I think a lot of people missed the great developments with hacking the Panasonic DVD players. Where a long time only chipped remotes and hardware modifications could be used for the later generations Panasonic DVD players there are finally now some new options to make the Panasonic players region free. As I saw no posts about these developments here yet, I'll try to give an as good as possible summary:

Firmware modification for the Panasonic DVD-S49 and DVD-S295
Some months ago someone with the name Virus has managed to finally decrypt and encrypt an firmware for a Panasonic DVD player. He modified the firmware to add options like DVD on MP3 support, MPEG playback etc. and most important managed to make the firmware RCE region free with region selection support. This is the best and most easy option to go for if you have an S49 or S295. You can download the modified firmware and view the instructions at here.

Firmware modification for other types
As firmware for Panasonic DVD players is very rare, there is currently no modified region free firmware for other types available. However if you do have Panasonic DVD player firmware for another type, you can try (with enough knowledge) to modify the firmware yourself by using the firmware dissambler/assembler tools and instructions released Virus, wich can be found here.

Remote hack
As you may know for some time chipped remotes are available for many Panasonic DVD players to make them region free. The codes these remotes send are a good kept secret. However now that the firmware is dissambled these codes where found.

The IR code to make the S49/S295, the S52/S42 and probally many other S-serie Panasonic players region free is:

0082 0015 0089 0004 00F2 0033 0017 0010 0091 0013

If I am not mistaken you can enter these codes with a PocketPC using TV Remote Controller and making a CCF file with these codes. Or use a Palm with Omniremote. Make sure no disc in the player when entering this code.

The region free codes
The code above is the RCE region free code. However more codes are possible, to for example set your own region code or reset the player to the factory default region. A large set of the code instruction can be entered with the standard remote, only one code called: 00F2 cannot be send with the standard remote. Again, you need to use a Palm, PocketPC or universal remote for this.

To change the player region code
1. Be sure players drive is empty (nodISC)
2. Enter following key sequence using remote control:

Enter, 6, >=10, <<, 00F2, Audio, 8, * requested region code here (1-8) *, Subtitle, 1

3. Player will reset and requested region code will be set.
- For example to set region code to 3 press: "Enter, 6, >=10, <<, 00F2, Audio, 8, 3, Subtitle, 1"

To set the player to RCE proof region free
1. Be sure players drive is empty (nodISC)
2. Enter following key sequence using remote control:

Enter, 6, >=10, <<, 00F2, Audio, 8, 1, Subtitle, 4

3. Player will reset and set to "region-free" and "RCE-free" mode

To restore players factory region code
1. Be sure players drive is empty (nodISC)
2. Enter following key sequence using remote control:

Enter, 6, >=10, <<, 00F2, Audio, 8, 9, Subtitle, 1

3. Player will reset and set to factory region code

I hope that this information will help a lot of people making there Panasonic player region free for free. Please post a message if you have succeeded and wich type of player you have.

Credits
Virus for decompiling the Panasonic firmware and posting the region free codes
Tom for posting the region free IR codes


Good luck,

Martin
Panasonic S42 / S52 / S49 / S295 Info Site


UPDATE

Later in the thread the "unlocking via programmable remote" method is discussed. If you are unable to perform the remote hack yourself, but do have a laptop with infrared capability, drop a PM to chachi for a download link for a CD image which can do the unlock using the laptop.

NB: You must know how to download an ISO and burn it to CD properly to go this route.

[Steve1971]

Warning if you own a Panasonic SA/SC-HTxxx system then this information can be damaging !

Anyone suffering from any of the following problems after messing with these codes will have to contact one of us specialist "Chipped Remote" outlets for help.

FT01 , FT02 , ST MODE

Ironically you will need a special "Chipped Remote" to restore the unit and then ANOTHER ONE to make it region free.

I never thought I'd get chance to sell these "restoring" remotes

Steve
On behalf of a Chipped Remote Outlet.

[Steve1971]

As predicted using the above sequence on a DVD-S35 causes error FT02 EVERY TIME it is used ( that is using the DVD-S35s keys to send 9 of the commands and a OFA remote to send the F2 command ). This can be reset by the "Restoring remote" so no real damage done but these will have to be paid for.

I understand that this just looks like sour grapes and trying to put people off but please do try it , you have nothing to loose if I am not telling the truth and if I am then I have a sale to make to restore your unit

Steve
On behalf of a Chipped Remote outlet.

Hi Steve . I couldn't find back the errorcodes you mentioned in the service manuals. Can you clarify a bit more what they exactly means? Also I can reproduce the error code (FT02) on my DVD-S49 player with a service code. According to Tom (who posted the IR code) this just mean Factory Test Mode 01/02... With another service code you can reinitialise the player and it will be working again.

Reset function for Panasonic Divx DVD-Players
On player hold: PAUSE + QUICK OSD + OPEN/CLOSE for 3 seconds

Reset function for most other Panasonic DVD-Players
On player hold: PAUSE + PLAY + OPEN for 3 seconds

You say you need another chipped remote to restore the unit again. But just as the IR code I posted above, for the restore chipped remote there is an IR code as well and I even think it is the

restore to factory region code:
Enter, 6, >=10, <<, 00F2, Audio, 8, 9, Subtitle, 1

It is not hard to calculate the IR code for this code, wich is:
0082 0015 0089 0004 00F2 0033 0018 0010 0091 0010

I found it a bit strange that you say that the SA/SC-HTxxx home theater sets will suffer from the same problem. Especially the HT-335, HT-535, HT-845 and HT-855 are very similair to the S49/S295 series (they use the same firmware).

Your posts almost sounds like scare tactics, but I don't think it's neccesary as there always are people who prefer a chipped remote. You knew from the time that the firmware was decoded that the ir codes would be out there soon.

The Panasonic codes where one of the last ones not yet known, so I just want to spread and share this info with others. However if people report that there players causes an error using this codes and they cannot revert it using the info I just posted, I will delete this info.

Martin.
Panasonic S42 / S52 / S49 / S295 Info Site

[Steve1971]

I know that my post sounds like scare tactics but time will tell.

The FT01 , FT02 and ST MODE errors cannot be recovered from by using either a simple factory reset or the restore defaults string as you mention.

I'm sure that Justin will agree ( a competitor and sponsor of this forum ) that there is another sequence required to recover from these errors , it can be sent by a one for all remote but for now the codes remain only in the hands of a limited few.

Incidentally the string of commands you have posted is only 10 commands long whereas the genuine string intended for this purpose is 12 commands long so something is missing from what you seem to have discovered which may or may not be important.

Steve
On behalf of a chipped remote outlet.

[Justin@UH]

Originally Posted by Steve1971

I know that my post sounds like scare tactics but time will tell.


I'm sure that Justin will agree ( a competitor and sponsor of this forum ) that there is another sequence required to recover from these errors , it can be sent by a one for all remote but for now the codes remain only in the hands of a limited few.

Steve is indeed correct

And with regards to SCHT & many other Pana models, you simply cannot mod these units sucessfully with a pronto or similar IR device. You must use either the original factory remote, or a chipped clone.

Its not scare tatics by Steve, the facts are there. If you don`t use a trusted, reputable source such as Steve, Myself, or one of the many Panasonic specialist dealers out there whom offer modifications, or units pre-modded, then don`t be supprised if you end up with a damaged, or not 100% functional unit that will then cost you more to put right!

As Steve says, time will tell....

Originally Posted by Steve1971

Incidentally the string of commands you have posted is only 10 commands long whereas the genuine string intended for this purpose is 12 commands long so something is missing from what you seem to have discovered which may or may not be important.

In my case with a DVD-S49 player, after entering the 10th code, the player will reset itself and it is region free. So there is no room for entering more codes.

Let's say you guys are right: that this code sequence won't work on all Panasonic players. But it sure works on the Panasonic Divx players series (S49/S295/S42/S52) without problems. Can you guys confirm this? And can you say if the region code free sequence has changed from the release of the Divx players, as you also sell the chipped remotes for these types?

[Steve1971]

I didnt say where in the sequence the codes were missing ( and wont be doing ) and as I said I dont know if they are needed if as you say the string of 10 codes Virus found is working on those units.

On many units it's not just the codes themselves that are important , it's the way that they are delivered that can be crucial hence a learning remote cannot correctly duplicate the original Panasonic remote as it will deliver remote codes in a different way.

It is true that some models ( the cheaper standalone players ) are less fussy about the delivery of the code and this could explain why you are not seeing any problems with your Divx units.

Steve Hoyle

[Idjatboy]

Folks, thanks for the interesting discussion. I'm not sure whether any help can be given on this, but I've just bought an SC-HT895 (in Singapore). Will any of the methods, i.e. Chipped remote or Incure's code be able to unlock this? For some reason the packaging and box say the unit is SC-HT895, but the back of the device say SA-HT895. I can only assume that the dvd unit itself is SA and the whole kit and kaboodle is SC. Thanks in advance.

[Steve1971]

You are right , SA refers to the unit and SC to the system , the Chipped remote will help you subject to PAL/NTSC issues , see this page for details www.dvdchips.co.uk/panainfo

Steve Hoyle

Hi!

> You need 12 commands to sucessfully mod a Panasonic. Its not a lie, or a ploy, its a fact.

S295/S49 firmware needs 10 commands to change the region code. It's a fact too ;-) I don't know the method that you used to discover the codes for your remotes but probably you have analysed IR codes that original service remotes are sending. We (Tom and I) have analysed the firmware. There is a routine that is waiting for 10 commands only. Maybe this 2 additional codes is some kind of "lead-in" or such... Anyway - the codes in Incure post are correct. On the other hand I don't know how JamesBelow used this codes exactly. Hope he will shed more light on this...

Regards -
Virus

[davefeeder]

Hi all.
I'm not as techy as you guys, and all this is a little over my head!

Just been looking for a multi region hack for my Panasonic DMR ES10, and I found this place.
From what I can gather from a quick bit of Googling, the only way (up to now?) to make Panasonic players multi region, is with a chipped remote control....

Is this right, or do these codes work on all ranges of Pana players?
If there's a free way of jsut entering a code via the players remote, I'd be most pleased!

Little help?

Dave

[Steve1971]

Originally Posted by davefeeder

Hi all.
I'm not as techy as you guys, and all this is a little over my head!

Just been looking for a multi region hack for my Panasonic DMR ES10, and I found this place.
From what I can gather from a quick bit of Googling, the only way (up to now?) to make Panasonic players multi region, is with a chipped remote control....

Is this right, or do these codes work on all ranges of Pana players?
If there's a free way of jsut entering a code via the players remote, I'd be most pleased!

Little help?

Dave

It's unknown at this time which units will work using the sequence found by Virus , our chipped remotes send 12 commands whereas his sequence is 10 commands , there is also the issue if timing which is critical on HTxxx units.

THERE IS NO WAY TO HACK A PANASONIC FROM THE UNITS OWN REMOTE UNLESS YOU HAVE ALTERED THE PLAYERS FIRMWARE USING A HACKED FIRMWARE CDR SUCH AS THOSE RELEASED BY VIRUS FOR THOSE VERY FEW MODELS.

By far the easiest and safest option remains a chipped remote for all other models , you could try to send the signals in this thread using a Palm pilot or Pocket PC but of course this is at your own risk as sending only 10 of the 12 commands seems to have only been tried on the units with hacked firmware.

Outlets for Chipped Remotes include ...

www.multiregionupgrades.com ( Forum Sponsor )
www.dvdchips.co.uk
www.multiregion.co.uk
www.multidvd.co.uk



Steve Hoyle

[davefeeder]

Thanks for that Steve.

Looks like my best option is to get a chipped remote then, as I've not got any hacked firmware....

Cheers

A little update:

As stated in my first post and confirmed by Steve, using an firmware modification to make the player RCE region free is the easiest way to go for. In fact the hack replaces the IR code 00F2 wich cannot be send with a standard remote, with another key (0) wich can be send with just the standard remote. A clever solution found by Virus. In this way you infact use the generic Panasonic region free code sequence, but this time you use the standard remote. This is also making manual region coding and resetting to the factory region code a lot easier.

Now that the tools for modifying Panasonic DVD player firmware where made available by Virus (here) it opened the road for other people to modify a Panasonic firmware.

Firmware modification for the Panasonic DVD-S97 now available
With use of the tools provided by Virus, Tom has modified the DVD-S97 firmware (various versions) to enable the same RCE region free hack as for the S49 and S295. Click here for more info and downloads.

Tom also asked to provide firmware for other Panasonic DVD player versions so he might have a look at it to provide the same easy region free service. Click here for more info.

ATTENTION!

This CCF file was tested on S295/S49/SC-HT335/SC-HT535/SC-HT/SC-HT845/SC-HT885/SC-HT885W units only! Most probably it will work for many more models, but the risk is yours. (This CCF file sends 0xF2 as 5th command to player. If anything goes wrong and this command will be set as 1st this probably will put your player in FT02 test mode. I did it for my S295 and then recovered from that mode via setup "Initialise" menu.)

Regards -
Virus

First of all thanks to Virus and Incure for sharing!

Virus, which CCF file are you talking about? I don't see a link...

> Virus, which CCF file are you talking about? I don't see a link...

http://rapidshare.com/files/52966533..._Hack.rar.html

--
Edit: New download link

Great! Thanks a lot!

[sallermas]

Hi all, i'm new to the forum so please excuse if this comes over as a repetetive question!

I am looking at making a purchase of the Panasonic S-52 unit solely for the HDMI up-conversion. I was going to buy a pre-chipped unit, as historically Panasonic have been chip only for region free. After reading peoples comments on this forum, it seems that hacks are available, either by firmware mod or remote hack.

What are your recommendations please? Do these mods work?

I'm always in favour of non hardware tampered devices.

Thanks in advance!

[Justin@UH]

Originally Posted by sallermas

Hi all, i'm new to the forum so please excuse if this comes over as a repetetive question!

I am looking at making a purchase of the Panasonic S-52 unit solely for the HDMI up-conversion. I was going to buy a pre-chipped unit, as historically Panasonic have been chip only for region free. After reading peoples comments on this forum, it seems that hacks are available, either by firmware mod or remote hack.

What are your recommendations please? Do these mods work?

I'm always in favour of non hardware tampered devices.

Thanks in advance!

Its always best to buy the unit pre-modded if possible, so if you have not bought it yet, simply buy it pre-modded from a specialist dealer

[sallermas]

for the advise everybody, i'll look into this one further!

The news of the region free code sequence has (luckily) spread as wildfire and more people helped to get the Panasonic players region more easily. A lot of developments have happened since my first posts (including a release of a new better working CCF file).

This is why I constructed a whole new generic region code free page here, where you can read detailed instructions how you can make a Panasonic DVD player region free using on of these devices:

- PocketPC
- Pronto Remote
- Palm
- Symbian Mobile Phone
- Playstation Portable (PSP)
- One 4 All universal remote

Together with the modified region free firmware now available for the S52, S42, S75, S97, S49 and S295 nobody should have a problem to make there Panasonic DVD player region free for free anymore.

BTW, I got and readed reports from many, many people succefully making there player region free with no problems. It's safe to say that this is the right IR code sequence and you can use it without caution. Sorry, the days of the chipped remotes are now really over...

[sharper]

Does anybody know what is needed for region free on the dmr-ez45v?

[HawkeyeGnu]

Using the info from this thread,

http://www.dcevolution.net/panasonic...d=32&Itemid=54

and

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&&#post8098532

I have successfully managed to region free a Panasonic S-35 DVD player and a DMR-ES20D DVD recorder (NO special firmware needed). I used a borrowed One for All Kameleon 6 remote, and the standard Panasonic DVD control (had to use the S-35 one, as I couldn't see a >=10 button on the ES20 control ).

In summary.....

On the Kameleon:

Choose [DVD], [Magic] long enoughfor the rabbit, [0490] to set for a Panasonic DVD. Then set up a special command by choosing [Magic] long enough for the rabbit, [994], [Magic] (only one quick press), [143], then choose a key to which the command will be assigned (I chose "1" on the keypad).

I then did the sequence using the Panasonic remote, and the Kameleon:

Enter, 6, >=10, << (on Panasonic)

1 (on Kameleon)

Audio, 8, 1, Subtitle, 4 (on Panasonic)

The S-35 was a little troublesome, and took around 5 attempts before it worked. It would always pause after the Kameleon code was sent with the message FT02. This is easily reset by pressing "cancel" on the DVD remote, with the DVD player initialising again (no special remotes required). Try pressing the keys as quickly as you can - I think I may have been too slow for the first attempts. EDIT: the S-35 apparently shows a line of dots, "open" then comes back on (I was told this by my partner, as I hadn't noticed anything while concentrating on pressing the correct keys - must've been really quick!)



The ES-20 worked first time, with the front display pausing (as if reading a disc), then coming up with the "Hello" message again when it was done.

So, many thanks to the wonderfully intelligent people who worked on this, and decided to share the secret for free with the community, instead of charging for their hard work (which they would surely be entitled to do). You are what makes the Internet great.

A final note; if you don't have the tools or the inclination to do this yourself, a single-use remote from one of the multi-region sites mentioned earlier will no doubt do a great job.

If you are a tight Scots git like me, this is a free marvel, so good luck

[Steve1971]

Originally Posted by HawkeyeGnu

The S-35 was a little troublesome, and took around 5 attempts before it worked. It would always pause after the Kameleon code was sent with the message FT02. This is easily reset by pressing "cancel" on the DVD remote, with the DVD player initialising again (no special remotes required)

I have just tried this and it's TRUE ! pressing the Cancel button makes the screen show Init and FT02 disappears , we used to remove and reprogram the flash chips to reset this code at one time and Panasonic Service were no help , no-one knew how to recover from this !

Steve , DVD Chips

[sharper]

Originally Posted by sharper

Does anybody know what is needed for region free on the dmr-ez45v?

bump

[Dave777]

I know the way to "region free" an EX75 is to use a special service remote, but is there anyway someone with one can read the codes it sends into a pronto or other multi remote the post the codes/CCF?


Got a good deal on a EX75, but only region 2.

Cheers

Dave

At the region free information page you can also can find a list of over a hundered Panasonic players and recorders wich are compatible with this hack.

Originally Posted by Dave777

I know the way to "region free" an EX75 is to use a special service remote, but is there anyway someone with one can read the codes it sends into a pronto or other multi remote the post the codes/CCF?

The Panasonic DMR-EX75 is just mentioned in this list, so does the hack not work on your player? This post almost reads if haven't read anything that is posted in this thread yet... ???

Originally Posted by sharper

Does anybody know what is needed for region free on the dmr-ez45v?

Again, did you even try the tools and info provided in the link posted above (and several times more in this thread)?

[sharper]

Originally Posted by Incure

Again, did you even try the tools and info provided in the link posted above (and several times more in this thread)?

I looked at the link and searched the site for this model (dmr-ez45v) and could not see any reference. Now I could be being very stupid here, so go easy.