DVD copy to VCR did not work; help!

[DrJeff]

Boy, do I feel stupid...

I tried to make a simple copy of a DVD I OWN to a VCR tape and just got garbage. I needed to play the movie on the kids' TV/VCR combo that does not have the right inputs. Thankfully, I only tried a few minutes, then checked to see if the taping was working. I had totally forgotten about DVD copy-protection and tried to hook up the Red-White-Yellow video patch cable from the OUT of the DVD player to the IN of the VCR. I know the TV was getting the right signal because I previewed it on screen before starting the taping trial.

Can anyone point me to an archive or a site that explains DVD copy-protection and a way around it for making legit archival/backup copies? I am ignorant about this and want to learn. Surely someone has figured a work-around. I cannot understand how the recording industry can make the VCR misunderstand the feed that a dumb TV can understand perfectly.

Confused and frustrated,
Jeff

 

[IndieSnob]

What you are seeing is due to the macrovision protection that doesn't allow recording from any output sources to your vcr. There are programs out there that let you defeat it though.

 

[AaronP]

buy an OLD VCR.

 

[spanky]

what kinda dvd player is it? sometimes there are key sequences u can punch into the remote to override macrovision. google will be able to help u out with that.

 

[DrJeff]

The DVD player is an Apex 1500, real cheapo. What or who is Google? You mean the site?

Do older VCRs lack the circuitry to respect the copy protection or something?

Someone here also asked if you were able to run the signal through a Dazzle Video Creator, would that help in any way?

 

[Mavrick007]

The macrovision is on the DVD and in the DVD player too. It somehow knows when it's connected directly to a tv or when it is going through a vcr. I couldn't get my dvd to even play when connected through the vcr, it was an on and off picture so I had to go through the tv.

Hehe They don't want you to make backups and therefore there is no "legit" way of dealing with this.

 

[spanky]

i know the apex models from a year or two back were very easy to disable macrovision. do a search on google.

 

[DrJeff]

That's just great! I've already paid their friggin' royalties once on the DVD and now they demand I pay royalties
again just to play the movie on a non-DVD-equipped TV. That is soooo Hollywood. Somebody ought to pass a law...:disgust:

 

[Don66]

you can use a box called Macrovision deafeater.

or there are new vcr dvd combos.

 

[tsapiano]

The problem is that Macrovison takes advantage of the Automatic Gain Control system modern VCRs use. This is a bit simplified, however the basic idea is that prior to every frame there is a burst that is used to calibrate the signal strength for RF transmissions. Macrovision basically randomly moves this burst strength up and down, so that the VCR's AGC circuitry will continually be adjusting the gain, and hence corrupting the fixed strength video signal.

Televisions don't have the same problem, because composite and S-Video signals are relatively stable (they're not comming off an antena so they should peek out at the same level all the time) so they simply ignore the burst signal. Older VCRs also didn't have the AGC circuitry, so they aren't affected by the Macrovision system.

There are commercial defeaters out there, as it is not only 'fair use' coppies that it causes problems with. Several types of front projection televisions also get scrambled by the system, and it also means that you generally can't run the DVD player through the VCR if your television doesn't have multiple A/V inputs (or if the TV's only input is an RF jack). The defeaters essentially intercept the bursts and replace them with a standard strength pulse, essentially nulling the macrovision system and providing you with a standard video signal.

 

[rbV5]

<< That's just great! I've already paid their friggin' royalties once on the DVD and now they demand I pay royalties >>



No different than buying a VHS tape and trying to play it on a non-VHS equipped TV, quit your crying and RIP the DVD like anyone else with a lick o' sense...hehe

 

[LethalWolfe]

<< That's just great! I've already paid their friggin' royalties once on the DVD and now they demand I pay royalties
again just to play the movie on a non-DVD-equipped TV. That is soooo Hollywood. Somebody ought to pass a law...:disgust: >>



Bit OT here...

But considering that rentals and VHS/DVD purchases are where 9 out of 10 movies start to make a profit (or at least break even) of course studios are gonna be paranoid and use the best copy protection they can. Especially now whne you can make a flawless copy of the original DVD.


Lethal

 

[DieHardware]

Just flash your player to get rid of macrovision, worked on my 1500. Linky

 

[Mark R]

Get a super-VHS VCR records the whole signal (including the macrovision - so you can't then copy the SVHS to normal VHS) perfectly and crystal clear.

 

[powerMarkymark]

<<

<< That's just great! I've already paid their friggin' royalties once on the DVD and now they demand I pay royalties >>



No different than buying a VHS tape and trying to play it on a non-VHS equipped TV, quit your crying and RIP the DVD like anyone else with a lick o' sense...hehe >>



Excactly, rip the DVD, then play it from the hard drive and you should be able to record it to VCR.

You could even encode to DivX and have a backup copy on CD if you wanted.

Good luck.

 

[Workin']

<< Somebody ought to pass a law...:disgust: >>

They're working on it! The blood suckers are working on a law (the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act) that would make what you are trying to do a FELONY! That's right, you could be charged with a felony crime just for TRYING to defeat a copy-protection system. You don't even have to successfully defeat it for it to be a crime. But that's probably not the kind of law you had in mind...

This goes beyond even the unconstitutional provisions of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA). If you are a US citizen you should be outraged! :disgust: :|

If you want to do something about it go here and follow the instructions. The deadline for public comment is April 8, 2002, so hurry, and have your friends hurry too!!!