Something I never knew until today.

[VampDude]

DVD Players/Recorders can "BRICK"

I downloaded an official firmware for my DVD player/recorder (from the manufacturers site) earlier and followed all the steps (even for making the CD image and burning), then I placed the CD in the disc tray and it went through the process of upgrading the firmware.

The screen showed that it was upgrading and then showed it had successfully finished, but when I inserted a DVD disc it showed an error message saying "Put Cd In" and I though to myself that it meant the upgrade firmware CD I had created. But it wasn't, and my DVD player/recorder then refused to show any output whatsoever so I came to the conclusion it had bricked...

...But to my suprise when I Googled it, it had also happened to other people. I then went to think why the company didn't fix the firmware (it's just over a year old), but thankfully due to the manufacturers neglect a group of hackers had made a program to hack and customize the official firmwares within seconds which then with my new firmware I re-followed the steps of creating the disc image and burning. And to my total amazement, the firmware I had customized with the software unbricked my DVD player/recorder.

Firmwares are everywhere thesedays, and hackers who do their own things to these firmwares. Those hackers saved me from having to send my DVD player/recorder (which is past it's warranty) away to be repaired, it's cool how hackers help us more than the manufacturers on lots of things :)

[TeenDev]

that sucks... I wonder if I can 'BRICK' my router and modem?

[Elmarco]

I might have bricked my toaster...... :eek: i better check...

[VampDude]

that sucks... I wonder if I can 'BRICK' my router and modem?

You can, by trying to uncap the bandwidth limit (for faster downloads) which is somewhat illegal (but as is just about any hardware alteration).

Read This: * (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/02/05/cable_modem_hackers_conquer/)


Of course, the cable industry has it's own impossible dreams, which include preventing smart coders with lots of time and restless passion from hacking the next generation of cable modems. "What you're talking about only affects the DOCSIS 1.0 modems," says CableLabs' Marcia of the Surfboard hack. The DOCSIS 1.1 and 2.0 specifications only accept firmware that's been digitally signed by the cable company. "Once you move to a DOCSIS 1.1, and we already have some cable operators deploying 1.1, this hack is not a viable hack any more.... One mistake, and it turns the modem into a brick

[steve520]

Actually you can brick your router ive installed a custom firmware on mine. as long it has built in flash it can brick.

[wolfpack]

i should BRICK MY MICROWAVE! :p

[kcajblue]

lol, vamp.
i though you knew stuff like this.
even i knew you could brick.

that sucks... I wonder if I can 'BRICK' my router and modem?lol yes you can.

[Shrygue]

@ wolfpack and Elmarco: I don't think you can brick a microwave or a toster as kitchen appliances don't have flash memory in them. It really applies to other electonic gadgets such as the PSP, iPod, possibly a computer BIOS and others that have onboard NAND flash memory.

As for CD/DVD drives, I had already long known that they could be rendered unfunctional by bad firmware updates as many have flash memory in them.

[kcajblue]

lol ykb.
i cant tell if youre serious or not.
but i dont think that they both were serious.

[VampDude]

lol, vamp.
i though you knew stuff like this.
even i knew you could brick.
lol yes you can.

Nah, some things I just take for granted. After all it is a DVD player/recorder, they just seem like everyday non-technical household appliances (for playing and recording DVD's).


As for CD/DVD drives, I had already long known that they could be rendered unfunctional by bad firmware updates as many have flash memory in them.

Xbox 360's disc drive has flash memory.

[NoQuarter]

Our electronics are not meant to last forever.We have planned obsolescence in almost every facet of our society.Hey a chance of brickage is just a chance for more money in a manufacturers pocket.This is where it pays to spend the extra money and buy high quality products,you generally get what you pay for.I agree it is cool how hackers save our backsides.

[dejkirkby]

Vampdude, why don't you try coding a custom firmware for your DVD player, with a recovery menu!!

[pibs]

Xbox 360's disc drive has flash memory.

yep with a lil effort u can flash custom fw on it to run your legal backups;) it's also a nice way to get banned from live haha

btw some dvd players have region lock so custom fw helps with unlocking your dvd player.

[lmtlmt]

i wish the ps3 disc drive had flash memory to let me play *legal* backups..........

[VampDude]

Vampdude, why don't you try coding a custom firmware for your DVD player, with a recovery menu!!

I made a recovery disc thou dude, I used a cool program called ILO / LiteOn Firmware Hacker - Version 1.5b to not only unbrick my machine (strangely it's not an unbricker - but it unbricked my DVD) but to enable multiregion (which I had already done ages ago by pressing 2, 9, 6, 0 in the setup menu and selecting Region 0) and to unlock an extra recording time (LP - 3 hour) as my former record times were HQ (1 hour) SP (2 hours) EP (4 hours) and SLP (6 hours). It also removed Macrovision, which is cool (but not needed unless I wanna backup my old video cassettes) :)

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n304/vampdude/LiteOn-HackedFirmware.png


yep with a lil effort u can flash custom fw on it to run your legal backups;) it's also a nice way to get banned from live haha

btw some dvd players have region lock so custom fw helps with unlocking your dvd player.

Flashing the Xbox 360's drive at the has no real use at the moment, except for getting banned from LIVE. When the Xbox 360 has homebrew the flash process will have more use for people as it's cheaper than a mod-chip, well if you do it yourself. :p


i wish the ps3 disc drive had flash memory to let me play *legal* backups..........

lol, believe me that oneday the PS3 will have it's disc drive hacked...

...Hopefully not to enable backups, but for playing cool emu's! :D :cool:

[wolfpack]

@ wolfpack and Elmarco: I don't think you can brick a microwave or a toster as kitchen appliances don't have flash memory in them. It really applies to other electonic gadgets such as the PSP, iPod, possibly a computer BIOS and others that have onboard NAND flash memory.


I was only kidding, sheesh
no one can take a joke around here anymore

[VampDude]

I was only kidding, sheesh
no one can take a joke around here anymore

This isn't the JUNK Forum thou dude...

...I'm wondering if it's possible to brick a PS2, cause the PS2 uses a firmware (thou no custom firmwares).