rsalerno
19th February 2003, 07:45
Summary
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Problem: miniDVDs don't play on normal standalone players because the players don't look for m2v content on cds.
Proposed Solution: Change appropriate values in player's service menu to essentially trick the player into finding dvd-compliant content.
Results: No dice in "auto" mode.
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Full Details
Sony standalone DVD players have a service menu allowing technicians to change all manner of specifics of the mechanics and electronics.
To follow along at home:
1. Turn off unit.
2. Press "Title" <-- "Top Menu" on later models (model number ending in 5)
3. Press "Clear"
4. Press "Power"
Now you will see the service menu. Auto adjustment brings you to another menu outlining various disc types. Selecting one of these types prompts the player to open and ask for an appropriate disc with which it will calibrate itself.
I had thought inserting the miniDVD for DVD-SL would be a nifty, easy workaround as the player would then know to look for dvd content when reading discs that appear like the newly calibrated standard.
But someone somewhere made this impossible.
The player aborts immediately and claims disc error. No amount of prodding will reverse its decision.
However, there is still the manual adjustment of the same parameters. But I don't have the service menu or any clue what to do there. So I didn't try. Does anyone know the values that could make this work?
Marantz standalone dvd players also have a service menu, but it makes significantly less sense than Sony's even. I am in the process of trying to get the service manual for Marantz dvd players, but welcome the help of anyone with previous experience or more knowledge than I in the area.
Searching the database at dvdrhelp.com for players with miniDVD support, the Marantz DV-4200 comes up positive. One report claims positive results, the other three claim negative. It didn't work for me, but I have the same question about tweaking the service menu to get these desired results.
Unfortunately, there is no display for their service menu, so it is a complete mystery to me. It is basically eight values that can be changed to two-digit hexadecimal combinations. What any of them are, or what the combinations could possibly stand for are wholly unknown to me....
What are the experiences anyone else has had with tweaking similar things in service menus?
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Specifics
Media: GQ cd-rs (Crappy light green dye)
Encoding/Burning: DVDit PE
Standalones tested: Sony DVP-NS755, Marantz DV-4200
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Problem: miniDVDs don't play on normal standalone players because the players don't look for m2v content on cds.
Proposed Solution: Change appropriate values in player's service menu to essentially trick the player into finding dvd-compliant content.
Results: No dice in "auto" mode.
---------------------------------------------------
Full Details
Sony standalone DVD players have a service menu allowing technicians to change all manner of specifics of the mechanics and electronics.
To follow along at home:
1. Turn off unit.
2. Press "Title" <-- "Top Menu" on later models (model number ending in 5)
3. Press "Clear"
4. Press "Power"
Now you will see the service menu. Auto adjustment brings you to another menu outlining various disc types. Selecting one of these types prompts the player to open and ask for an appropriate disc with which it will calibrate itself.
I had thought inserting the miniDVD for DVD-SL would be a nifty, easy workaround as the player would then know to look for dvd content when reading discs that appear like the newly calibrated standard.
But someone somewhere made this impossible.
The player aborts immediately and claims disc error. No amount of prodding will reverse its decision.
However, there is still the manual adjustment of the same parameters. But I don't have the service menu or any clue what to do there. So I didn't try. Does anyone know the values that could make this work?
Marantz standalone dvd players also have a service menu, but it makes significantly less sense than Sony's even. I am in the process of trying to get the service manual for Marantz dvd players, but welcome the help of anyone with previous experience or more knowledge than I in the area.
Searching the database at dvdrhelp.com for players with miniDVD support, the Marantz DV-4200 comes up positive. One report claims positive results, the other three claim negative. It didn't work for me, but I have the same question about tweaking the service menu to get these desired results.
Unfortunately, there is no display for their service menu, so it is a complete mystery to me. It is basically eight values that can be changed to two-digit hexadecimal combinations. What any of them are, or what the combinations could possibly stand for are wholly unknown to me....
What are the experiences anyone else has had with tweaking similar things in service menus?
---------------------------------------------------
Specifics
Media: GQ cd-rs (Crappy light green dye)
Encoding/Burning: DVDit PE
Standalones tested: Sony DVP-NS755, Marantz DV-4200