIR zip file seemed to be corrupt.
Very strange that I downloaded it again and now it works as you said. Thx.
As far as I understand if the Pioneer protocol were already loaded in the remote (URC-8060) I only have to assign two keys with IR, one with Setup Code 163, EFC 1 and another with with Setup Code 175, EFC 1. Is it right?
Unfortunately I won't be able to test the codes until next week, but I'll let you know the results.
Thx a lot.
Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 9:56 am
by The Robman
No. First off, a quick terminology lesson. The 163 and 175 codes are DEVICE codes, not SETUP codes. A setup code is a number that you would use to program the remote, such as DVD/0571, etc. Device codes are the codes that are actually built into the IR signal itself.
To program this button, program a keymove using the DVD/0571 setup code, select HEX mode and enter "B4 01".
Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 12:24 pm
by regne v
The Robman wrote:No. First off, a quick terminology lesson. The 163 and 175 codes are DEVICE codes, not SETUP codes. A setup code is a number that you would use to program the remote, such as DVD/0571, etc. Device codes are the codes that are actually built into the IR signal itself.

, sorry for the the confusion, it's just that alll this stuff is a huge sea of "codes" for a newbie.
The Robman wrote:To program this button, program a keymove using the DVD/0571 setup code, select HEX mode and enter "B4 01".
Is it really that easy?
OK, I'll let you know if I succeeded.
Thx a lot.
Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:48 pm
by Mark Pierson
regne v wrote:The Robman wrote:To program this button, program a keymove using the DVD/0571 setup code, select HEX mode and enter "B4 01".
Is it really that easy?
It is for a JP1 user! 8)
Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 2:43 pm
by The Robman
regne v wrote: 
, sorry for the the confusion, it's just that alll this stuff is a huge sea of "codes" for a newbie.
I know it's a sea of codes, that's why we try to help you refer to them in the correct way, otherwise your confusion will likely confuse us when we try to help you.
Just FYI, if you end up deciding to build an upgrade for this device, you will need to use the "Pioneer MIX" protocol. Unfortunately, this command won't work with the "Pioneer DVD" protocol.
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 3:10 am
by regne v
It
didn't work
you will need to use the "Pioneer MIX" protocol
The 163 and 175 codes are DEVICE codes
1) Pioneer, dev 163, OBC 153
I can verify that the second part is Pioneer, device code 175, OBC 210
program a keymove using the DVD/0571 setup code, select HEX mode and enter "B4 01"
I had to build an upgrade as my URC-8060 doesn't have the DVD/0571 setup code nor the protocols requiered to handle it, so I built
this upgrade (setup DVD/2001) and copied it to IR along with the protocol it needed.
I noticed that with devs 163, 175 and commands 153, 210 RM calculated a "B4 01" hex, so i thought everything was OK and assigned a key on the remote to the DVD/2001 "B4 01" hex, but no luck.
Further investigation took me to
this remotecentral thread with comment by johnsfine where he says:
Maybe Pioneer intentionally made this signal violate some of the rules of the protocol structure (to keep people searching the command set from finding it or to make it harder to generate with some universal remotes).
May this be the problem?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 12:29 pm
by The Robman
I don't know why RM thinks that the URC-8060 doesn't have the "Pioneer MIX" protocol in the ROM because it does, so you don't need to copy the protocol when you load the upgrade.
I notice that you really tried to make this difficult for yourself, in that rather than just assign this region free command to a normal button, you made it a keymove, and not even a normal keymove, but a shifted keymove, and not just a normal shifted keymove, but a shifted keymove on a numeric button. That's just about as hard as you could have made this for yourself.
To execute shifted keymoves you need to press the SETUP button before you press the actual button, but for shifted keymoves on numeric keys, you need to press SETUP twice before you press the button.
I just tried your upgrade using the built in protocol and with the region free function assigned to a normal button (I used POWER) and then I learned it using another remote, and it shows up as using the correct Pioneer device and command codes.
Also, just FYI, I noticed that you entered 210 as the second command code in the Setup sheet, this is incorrect. That implies that 210 is sometimes used as the command code in the first part of the signals, which is not the case. However, it didn't do any harm to your upgrade.
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 2:20 pm
by regne v
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 3:41 pm
by johnsfine
The Robman wrote:
1) Pioneer, dev 163, OBC 153
2) Gap, dev 175.80, OBC 210
I'm gonna have to decode it by hand to verify the second part of the decode.
then
The Robman wrote:I just decoded the code by hand and I can verify that the second part is Pioneer, device code 175, OBC 210.
You might want to take another look at that hand decode, especially at the check byte (and trust those Gap-32 decodes a little more).
regne v wrote:
Further investigation took me to
this remotecentral thread with comment by johnsfine where he says:
Maybe Pioneer intentionally made this signal violate some of the rules of the protocol structure (to keep people searching the command set from finding it or to make it harder to generate with some universal remotes).
May this be the problem?
I still think that is the problem.
I don't see a way around that other than constructing a special unique protocol, or hand constructing a learned signal. With PB, a special protocol for the second half would be pretty easy. If the whole thing would work as a macro, ordinary Pioneer protocol could be used for the first half. Otherwise the special protocol would need some hand tweaking.
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 3:52 pm
by gfb107
The Robman wrote:I don't know why RM thinks that the URC-8060 doesn't have the "Pioneer MIX" protocol in the ROM because it does, so you don't need to copy the protocol when you load the upgrade.
The RDF lists the protocols built-into the remote in the [Protocols] section. My version of the URC-8060 RDFs include protocol 007E:2 (the :2 means variant 2) as built-in, and in fact when I load his device upgrade RM does NOT generate a protocol upgrade.
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 4:10 pm
by regne v
My version of the URC-8060 RDFs include protocol 007E:2
I've just downloaded
RDFs_for_IR_and_RM_Version_1.17.zip and found that in the "KAMEKAM0 (URC-8060 Kameleon).rdf" file there is a "007E:MIX" protocol, and in "KAM1KAM1 (URC-8060 Kameleon Extender 1).rdf" there is a "007E" protocol. Both files are dated 4/jun/2004.
You might want to take another look at that hand decode, especially at the check byte (and trust those Gap-32 decodes a little more).

I think this is getting too complicated for a "beginners" forum, isn't it?.
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 6:45 pm
by The Robman
I will check my hand decode and see what I missed. Maybe the simplest solution would be for me to create a learned signal that you can cut & paste into your URC-8060. If you post your current URC-8060 memory image in the Diagnosis Area, I can even poste it in there for you.