Can you program a Logitech Harmony Universal Remote to be a region hack remote?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Can you program a Logitech Harmony Universal Remote to be a region hack remote?

BitCrushed

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#175674 8-Jul-2015 00:16

I've learnt that you apparently need a £12 remote to make the Panasonic DMP-BD81 Blu-Ray player region free on the DVD side, and since I have a Logitech Harmony remote, I was wondering if it would be possible to program the remote fulfill the position of that region hacking remote.

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1961 posts

Uber Geek

#1339054 8-Jul-2015 08:50

No. The Harmony remote won't work but if you take the Player to your local Panasonic service agent they will do it for free charging it back to Panasonic. I've had several done over the last few years.

BitCrushed

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1339093 8-Jul-2015 09:37

Well where can I find one of those?

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#1339129 8-Jul-2015 10:35

What area are you in?

B1GGLZ

1961 posts

Uber Geek

#1339198 8-Jul-2015 12:06

BitCrushed: Well where can I find one of those?

Contact Panasonic and ask. I found mine via their website.

kiwiharry

1030 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Subscriber

#1339209 8-Jul-2015 12:29

Looks like OP is in the UK. Unsure if the region unlock service is offered by Panasonic in all countries. I'm assuming Panasonic do it here in NZ as parallel importing is legal.

If you can't laugh at yourself then you probably shouldn't laugh at others.

bfginger

1268 posts

Uber Geek

#1339288 8-Jul-2015 15:29

The last time I looked it was possible to do it with the Harmony but was complicated and required some special measures. Try Googling for it.

You don't need to buy a specific remote as any learning remote that can be programmed to send the right remote codes can do it.

BitCrushed

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1339568 8-Jul-2015 22:55

To be honest, having trouble with the googling is why I first made this topic, but I'll try.

Would I have to have a copy of the region hack remote at hand so the Harmony remote could "learn from it"?

Wise

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bazzer

3438 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1339748 9-Jul-2015 10:18

BitCrushed: To be honest, having trouble with the googling is why I first made this topic, but I'll try.

Would I have to have a copy of the region hack remote at hand so the Harmony remote could "learn from it"?

Yes, but someone else may have already done that and provided codes to teach the Harmony. I know that I found some codes online (for something else) that I was able to sync to my Harmony.

sen8or

1789 posts

Uber Geek

#1339800 9-Jul-2015 11:07

It is possible, I'm not sure of the remote code for your model, but my old BD80 was done via harmony. Someone on audioenz I think it was let me borrow his log in to Harmony and upload the sequence to my remote, then I was able to go through the motions of pressing the right sequence etc. This is probably about 4 years ago or so now. There was a site I found on google somewhere that had something similar. There are a few discrete codes not readily available in the Panasonic Harmony database that obviously someone learned onto a remote from some sort of master.

Could ultimately be easier and cheaper to spend the 12quid and be done with it.

doug3

100 posts

Master Geek

#1340199 9-Jul-2015 20:19

https://www.avforums.com/threads/multi-region-dvd-hack-using-harmony-and-pronto-codes.1519325/

BitCrushed

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1362531 11-Aug-2015 06:27

I tried that exact hack with no avail. I see too potential issues here:

-I got the Panasonic DMP-BD81 in December 2014, so I don't know if they blocked it by then.

-Before trying the hack, I combined all the separate ten hex codes into one command through this tutorial and when entered, that made it so that whenever the player starts up, it displays this "Enjoy select internet content with Network Service. Simply press the INTERNET button." message briefly that it shouldn't.

BitCrushed

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1363312 12-Aug-2015 01:13

Sorry, I meant to mean this tutorial in my last post: http://kodi.wiki/view/Pronto_Universal_Remote_Hex_Codes

MikeAqua

7779 posts

Uber Geek

#1365337 13-Aug-2015 10:13

Every DVD player I have owned has been hackable to Multizone with the remote it came with and instructions supplied by Chief Technical Officer Google.

I've done three of mine and half a dozen for extended family (family have to love you even if you brick their DVD player).

Several brands and I have never had a failure or a problem.

If I can do it ...

Mike

MattR

224 posts

Master Geek

#1365642 13-Aug-2015 15:28

MikeAqua: Every DVD player I have owned has been hackable to Multizone with the remote it came with and instructions supplied by Chief Technical Officer Google.

You've obviously never tried a Panasonic Blu-Ray player. I have a DMP-BD77 and haven't had any luck getting my old Harmony 880 to set it free.

"Panasonic NZ no longer pre set DVD recorders or players for all region multi-zones. However, we will multi-zone for all regions on request. This needs to be done by an Authorised Service Centre, as a special service remote is used. Once delivered to one of these agents, the service company will charge the fee to Panasonic NZ."

Masterpiece

247 posts

Master Geek

#1365883 13-Aug-2015 21:12

BitCrushed: I tried that exact hack with no avail. I see too potential issues here:

-I got the Panasonic DMP-BD81 in December 2014, so I don't know if they blocked it by then.

-Before trying the hack, I combined all the separate ten hex codes into one command through this tutorial and when entered, that made it so that whenever the player starts up, it displays this "Enjoy select internet content with Network Service. Simply press the INTERNET button." message briefly that it shouldn't.

Hmmm I'm pretty certain the codes must remain separate to work in the harmony remote.
I have the Harmony 1 and I coded the 10 entries separately, enter each in sequence, when you get to the tenth the device reboots.

Me:"I'm not a robot!"

ET: "Maybe; you have some freewill, but you chose your path by arrangement"

Me "That sounds like a program with no freewill?"

ET: "We will catch up when you end this cycle"

Me: "Sounds like a 'KPI'!"

ET: "Did you read the terms and conditions?"

Me: .....

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