Hackable DVD players (was Re: Amiga Demo's)

[Tony Duell]

> >     Want something hackable? Look for an AP660 from Apex. No service manual
> > but full listing of the ROM :oD
> 
> I have one of those.  Unlike most cheap-o consumer devices, there _is_
> detailed internals data available - detailed enough to retool the
> firmware.
> 
> It's not full circuit diagrams and datasheets, but from the software
> side of things, much, much better than most devices.

I am wondering how useful a ROM listing is without scheamtics. Surely for 
something like this you need to know how the firmware interacts with the 
hardware (what the various I/O ports do, etc), and that means (at least 
to me) scheamtics and documented ICs.

> 
> It also has a bog-standard IDE DVD transport, unlike less expensive

For which you don't get service data, presumably. 

The transport (motors, laser pickup, etc) is probably the section most 
likely to fail, and the section with the most alignment adjustments. I'd need
service data on that.

-tony