OPPO DV-981HD DVD Player

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Firmware Update Instructions

Version: MVer: 05.00.01.07 Batch: 19-0701A, 19-0701B or 19-0701
(All three batch numbers correspond to the same firmware release and contain the same feature/improvement set. Different batch numbers are used in different production runs.)
Category: Minor Update
Release Date: July 7, 2008

Warning: Although DIY firmware upgrade is an easy and usually trouble-free process, an improper or failed firmware upgrade could render the DVD player unusable. Choose DIY only if you are aware of and accept the risks of performing DVD player firmware upgrade. Otherwise, you can contact OPPO at service@oppodigital.com or OPPO authorized resellers to send the player back for the upgrade.

Before You Start

• Follow the instructions EXACTLY; Don't press the "Open/Close" key until the player reboots itself. The entire process takes between 2-3 minutes. Stay focused and be patient during this process.
• Make sure the AC power connection is secured; use an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) from your PC if necessary (in areas where AC is not stable). Do not interrupt power on the DVD player during the update process.
• The firmware will have factory default settings that may be different from the settings you currently have. You may want to note your current settings as you will have to reconfigure them after installing this firmware.

DIY Instructions

1. View the release note below.
2. Download the firmware from http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/download/DV981HD-19-0701.iso
3. Burn a CD from the downloaded ISO image file. Be sure to burn the CD as an ISO image file, not a data file. The CD should contain a 935.BIN and a 981.BIN file if you burned it successfully. Please consult your CD burning software's help/instruction manual for more information on how to do this. Some general instruction for common CD burning software is listed below.
4. Turn on your TV display and the OPPO player.
5. Open the player tray and insert the firmware CD, and then close the tray.
6. As soon as the CD is loaded, you will see "Press Play To Start" on your TV display. Press the PLAY key on the remote or the player once.
7. The TV display shows "File Copying" and then "UPGRADING"
8. In about 8 seconds, the CD will be ejected.  Remove the CD quickly; DO NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE. What follows is the process when the player will reboot itself.
9. DO NOT PRESS ANY BUTTONS NOR ATTEMPT TO CLOSE THE TRAY NOR UNPLUG THE POWER DURING THE REMAINING UPGRADE PROCESS.
10. After approximately 1 - 2 minutes, the player reboots itself and closes the tray automatically to complete the process. The update process is completed when the front panel of the DVD player shows "No Disc".
11. After updating the firmware, the TV display may lost synchronization with the player and show no picture. It is recommended that you turn off the DVD player, unplug it from the AC power, wait a few seconds and then plug back the AC power.
12. Turn on the DVD player and adjust the settings if necessary.
13. With the tray ejected, press the "OSD" button on the remote control to verify the firmware version.
14. Congratulations! You have just completed the firmware upgrade.

Release Note

The following improvements are included in this version:

1. PAL Disc Compatibility

A handful of PAL DVD discs have been identified to cause the DV-981HD to go into standby mode automatically when the "Video Mode" is set to "Video 2". This revision corrects the problem and can play these discs normally.

2. Subtitle and Audio Selection

Users reported that when playing some international versions of Disney DVD titles, the subtitle and audio selection can only be made at the disc menu. The "SUBTITLE" and "AUDIO" remote control buttons cannot select the desired subtitle or audio tracks. This revision fixes the problem.

3. LPCM Rate for Coaxial and Optical Output

With previous firmware versions, the "LPCM Rate" setup menu item is grayed out when HDMI audio is in use, and users cannot select high sample rate for the coaxial and optical output. This revision removes the restriction. Even when HDMI audio is in use, users can still set the "LPCM Rate" setup menu item and the player will output 96k or 192k PCM audio over its coaxial and optical output if the source material is encoded with such high sample rates.

4. Recorded Disc Compatibility

This firmware version includes improvements made to enhance compatibility with recorded discs based on some user provided materials. Although the product specification indicates "Compatibility with user-encoded contents or user-created discs is on a best effort basis with no guarantee due to the variation of media, software and techniques used," OPPO tries very hard to accommodate our customers' compatibility requests. This firmware version enhances compatibility with some DVD+R and DVD-R media. These improvements are based on materials submitted by users. Thanks to all who provided materials for testing.

All new features and improvements from the previous firmware versions are also included in this revision

General instructions on working with ISO image files

Note: These are general instructions on how to burn the firmware CD with common CD burning software. Please consult your CD burning software's help/instruction manual for more detail.

• In Nero Burning Rom version 6 or 7 , go to the ‘Recorder > Burn Image…' menu and select the ISO image you downloaded.
• In Nero Burning ROM version 5 or earlier, just go to Nero Burning ROMs ´File > Burn Image' option and select the ISO image you downloaded.
• In Nero Express select the option for 'Disc Image or Saved Project' to select the ISO image file you downloaded and burn to CD.
• In Easy CD Creator , go to 'File > Record CD from CD Image' and select the ISO image you downloaded.
• In Burn At Once (third-party free software), go to 'File > Load Image File...' and select the ISO image you downloaded.