Research & Review - Divx DVD Karoke Player Philips DVP642K

Quad Master · May 16, 2005

Tips & Tricks

To Play Movies with Bitrates above 2000kbps & DVD Resolution burn the movies on a DVD than on a CD
as in a single rotation more info can be read from a DVD than a CD.

How do you prepare the CD/DVD for the Philips DVP642

- Around 6 to 8 XVID/DIVX movies 1 DVD+R 4.7G disc.
- Burned as data (joliet) Mode 1 just like mp3's.
- AC3 are supported and if you use a DIVX certified template for encoding, the movie will always play.
- Some Xvids need to be tested first and in general, use gspot or Virtualdub and make sure that
audio is compressed and that number of audio frames are relatively equal to number of video frames.
- Keep the BitRate at 900bps and lower for Xvid.
- The AVI or MP4 File should not be more than 2GB

Technically a "divx" player is a player that is able to decode mpeg-4 video streams, which includes xvid, 3ivx, nerodigital, quicktime mpeg-4

Problems
1) Not all mpeg-4 features are supported by all players, like qpel, gmc so make sure your encodes dont use them.
2) Most players support only the .avi container, which uses a fourcc system, which automatically makes every mpeg-4 stream from different mpeg-4 encoders incompatible unless the player supports all fourccs exisiting, which is not the case of course

So as all players support the divx fourcc, you can make such a player play all mpeg-4 streams (no matter what encoder used) when you change their fourcc to divx too

Xvid Movie Playback Solution

If you are having trouble with some xvid/divx files (usually you get no sound/picture, and the timer counter goes up erratically) try this:

- Go to http://www.moitah.net/ and download the "MPEG4 Modifier". (This program requires Microsoft .NET to be installed, *shudder*, but it's worth it).

- Open up you troublesome file in the program (this program allows you to modify some of the "meta data" (ie. not raw video/sound data) for the video). Check if the option for Pixel Size is set to "Square Pixels"

- All of my troublesome files to date (they all were .avi files) did not have Square Pixels checked (instead it was set to a custom size). Simply checking that circle, and saving the file (as a new copy) allowed them to work flawlessly on the player.

This player is great for the family. Usually I have to always lend my parents/sibling my DVD discs, or if I'm paranoid, lend them backed up copies. Now I can simply put 6-10 movies on one Disc, which should last them for a while!

Player Freezing during Playback Solution

Tried VCD, SVCD and DVD+R/RW discs that I had burned.
All played fine, but after a short while the player started having some of the same "freezing" problems.

After some basic troubleshooting (see below) my guess now is that my DVP642's processor chip starts to fail when the temp get a little high.

If you check the temps on your player after heavy use, you'll probably find the top left side of the case gets quite warm. If you pop the case open, you'll see why it's so warm.

There are no cooling slots or holes and all the heat generated by the power supply and processor board is contained inside the case. Is this a smart design?

The main processor chip (ESS Vibrato-II) is on the circuit board to the left side of the DVD drive. Even a long power-off, maybe 5 minutes, mine processor chip was still very warm to the touch!

I hooked the unit up with the case top off, it played perfectly for almost an hour. Found an passive heatsink laying around (from a 486SX CPU) that was about the right size of the Vibratto-II chip, and installed it.

With the player top of the case back on, and the new heatsink installed, there are no more freezes, no matter how long I play a DVDs or VCDs.

If the freezes come back, I may drill a few small cooling holes in the top over where the Vibrato-II chip is located, to let some more heat out.

Displayin Subtitles over a semi-transparent gray background for better reading

1- Insert a disc with a DivX or Xvid movie with subtitles file, and select the subtitles as usual.
2- Press DISC MENU button on the remote. The movie starts playing automatically
3- After the READING INDEX message, press SYSTEM MENU button twice
Doing this procedure, subtitles will be displayed over a semi-transparent gray background, making them much easier to read!!!

For those who found the trick to enable the subtitles background useful
Here is a method to use with discs with more than one movie file

In order to use this trick, first there is something you all must know.
When the player is set to NO MENU mode (by pressing DISC MENU button when the menu is on, or by setting it through the preferences menu `MP3/JPEG Nav' option), it first scans the whole disc to determine all the recognizable files (movies, subtitles, pictures, mp3) and assigns them a sequential number, while a PLEASE WAITÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ message is displayed on screen. This numbers are assigned to the files in the same order they appear on screen when you navigate the disc directory structure through the menu.

Once you know this, do the following steps:

1-Determine the file number assigned by the player to the AVI file and the desired subtitle file. You have to do this by navigating the
disc structure in . For example, let's say the AVI file is number 11 and the subtitle is number 10
2-Enter NO MENU mode. After the PLEASE WAIT message disappears, the player starts playing the first file y finds. Press STOP
3-Enter the number of the subtitle file with the remote (in this example, 10) and press OK. The `little hand' is displayed on screen.
Then press SUBTITLE button. DIVX SUBTITLE SELECTED message is displayed
4-Enter the number of the AVI file with the remote (in this example, 11) and press OK. The movie starts playing.
5-After READING INDEX message is displayed, press SYSTEM MENU button twice. After this, the player usually skips a few seconds of the movie. If this is unacceptable, just STOP and start playing again.

That's it! It seems kind of complicated, but after doing this procedure a couple of times you'll get used to it.

Why not to upgrade to 1109 Firmware

The new firmware (1109) ENABLES MACROVISION in the DVP 642 player, according to http://www.ryan.com.br/prod_dvp642.htm (in portuguese). In his site, Jefferson Ryan reports his tests with both firmwares, 0531 e 1109. The conclusion is that 1109 has the infamous MacroVision, while 0531 is REALLY MacroVision free

If your player has the 1109 firmware, you can make it MacroVision free by downgrading its firmware to the 0531 version. Note that it will void the warranty, but can be useful if you really need a MacroVision free unit.
Downgrading the Firmware from 1109 to 0531

Firmware 1109 has Macrovision headaches.

I accidentally found this place
http://home.ica.net/~robert/Philips

(yes, there is a ~) this place has all three firmware 0409 (my original version), 0531, and 1109 for DVP642/17. 0409 and 0531 only have two files "dvpxx.rom" and "dvpxxdv.rom", 1109 has three files (plus dvpxxEW.rom).

Just follow the steps stated in
http://www.p4c.philips.com/files/d/dvp642_17/dvp642_17_fur_eng.pdf
burn a CD (with two files) and do installation

Many Thanks to Robert for his gr8 site

What others have to say about Roberts Site
Hi, I received my DVP642/37 manufactured on November 2004 from Amazon.com with the latest firmware (1109). As I wanted to use this player for my DivX files and Japanese DVD's through my TV-VCR combo, latest firmware (1109) didn't work because of macrovision. I downloaded Robert's site files for (dvp642_17_fus_eng 0531) and after burning CD and flashing the player I must say I cannot be happier. If you guys weren't able to flash your player, then the problem is with the writing (I used nero 6, DAO).
LINUX, MAC, AND UNIX USERS - How to prepare your CD

In order to get divx subtitles to work properly, you must take the following precautions

1. If you used mkisofs to create the cd image, you cannot use the -J (joliet filenames) option.
Although the avi files seemed to be recognized properly, subtitle files are not.

2. Every line of text in a subtitle file must end with a carriage return and a linefeed character in typical MS-DOS fashion. Linux, unix, and mac by default use only linefeeds at the end of each line of text and thus subtitle files authored in a non-windows operating system will not be properly recognized by the player. A conversion utility such as Tofrodos, available at http://www.thefreecountry.com/tofrodos/index.shtml, is needed.

3. Opendml extensions in avi files must be turned off. Recent versions of mplayer/mencoder have them turned on by default.

Philips Oct/Nov 2004 Players have downgrade problems dont purchase it

Philips seems to have disabled the ability to downgrade players starting with those manufactured in Oct/Nov 2004.

Those who got the Dec 2004 Manufactured 642K succeded in Downgrading

Person 1
Players manufactured in Dec 2004 were able to be downgraded to 0531
Curiously, there were two box styles for sale there, a skinny white one and a fatter black/blue one.
I bought the thin white one. That's probably TMI, but who knows.
Burned the CD using Nero Express 6.3.1.25 where the only settings
I could make was to uncheck multisession and lower the burn speed to 8x.

Person 2
I've got a 'slim white boxed' DVP642/37 made in December'2004 from Target yesterday. It says "released in Jan'05" on the box, probably some Target warehouse thing. It had 1109 firm. Macrovision was ON out of the box.

1. Downgraded to 0531 firm without any problem whatsoever, and Macrovision was GONE. I connect it through a VCR since my TV has no component inputs, so I notice the change right away! Now I can watch my "Blade Runner" which I actually bought in the store (which is a rare occasion). I did not see any significant comparative change in quality of the DIVX/XVID videos with the downgrade, and it shouldn't be, really. As it looks and suggests, newer firmware's decoding algorithm was probably slightly better speed-optimized, that's all to it.

2. Region hack '789-ok-0' works, as expected. Tried some region 5 disks along with american region 1, all works. BTW PAL to NTSC conversion is not bad either.

So now this player really plays everything. I'm pretty happy with the results.

Person 3
The player is Nov. 2004 model with 0531 original firmware. Brought it for my sister. Macrovision was no issue for her (She uses direct connection and it's so easy to copy ANY DVD on your PC...), so I did upgrade and YES, noticed downgrade in my XVID movies playback quality; (increased visible pixelation). Downgraded back to 0531 and noticed no improvements and some of my newest XVIDs refused to play. Flashed back to 1109 WITHOUT 'dvpxxEW.rom' file in it and there is improvement!!! Didn't test it for Macrovision, though, as I mentioned it's no issue for us. I don't now what to think of it, but it looks like our famous extra file does all the mess here. Hope this will be helpful for you guys.
How To Make The Player Region Free

For those of you who want to make the unit region-free, perform the following:

1) Press the open/close button to *open* the tray
2) On your remote, press: 7 8 9
3) On your remote, press: OK
4) On your remote, press: 0

Thats it now play Any Region DVD on this player

_______________________

Firmware Update Guide & Where to get the Firmware

Guide by Jefferson Ryan [Ryan.com.br]

Until nov. 24 all of my tests were done with version 0531, but now version has come out - 1109. I still don't know what has changed and even Philips hasn't clarified it in its official document <http://www.p4c.philips.com/files/d/dvp642k_78/dvp642k_78_fur_eng.pdf>. If you download from my Philips links, you will download the most recent firmware (The other helpful links still direct you to copies of firmware 0531). My text is still based on version 0531. I will point out what was changed (or what wasn't changed) when I find out more. The official manual hasn't changed.

To see what firmware version of DVP642 you have:
[Open Tray], [5], [6], [9], [ok]

If your current Model does not match your set use down arrow key on yor remote to change
Press OK to confirm.
You can change the current model number of your player to whatever versions are available (use up/down buttons on remote). Each version relates to a geographical region and a video (PAL/NTSC) system as well as other options such as the on screen display language. Press (STOP) to leave this screen withougt changing anything. If you change the version number and press (OK), then the identity (version) of your DVD player will be changed.
Note: The firmwares 0531 and 1109 for the DVP642/78 do not allow for changing the version number.
You can download the version 0531 here <http://www.geocities.com/ryanxor/arquivos.htm> (I included links to DVP642/17 and DVP642/37 also) These links are working, but it might be necessary to turnoff any download manager to get the file.
To confirm that the archive wasn't corrupted, or if you want to see if you have the same firmware as me, just open the archive in Winzip or in Winrar:
For the firmware 0531 of the DVP642K

For the firmware 1109 of the DVP642K (it has an extra file)

Of all these details, the most important is the CRC32. If the CRC32 of the files is the same as shown above (Philips official firmware), then you have a 99.999999977% (CRC16 has a lower precision: 99.998%) chance that it is exactly the same archive

If the CRC32 is different, either you have a different firmware or it was corrupted. Don't use corrupted firmwares, because it can totally ruin your DVD player!

[CAUTion]Updating the firmware is a dangerous process. If the process is interrupted, the player can be totally ruined. I recommend that, to be on the safe side, you plug in your dvd player to a no-break during the installation (in case of a power outage, it can happen) and verify that your CD files can be read before starting. An intelligent update first tests the new software before removing the old software, but I don't know if the Philips update is intelligent because, at the end of the day, a process is only really intelligent if the device cannot be ruined in the processs, however Philips warns that it can. If the electricity goes out during a firmware update, for example, an inteligent device will become totally inoperable except for a special sector of the BIOS that will detect this and would ask to reinstall the firmware CD, so as to complete the process. The device would only be unusable until you loaded a "readable" CD and then the process could be completed. If the update fails, even to the point where your CD gets stuck in the drive, and to get it out you would have to open the dvd player, loosen the loader and move the emergency ejection lever below it. I haven't personally checked this out, but it was reported here <http://forums.divx.com/viewtopic.php?topic=59684&forum=21> by a DVP642 user that his update failed and he had to send his dvd player back to Philips.

ERASE... What?! ERASE???
One of the various things that can screw up a firmware update is scaring the user with the message ERASE that normally appears on the TV screen and in the display panel during this process. The user might believe that he was duped by somebody, and in haste he might try to abort the update by unplugging the dvdplayer from the power outlet, and as a consequence, he would completely ruin his DVD player. The old firmware in fact is first erased so that the new firmware can be uploaded, but this is just a normal part of the process.

Where to download Official Firmwares And Roberts Link
- Official Philips Website
http://www.p4c.philips.com/files/d/dvp642_17/

- Roberts Link for 0531 Firmware
http://home.ica.net/~robert/Philips

Do not upgrade to any firmware as 0531 is the Best Firmware for this player.

WARNING: Do not 'upgrade' player's firmware! Newest firmware (at the moment of writing)is version 1139,
and it does NOT provide any new features, nor it will give you any extra support of xvid/divx files encoded
with Q-Pel/GMC. I couldn't find any differences between original 0531 and new 1139 firmwares but one important
difference: the quality of divx/xvid playback.

You will see more edge pixelation and jagginess with 1139 firmware.

_______________________

Pros & Cons

Pros
- Great Audio and Video quality for DVD/SVCD/VCD/MP3-CD/Divx
- Almost all DVD+-R/RW Media supported.
- Plays DTS on CD-R (a.k.a 'home made' SACD)
- Divx , Xvid Playback.
- Plays *any* VBR bitrate MP2 and MP3 audio files (tested up to 320kbps only)
- Plays nicely VBR MPEG-1 files (aka XVCDs) without usual audio-video desynchronisation
- Plays correct aspect ratio of SVCD files on DVD-R/RW burnt in ISO (without authoring)
- Very nice JPEG playback support off of any media (except for DVD-RAM)
- Region Free[not out of the box but can be made with a few key press on remote].
- Macrovision [0531 Firmware only].
- DTS decoder is provided.
- Firmware Upgradable.

Cons
- Doesn't read -RAM discs.
- Takes long to load DVD full of files.
- Doesn't play packet-writing formatted RW discs (tried Roxio's, Nero's, and Bs')
- Quality of MPEG-4 files (XviD/DivX) is not comparable to one you can have from your computer using proper codec adjustments and tv-out.
- Can't select secondary subtitles (i.e. if you have more subtitles than 1 you cant switch to second/third/ or fourth).
- Can't select secondary audio tracks (i.e. if you have 2 separate audio tracks, both in stereo).
- Pathetic audio switch for VCD/SVCD (as above: doesnt work for SVCDs at all, works only for dual language VCDs - where each language is a separate mono channel of same audio track).
- Disc Eject button missing in the Remote. Have to press STOP for a while to get the disc ejected.
- The RW/FF buttons actually skip chapters and the Previous/Next buttons Fast Forward and Rewind.
By this I mean that the universal icons on the buttons themselves donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t match up with the button functions.
- Max. FF is only 8X whereas LG claims 32X in latest model
- Time display on the player only - none on-screen. There is a place for it but itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s blank (ie --:--)
- It can display upto 11 character long filename. So no long filename support.
Hope you all enjoyed this Review and Research.

Do let me know about all your Positive and Negative Feedbacks on this review
Your Feedbacks will help me improve in near future

TheMask · May 16, 2005

Ahaaa!! Good to see u back mate! and with such an exhaustive review.. phew.. it'll take some time to read it all

Sanav3 · May 16, 2005

grt review dude... :hap2:
btw its available for 4.3K here in bombay....

Quad Master · May 16, 2005

Hey Sanju buddy the cost is 4 month old
sorry didnt verify it in the shop again

@ Masky - hope you enjoy reading it.

Masky Suggested me to submit this to Chip
Are you sure CHIP will publish this article i have taken pains in writing it.

Guys do let me know about your views on it.

Happy Reading

Rave · May 16, 2005

woah man, this is some review now, excellent work man..

bottle · May 16, 2005

very comprehensive review !

Apex · May 16, 2005

good review m8..
well done...
plz post thumbnails of big pics in future...
it helps users on slow conn and those using low screen res

Quad Master · May 17, 2005

Point noted QuickFire
but the thing is that i upload images at PhotoBucket.

Just can you give me a idea of how to post images as thumbnails with photobucket

Or does imageshack only have that feature of Thumbnails.

I like to upload pics to PB as its simple and easy and all my images are organised there.

All my images are compressed to jpg and each image is hardly 10-50kb
varies with size.

cowax · May 17, 2005

I've had the DVP 642 for more than a yr. now, and let me tell you, its the best dvd player yet. plays everything u throw at it.
I got for a mere 60$ at that time....worth every penny.amazon.com had some special price that time, dunno whts the current price now.
And its a dream come true for every movie downloader....esp when u got a divx collection of 200+ movies

Quad Master · May 17, 2005

This research is going from past 4months

Just 4 Months ago i became crazy for a Divx DVD Player as i had a lot
of Divx Encoded movies and my GPU's TV Out feature some how died dont
know. Then i thought why not get a Divx DVD Player then while i was roaming
in a mall my eyes fell on this Philips DVP642K and from that time i just started
my research and found out that one of my friends friend had this player, went to his home and tested the samples.

Well currently i am just enjoying movies on my PC but this is for all those
who are looking for a Divx DVD Player

There are also players from Mitashi available here in India but i bet hardly
people would like to get Mitashi product, have heard its gr8.

Well this is how this review & research happened.

stormblast · May 17, 2005

been using it since last year december. great player.

for best pic quality use the composite cables. it simply owns. big diff from rgb.

medpal · May 17, 2005

wow, what a great review thoroughly enjoyed it.

thread rated.

repped ya for this work.

i have this player since(november 2004, i got it in gift).
i am planning to get a 5.1 home theatre system to go with it in near future. can any one suggest one i have yet to survey.

Quad Master · May 17, 2005

Thanks for appreciating my effort.

Your word of thanks tells me that i was useful to someone else and it feels gr8.

Well i too am looking for 5.1 Speakers which could be hooked up to this.

Apex · May 17, 2005

Quad Master said:
Point noted QuickFire
but the thing is that i upload images at PhotoBucket.

Just can you give me a idea of how to post images as thumbnails with photobucket

Or does imageshack only have that feature of Thumbnails.

I like to upload pics to PB as its simple and easy and all my images are organised there.

All my images are compressed to jpg and each image is hardly 10-50kb
varies with size.

well..i'm not sure but i think only imageshack has tat thumbnail'ing feature...
why don u use imageshack then? its easy too...and u can organize ur pics there as well
once u register,,,and registration is FREE

TechHead · May 18, 2005

stormblast said:
been using it since last year december. great player.

for best pic quality use the composite cables. it simply owns. big diff from rgb.

Composite - don't you mean COMPONENT? Composite and RGB are teh same! Component = YPbPr, Luminosity,Chroma and Brightness..

Nice review,Quad.

~HeadShot~ · May 18, 2005

This is the most exhaustive review on TE till date! :yahoo:
Great work, Quad!
Thread rated!

Quad Master · May 18, 2005

Thanks Headshot

scarezebra · May 22, 2005

hey Guys. what about the Mitashi DivX player? Is it any good. I read a review of the player in some magazine.It had got a good review. Does anyone have any idea about how much the Mitashi Player costs in Munbai.

Centrino · May 27, 2005

lg has a new model (model 530??) which is far better than philips...

Research & Review - Divx DVD Karoke Player Philips DVP642K

Quad Master

TheMask

Sanav3

Quad Master

Rave

bottle

Caffeine Addict

Apex

Quad Master

cowax

Quad Master

stormblast

medpal

Resident Medic

Quad Master

Apex

TechHead

~HeadShot~

Quad Master

scarezebra

Centrino