Maybe I'm missing something but I do everything in reverse. I copy any shows I think I even remotely want from pay-per-view for 2.99. I always get a quality copy from satelite and you frequently see some of the more older shows.

If I don't like the movie it's gone. If the movie is decent I keep the VHS. If I really like the movie I go buy the DVD for the theater system and I keep the VHS copy. Copying from DVD to VHS seems backwards to me.

Copying from satellite is very limited if you want a widescreen movie--which is the only acceptable format for me. True, there are some widescreen pay-for-views, but they are too few and far between.

Question. Is the Macrovision protection set up in VCRs or in the actual DVD player? People talk about chipping-- mod chipping... this chip is for the VCR? or DVD? I am guessing if it is for the DVD it would remove macrovision from being transmitted to the VCR which looks for macrovision protection? Or if it is the VCR that is chipped-- it would just ignore the macrovision it receives from the DVD signal??

Which piece of hardware is normally chipped?

Also, I heard that at radio shack you can buy a wireless transmitter to send the video signal to the vcr-- and this will somehow bypass the macromedia signal.. any truth here?

Thanks for all the info!

As I understand it, the DVD is encoded with a signal that is sent to the VCR telling it to enable the Macrovision. The VCR has the Macrovision, the DVD turns it on.

My SCC doesn't work! I connected the s-video from my DVD player into the SCC, then the composite from the scc into the video input of my vcr. Here are some interesting observations for anyone who can help explain:
1. Before I press record on the VCR the image is perfect on the tv, with or without the 'bypass' button pressed.
2. When I push 'record' on my VCR the image gets real dark, sometimes it goes away and comes back. I have a top of the line Toshiba VCR(M785) and DVD player(DV-05).

Hey Mike, how can i get a hold of Larry Emeigh?

does anyone know how i can watch a dvd player, with no coaxial cable output, on a tv with only a coaxial cable. of course running it through my vcr distorts it.
thanks steve

Hate to say it, but if your TV only has coaxial inputs it's REALLY time to upgrade... especially if you plan on watching DVDs on it. However, I do believe Radio Shack has a composite-to-coaxial converter. The results are less than inspiring, but it'll work.

Check into your TV, you may not *need* to buy anything at all.

We recently purchased a Toshiba CinemaSeries 27" TV, mainly beacuse it had component input for DVD. It also, like may other TV's we looked at, has component audio/video out. If your set has these outputs, you can simply run from there to your VHS to get a recording.

Heck, the Toshiba manual even has a specific diagram and instructions on how to set up to record DVD!!!

Doc

I agree with the Mlang's comments. I have a Philips VCR and a RCA VCR. The Philips VCR will let me copy a DVD to tape, the RCA won't.

For that guy....DVD to coaxial to run DVD = video converter available at radio shack, best buy, or even walmart - around $30.

How Macrovision Works:
Macrovision (my knowledge from other forums and the macrovision company data) is encoded on the DVD disc and the DVD player just sends it out. It sends a up and down color signal (gain) through the line. Your TV has what is called an 'Automatic Gain Control' circuit. This makes the picture stable and viewable.

On the other hand, your "normal" VCR does not have AGC. So the picture gets copied weird because the DVD is sending this weird signal and the VCR cannot compensate for it. The VCR copies the images with the up and down color/gain switching.
When you play the VCR, the recorded up and down color/gain is preceived by the TV as a NORMAL signal with correct color/gain and is displayed "AS-IS" (all messed up!).

I say "normal" because if you have an older VCR, some of them have AGC and will record correctly! Almost all new VCR's since 1990 or so, do not.

DVD chips and mods (modifications) remove or block this gain signal from going out. They require voiding your warranty and soldering and are really technical in the instructions about IC's, etc...

From my experience, most "Video Stabilizers" do not work.

I have yet to find -one- single product that works for all DVD/VCR/Disc combos.

Sima Corp (simcorp.com) SCC Pro-Series ColorCorrector is probably the best.

The 'wireless' trasmitter (in a previous post) probably does not work since it does not AGC either. Remember, your're transmitting to a device (TV) that *does* have AGC. Try hooking up a non-AGC device (VCR) and copying the signal. Bet it won't work.

-jar

Jar, I think you have it backwards. VCR's HAVE AGC's
and TV's DONT. When the macrovision encoded signal
is recieved by the VCR, the AGC is fooled into thinking the signal is very bright and it turns down the
brightness (or something akin to brightness). It's the AGC in the VCR that's reacting to the macrovision.

Ken

Macrovision and other copy protection schemes can be removed completely and permanently from copies with the use of a Time Base Corrector. It's a $400-$700 piece of video studio gear that strips out ALL the color sync info on the original and replaces it during playback with a generated clean solid signal. Studios use it to stabilize images from several tape machines or cameras so that switching can occur seamlessly.

WARNING: IT IS ILLEGAL TO MAKE COPIES OF MATERIAL FOR WHICH YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION OR HOLD THE COPYRIGHT. THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

The absolute best solution to the need to (legally) copy a DVD to video tape is to use a DVD player which allows the Macrovision protection to be turned off. DVD players, unlike VCR's, must generate the Macrovision signal during playback since it cannot be encoded digitally on the DVD (it is an analog scheme). A DVD simply includes a "copy protection" bit, and if it is set "on" then the DVD player will add Macrovision to the converted analog video output.

Check out the APEX AD600A DVD player, sold at Circuit City for only $170. Among other unique abilities, it can be programmed to ignore a DVD's copy protection bit and output without Macrovision at all times. This allows a copy to be made which is as close to the original as possible, since no outboard Macrovision "cleaner" or other post-processing is required. Other features of the APEX include (believe it or not): multi-region, PAL or NTSC output, PAL to NTSC (or vice-verse) conversion, reads DVD - VCD - SVCD - CD - CDR - CDRW, plays MP3 files burned to CDR/W (open, closed, or multisession), karaoke w/two microphone inputs, playback control can be turned off to access DVD chapters in "raw" mode, component - svideo - composite video outputs, analog and coaxial digital audio outputs, plus a whole lot more. Actually quite unbelievable for $170! Looks kind of cheap, but mine has held up well so far, and the Macrovision feature alone is worth the price.

I routinely copy my DVD's to tape. I use an older Samsung model VR8501 hi-fi stereo VCR that seems to be immune to Macrovision. If you can find one of these, snatch it up, it's a nice machine. My newer Panasonic on the other hand can't handle Macrovision at all.

i've been reading that macrovision is testing their technology with cds. they have released copies to the public to test the concept and apparently nobody has noticed a difference.

sounds like macrovision for dvds is so easily defeated, why is it even there?