Just thought I'd chime in about `K9604`/`NVR0408` device firmwares. There are two types of headers for the ROMs for this device. There's the `JUAN` header, and the non-`JUAN`. (It's been a few months since I was working with the firmware in Ghidra, so forgive me for not remembering the other firmware). From what I saw in `dvr_app`'s firmware upgrade function, it checks the header to determine which firmware decryption function to run. Since you're modifying the header, without unpacking and repacking the data, the new firmware file will not be encrypted properly, so it won't take the upgrade.
Honestly, your best bet if you're *really* trying to do this is to get a CH341A flash programmer, backup the rom, and flash a dump from another system. You won't really find this flash dump online, but can provide the ROM dump for the `NVR0408`/`K9604-W` system (motherboard `HI3520D_V318P3_NVR0408`) if you need it. This file is like 16MB large, so I can't just attach it here.