DrGerbil

That's because your player probably doesn't do proper pal --> ntsc conversion. Usually PAL disks show up as b&w if they are not properly converted...

the_dude8

thanks for the explanation.
how well does the sd-4900 does the pal to ntsc conversion? drGerbil, have you tested out your sd-4900 regarding the pal to ntsc conversion?

DrGerbil

Unfortunately, I have the SD-3900, but I can only assume that the quality is the same. I must admit that PAL disks look great, even connected to my 20" tv with composite cables.

Skorp

I have both the 3900 and 4900. Aside from the 4900 having a slightly different faceplate and a few more features (DVD-A, 5.1 connections), they are virtually the same machine. The region hack works for both and the picture quality and PAL to NTSC conversion is the same.

drjay

Just ordered the 4900 from www.6ave.com for $72 shipped, not bad considering I don't have a car to get to Best Buy. Too bad they don't offer it in black, as everything else in my home theatre component rack is black .

Ringo20000

I just got the sd4900 and I haven't even tried the region hack yet, but I hooked it up and was trying my Flaming Lips dvd and it doesn't seem to be playing it right. When I click on 5.1 audio and then play disc for some reason the playlist comes up even when I hit play disc and to top it off it's not in 5.1. I'm running the dvd player through a optical cord to my reciever. When I do go on the menu to extras and click frequency cartoon then it comes up with the 5.1 but it did this normally on the play disc with my old player. If anyone has this disc I'm wondering what it does on yours?

Richard Malloy

The DVD-audio format requires that you use the 6-channel analog outputs to your pre-amp/receiver/integrated... not an optical/coax digital connection, which is not supported for copy protection reasons (grrrrr).

As the Toshiba 4900 is a DVD-audio player (whereas your old player was likely DVD-video only), it probably defaults to the DVD-audio format rather than DTS or DD. Thus, you get no sound unless you select DTS/DD (which I believe is what you're doing when you select the waveform cartoons).

ehonauer

Question:

It seems like all the high quality region-free DVD players are disappearing off the market suddenly (Philips 727, Toshiba 3900/3950/4900).

Could this be a result of pressure from studios/DVD Forum that they are violating trade rules by selling hackable players?

Or is it something less sinister - is this the time of year when manufacturers discontinue old models to make way for newer ones?

renaldow

They're being replaced by new models, that's all. The manufacturers aren't selling them as hackable players, so there's no pressure from the studios/DVD Forum on it. This happens every year. In 2-3 months there will be big long threads about some other make/model of DVD player being the best hackable player out there.

NaturalMystic79

Woohoo!!! I got it to work. Now I can play all regions and PAL. Do I leave it at Region 0? Thank you Hockeyman!

AndyMorrison

There's more to the 4900 than meets the eye. I have been playing around with settings on mine and have discovered a couple of useful hacks that aren't mentioned here. First, I was annoyed by the fact that if I stopped a disc and turned the machine off and then back on it started playing the disc again from the beginning instead of where I stopped it. This can be fixed by using the codes 55 53 00 47 16 55 FD FF instead of 55 53 00 47 14 55 FD FF for the 'Pause 1 4 7 2' EEPROM values. Secondly, the machine is actually capable of pure PAL output or an 'AUTO' mode that plays NTSC discs in NTSC and PAL discs in PAL. To change the setting, hold down the pause button on the front panel (not the remote) for 5+ seconds. The LCD display will change and show the new TV standard. It can be cycled through NTSC -> PAL -> AUTO -> NTSC by repeatedly pressing, holding and then releasing the button. What's even better is that if you play a PAL disc on PAL or AUTO and have progressive scan enabled it appears to be PAL progressive that is output.

AmonTwin

I recently got my R2 Delicatessen disc to work on the 4900 and noticed that the black bars are a bit jagged in the middle. Is this normal? Should I expect this sort of thing on all discs not region 1? Thanks...

DrGerbil

I get that on every PAL disk... there is nothing unusual or wrong with your Toshiba.

BloodyMurray

i'm new to this. How do i do the EEPROM thing to change the player so it will remember where i last left off on a dvd?

BloodyMurray

nevermind i figured the EEPROM thing out. That was the one thing i hated about the player but now it's perfect! Thanks for the tip AndyMorrison

AmonTwin

Thanks Gerbil...good to know...

Jeff L

Is there a way to make the player so it won't shut off automatically?

Also, I wonder if there is a hack to make it so you can skip certain FBI Warnings and forced trailers, etc? Now that would be cool!


Jeff

ehonauer

FYI, there's an Amazon vendor called Crutchfield selling the Toshiba SD-4900 for $70.

DVD Josh

Andy, would you please mind describing how to do this? Thank you!

AndyMorrison

Josh - With no disc in the tray and the player on, you should see 'no disc' on the front panel. Then , using the remote, press 'pause' then '1' '4' '7' and '2'. Your screen will go blue and there will be a set of 8 hex number pairs shown. There will be a caret under the first digit in the first pair. To change any digit you move the caret using the left and right arrows. To change the second digit of the fifth pair you would hit the right arrow 9 times. Once you are in the correct position you can use the numeric keys to directly enter a number. For example, to enter a six just hit the '6' button. To change a value to a number greater than 9 you use '1' for A, '2' for B, '3' for C, '4' for 'D', '5' for E and '6' for F but you hold the button for 5+ seconds. Once you have the 8 pairs with the values you desire, turn the machine off and back on again and you're done.

Jeff L

Andy, I was wondering how you figured these things out? Is there any logic to how the codes work and what each set of codes function? I find the 4900 is a little slower at detecting a digital signal. So when my receiver goes from DTS to DD, there is a second of audio missing. My other DVD players don't do this. I'd love to find a way to make it detect a signal faster.

Thanks,

Jeff

AndyMorrison

Jeff - I pieced together what I know by hunting around the net (trying various search criteria such as '4900 hack') and some trial and error using my own machine. The European SD530E model appears to be very similar to the SD4900 here in North America (except that it has a SCART socket on the back). The Toshibas also appear to be based on the same chip set as some LG models (e.g. 6054) so some of the information that people have posted about them seems to apply to the Toshibas too. I would assume that each bit in the EEPROM corresponds to a feature and turning the bit on enables the feature. Obviously, turning on bits that correspond to features that don't exist in the installed chip set can cause you problems. In one case I managed to kill the video on my machine but was able to restore it because the front panel displays the hex pairs too! Unfortunately, I don't have a secret decoder ring for this. What I don't understand is why Toshiba would not enable a feature like the disc position memory by default when it clearly is supported.

Laser Movies

Thanks for the information on the resume playing feature for the Toshiba. I used it for my 3900 and it worked great. However I used a slight variation of your codes for the 4900. I simply changed the code from the original factory setting of 55 53 00 47 14 55 64 FF on the 3900 to 55 53 00 47 16 55 64 FF which enabled the resume play. I should ask if you know if it is possible to add a time remaining feature to the player? That's about the only other thing I would like to get this player to do.

DrGerbil

I concur, the complaints I have about this player are dwindling every month, it seems...

mgbiNo

Hey, I'v been playing around with my Toshiba 4900, and I love it... but I'v had a problem with it... (I posted this in the DVD Forum, but then I noticed this thread and figured this is probably where it belongs.)

2 disks, Pulp Fiction (Collectors Edition R1) and In the Mood for Love Criterion (R1) have both skipped...

Pulp Fiction- This skips during the opening credits , after the Ringo/Honeybunny scene...

In the Mood for Love- Somewhere between 1 hour and 20 minute mark and 1 hour and 30 minute mark

If anyone has these disks and the 4900, could you check if there is a problem with player compatablity or if it's my disks.