Info and forum posts by 'DaveyG'

RE: FREE 15 itv channels with sky digibox

Hi Dave.. Link doesnt appear to work ?

RE: Macrovision-anyone know where I can buy kit

I purchased a copy Mate CM-1 from techtronics. (Composite)

This works with DVD and Sky. Although my DVD player is now macro free.

Damm ! I wasted £40, because Sky play s***e on the movie channels.

If your into soldering and understanding electronics, then you can find plenty of macrovision removal projects on the internet which use standard electronic compents.

Otherwise you have to pay £30 to £60 for a remover, or update the firmware on your DVD player by software upgrade, or chipping. The local hifi shop can provide this service..

This item was edited on Friday, 18th January 2002, 00:12

RE: is my pioneer444 multi region

I have a pioneer444 multi region / Macro Free. Tried recording to VHS but is wasnt very good. So I fixed the settings to PAL, region 2 manually. Problem solved.. Make sure you have a good RGB scart cable aswell. Gold plated and shielded.. about £20 for a 1.5 to 2 metre cable.

If you`ll never play anything but region 2, then set it to region 2.

You can`t record other region codes (i.e. region 1) to VHS anyway. Unless your VCR is NSTC compatible. Also affected by the compatibilty of your TV aswell..

RE: Best DVD picture ever?

Have you seen Will Hay, Norman Wisdom, or George Formby.

If you powder your face with flour and wear a white shirt, and black suit, you can jump into the picture and become Mr Chumley Warnerbother.

Drop the popcorn and lift your big butt off that DVD seatmaster chair and experience the wonders of the real world. The beauty of a sunset, and natural wonders of the world around you. i.e. a real life experience !

They havent invented Smelly vision yet,but I bet you`ve been sitting in front of the TV that long that you smell anyway !

RE: know of any pioneer dv-444 non chip retailer - please advise

Hello Steve...

Couple of questions which you might be able to answer.

How often do pioneer issue new firmware.

Do they issue them for bug fixes and improvements ?

Is it possible for joe public get the new firmware versions and install to their players. i.e. dv 444

Thanks

RE: Recommendation for Sub. Help!

Hello

If your short of cash.. Have a look at www.richersounds.com

They have some reasonable offers.

I bought a Wharfdale 12" Topaz Sub for £99.. Not the same quality as a REL or other higher priced sub, but it certainly shifts the air.

RE: RGB Scart connection - Picture Quality (novice)

Hello

I`ve got the following connections

DVD RGB to VHS RGB AV2

DVD S-Video to TV S-Video (If you dont want to have the VCR turned on and assuming you have the Audio going through an Amp.)

Sky RGB Out and VHS RGB Out to Scart Selection Box which is connected to the TV. Get these from Argos cheap.

Also have another Scart RGB going from the Sky box to a Copy Enhancer box which then plugs into the front of the VHS recorder via composite/phonos (i.e. Camcorder input - This takes the AV2 on the VHS, but only when plugged into the front.)

Worth buying a £20 gold plated sheilded scart lead to put from your DVD to VHS, if your thinking about backing up your DVD films to VHS.

RE: Pioneer 444k - Frame Freeze at Layer Change?

I`ve noticed a layer change pause on a few DVD films which I`ve watched, but I havent tried gladiator yet. Probably nothing to worry about, just the layer changing over. One thing I have noticed. When you have Dolby Digital selected, the sound gets down mixed into the left/right audio on the scart lead. If you select DTS there is no sound at all. Does anybody have a clue ?

RE: What player do you have, so I can work out the which players have sold the most.

Pioneer DV 444 (£198. Region free and VCR Friendly.)

A step up from the cheap £100 players in quality across the board.

RE: Subwoofer hum

Hello.. I have a Wharfdale Topaz Active Sub.. This Hum`s abit when I connect it to the Sub Out on my Amp... It might have something to do with with the Transformer which powers the Box. I could do with some ideas aswell.... Cheers.

RE: pioneer dvd 444

I`m sure I read some where that you can alter the firmware to disable the macrovision.. i.e. connecting it to a laptop and altering the firmware ?

You`d probably be best sending it off to a reputable company to perform this modification.

Or you can always buy a macrovision removal box or scart cable called a Mac buster.

.. Why else would you want to connect it to your VCR ? Unless your television was run off valve technology and it didnt have Scart/Component/Composite etc. blah blah blah.

RE: DVD Hell

Mr Fox recommends the Dansai DVD player from Tesco aswell.

He didnt even want to buy one.. His wife made him !

RE: I disagree with that blanket statement

Hello.. here are my experiences.

I`ve owned a scan sc2000 for over 1 year.. Was a good machine for the price at the time. I upgraded from firmware version 1.80 to version 2.36 due to bugs in the firmware (Still major bugs exist), and added heat sinks and a fan cooling to the poor electrical components which dwell inside, then upgraded the DVD drive mechanism firmware aswell.

The moral to the story is buy a player which you dont have to alter, as mine went tits up. Why take the risk of upgrading firmware every 2-3 months for quality you expect in the first place.

If you have problems warming your pies.. Just flatten them and stick them in the Scan sc2000 for 2 hours.

My advice is to buy the Dansai dvd player from tesco`s for £99.. You can warm pie`s in them aswell and it`s cheaper. (The warmer it get`s the more pixelization you get !)

Nellish.. Sorry mate. You do seem like a decent bloke.

You`ll always get people moaning, and it sticks out like a soar thumb, more so than the thousands who are happy with pie warmers.

Nelish of Scan

You need to look at Wesley and http:groups.yahoo.com/group/scan2000.

Not good advertising for your company !

RE: Scan!!

I`ve owned a scan 2000 player since october 2000..

Play back has improved alot since the release of new firmware..

Dont knock this player... its the poor mans sony... and more...

Records to VHS. Plays MP3, VCD, SVCD and has a host of clones around the world which are based of the same technology..

See for yourself at http://hdubois.free.fr

I`m happy with mine..

RE: scan sc200

You pay`s your money, you takes your chance..

Better to pay £200 for a DVD player which has some faults than £1000 for a DVD player which you expect to have no faults. (Hmm Sony?)

You`ll always get nightmare stories about products like the scan 2000.

But then again, you`ll always get people who`ll give you nightmares. i.e. people who dont know how to even wire a plug with the personality of a swamp rat.

I`ve own a scan sc2000 for 7 months without any major problems.. and the picture/sound quality has just got better with the latest firmware release... Join the Toy Car web site and find out more about this product.

RE: SCAN OWNERS WHO UPGRADE -DO U USE CDR OR CDRW?

I use CD-R for verison 1.80 of firmware and burn any new firmware as below..

CDRWIN CDROM-XA MODE1 at 4 speed using CD-RW media

Finaliaze session enabled.

RE: Pissed off with life.

Only thing you can to mate is complain to the people you purchased it from.. or go to trading standards...

Did you purchase your goods on the VISA card.... because this gives you some guarantee on goods purchases....

Some people snuff the scan sc-2000 dvd player.. but its only £175 and plays MP3 DVD VCD SVCD CD-RW CD-R and is firmware upgradable.

Can disable macrovision on scan.. latest firmware version is 2.14

P.S. Do you have a stable power supply in your house ? i.e. No Spikes or surges which pop the chips out of your equipment. ?

RE: SCAN SC2000 VCR FRIENDLY THEORY

Hello Xeno...

If you can install the firmware which originally came with your machine........i.e. November 2000...

Your starting off with the original firmware which was supplied with your machine. (Erases any other verison which you installed on top)

i.e. If your machine has screwed up, you can rty to restore it to its original state..... Even though I install Version 1.80 twice to get it to register ..WRITING/DONE.... Maybe the instructions should be re-written by TAE YOUNG TELSTAR ?

Makes you wonder how many people who purchase a Scan dvd player download the new Firmware and install it.. Nellish of scan is obviously using people as beta testers... This is fine with me... Upgrades generally improve things....

People who have tried upgrading and have killed their machine...
I have upgraded from versions 1.64 ( which came supplied with machine) to 1.80, 192, 193, 204, 204s 208, 214..... Scan machine is still living....and with good quality picture... My Routine is to downgrade twice to version 1.80 before installing new version.. This doesnt mean you should follow my example though... If you find other methods work for you then stick with it...

www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk chatroom

Do you want to see a chat room available on www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk


This would be a good thing ? if moderated correctly..

Rules should be no swearing... Otherwise talk is cheap and free

This item was edited on Sunday, 18th February 2001, 23:44

RE: SCAN SC2000 VCR FRIENDLY THEORY

You don`t have to downgrade to make your scan player VCR friendly..

If the firmware you install doesnt support macrovision disablment, then your knackered. Firmware 214 on Nivz site supports the remote macrovision removal hack.Firmware 214 on Herbis Dubois site doesnt...

I have found downgrading just solves some pixellation issues on my machine... Although I installed 1.80 twice..

Anybody got version 1.64 firmware.. Nivz / xeno.. can you get it off Nellish ? send it to me pleaszzzee.. divad.www[at]ku.oc.evreseerf.kilwagf

High cost and Low Cost DVD players

For the past months people have downcast the benefits of purchasing a low budget DVD player.

The average person with a low budget, upgrades from the good old VHS format to budget DVD, which provides a great leap in video and audio quality. (More so than Sky Digital.)

Until DVD-R or DVD-RW what ever ( VHS vs Betamax) becomes the standard, and the price of recorders comes down, why spend hundreds of pounds on a DVD player ?

£20 to £25 for a commercial DVD film.
£15 for a commercial VHS tapes.
£3 for DVD rental and £1 for blank tape to record onto using cheap DVD player with macro vision removal.

Which one would you choose for the price?



P.S. Mr IronDuke must like a Bear behind.

This item was edited on Sunday, 18th February 2001, 22:34

NIVZ - Scan SC-2000 Player

Thanks for the excellent information site you have provided for scan player owners..

Do you have any major problems with your player at the moment ?

I purchased my scan in November last year.. Have upgraded the firmware
lots... I posted my collection of firmware to herbis dubios site..(A french gentlemans DVD web page)

So I assume most of the firmware he has, except 2.14, is the firmware I email him.. all of which ran fine on my machine. (i.e. didnt see exploding transistors flying across the room)

RE: Argos selling a Macrovision remover?

Whats the cost. ?

Previous macrovision removal boxes I have seen have been priced between £40 to £60...

Does it have colour, brightness and sharpness controls on it ?
This seems a common feature on Macrovision removal boxes.


If it can record DVD to VHS.. then it can probably record Sky digital box office to VHS... anybody heard about sky digital hack... I`ve heard rumours its cracked... Via firmware upgrade, or chippped..

RE: For Everyone who plays Mp3s on their DVD Player

Thanks Steve.... I assumed it was a generic utility for all MP3 type players...

Never heard of the Yamakawa MP3DVD player before...

Like the old CD+G format in a way...

Dont think all CD-Writers are capable of CD+G writing in software packages... Its a general statement, but My 4416S doesnt support CD+G in Nero and CDrwin.. Not a great loss though..

RE: For Everyone who plays Mp3s on their DVD Player

Iron Duke.. It might not work with the scan player at the moment.

But, because you can upgrade the firmware on a Scan sc-2000 player, this may not be an issue in the future..

I just wish you could change the firmware on Ironduke and Bear. because their views are now unimportant and obsolete.

Like a relic of the past, it takes a real moron to connect with your mentality.

RE: For Everyone who plays Mp3s on their DVD Player

Hello Gavin...

I`ve just downloaded the bundle and produced the MP3 / BIN files..

How did you burn them to CD ?

Just as a normal ISO file format ?

I used Nero...

Think the problem is, my player is a scan sc-2000... If it detects any MP3 files, it puts up it`s own MP3 Menu system. What player are you using ?

RE: SCAN SC2000 V1.80 and V2.14

I dont have any bright lines on the DVD picture playback..

Have a Sony Trinatron wide screen...

Dont think you have to downgrade firmware to disable macrovision....
You can either disable it or not depending on the version you upgrade to
(i.e. Version 2.04 or 2.14 on herbis dubios site)

I have found that downgrading i.e. installing version 1.80 twice has cured some artifact problems.

Its like Microsoft Windows.... Bring out a new version which fixes existing bugs, but creates some new ones aswell.

I`m happy with version 2.14 at the moment from Nivz site... No picture jumping or pixellation.

I have my DVD player connected to the TV via S-Video to scart and to VHS via Scart RGB to scart RGB... both leads are gold plated and shielded. about £20 per lead..good results.

RE: SCAN SC2000 V1.80 and V2.14

Hello...

When I upgrade to a new firmware I follow the following procedure.

Step 1: Install Version 1.80.... (Doesnt display WRITING / DONE message)

Step 2: Install Version 1.80 again (WRITING / DONE message now appears)

Step 3: Install the new firmware version... (Writing / Done appears, but abit sccrambled.)

I found this method cured the pixellation problem I had. But it doesnt mean to say it will work with every other machine, so try it at your own risk.

RE: Scan SC2000 - Problems - Help

One cause for DVD`s jumping picture frames can be caused by scratches on the surface of the DVD disc... Are you playing a clean DVD ?

Try upgrading to Version 214 of firmware, as this fixes a number of issues with DVD playback