DVD to VCR dubbing

[indy mike]

Anyone fooled around with dubbing DVD's to VHS cassettes? I need to do some transfers to take to school where no DVD players exist. Helpful hints would be appreciated!

[Jamie Tate]

There's not much to tell. If the DVD doesn't have a copy code the best way is to plug from the DVD to the VCR. Straight wire theory. If it has copy protection you'll have to buy a box that'll allow you to copy it. I use a Sony time base corrector. Reads through anything but there are much cheaper devices out there. Haven't researched it much though. Bet someone around here has.

[Jamie Tate]

This (http://www.macrovision.com/solutions/video/copyprotect/) explains macrovision.

Still looking for copy boxes.

[indy mike]

Why do I have the yucky feeling that what I want to dub has that pesky copy protection encoded??? Grrrrrrrrrr, 1 stinky copy is all I want to make...

[Jamie Tate]

Originally posted by indy mike
Why do I have the yucky feeling that what I want to dub has that pesky copy protection encoded??? Grrrrrrrrrr, 1 stinky copy is all I want to make...

Most of the big studios are putting Macrovision on their discs. All Disney titles I've noticed. Heck, even the 'Good Eats' DVDs I got from the Food Channel had it.

I found the box I was looking for.VideoStabilizer (http://www.videostabilizer.dk/)

Oops! Didn't know it was $495. :bigeek: Sorry.:shake:

[Snowdor]

indy mike,

There is a unit Sima makes called a Video Color Corrector, SCC,
that will do what you need. You can do a search and find it at many places.
It is in the $100 range.

It does a good job and you can manually adjust various color, brightness, etc. Good luck.:)

[Grant]

I have an old $35 battery-powered black box I used to use but it quit working. The shop that used to sell them closed up.

[indy mike]

Hmmm, this makes me feel like a crook, when all I want is a single copy of something to help one of my students - dagnabbit, I'm just plain honked off about this...

[Jamie Tate]

What is it you're trying to copy?

[indy mike]

Well, without getting too specific it's something from a large company who in the past was vehemently against VCR's, and now cranks out stuff from their archives at an alarming pace; unfortunately for me, they somehow ended up with the rights to a very educational series of animated shorts that focused on grammar, math, civics - criminy, I don't want the feds busting down my doors for this thread!

[Michael]

Originally posted by indy mike
Well, without getting too specific it's something from a large company who in the past was vehemently against VCR's, and now cranks out stuff from their archives at an alarming pace; unfortunately for me, they somehow ended up with the rights to a very educational series of animated shorts that focused on grammar, math, civics - criminy, I don't want the feds busting down my doors for this thread!

Did you try copying it without the box? Usually all that happens is a light/dark change in picture. Annoying but watchable for a one time viewing.

[sgraham]

Whenever I've tried it I've gotten all sorts of horrible things. Bars, buzzes, rolling, tearing pictures. Looks sort of OK while dubbing, but not when you play it back.

[Grant]

Originally posted by Michael


Did you try copying it without the box? Usually all that happens is a light/dark change in picture. Annoying but watchable for a one time viewing.

Macrovision has two flavors of copyguard, One changes colors and one flickers and rolls and changes colors. I can't tolerate either. They give me headaches!

[Jamie Tate]

Originally posted by indy mike
Well, without getting too specific it's something from a large company who in the past was vehemently against VCR's, and now cranks out stuff from their archives at an alarming pace; unfortunately for me, they somehow ended up with the rights to a very educational series of animated shorts that focused on grammar, math, civics - criminy, I don't want the feds busting down my doors for this thread!

I think there's an exemption for educators. I used to tape shows for my high school (yes, AV geek club) and they were allowed to record anything and keep it for a month.

[SVL]

You can either:

record in VHS to an S-VHS VCR. most of which have a time-base correction circuit that should take care of some of the Macro artefacts;

rip the DVD to a PC that has a video out, using the ripping software to disable Macro, and then record to VCR from the PC.

[aashton]

Originally posted by SVL
rip the DVD to a PC that has a video out, using the ripping software to disable Macro, and then record to VCR from the PC.

If you use a Mac with OS-X you can go the same route as Sergei suggests by using something like DVD backup available here

http://www.WormInTheApple.gr/macdvd/download.html

All the best - Andrew

[-=Rudy=-]

I ran into this problem myself. Because I didn't have a lot of video inputs, I was trying to run a DVD player through the S-VHS VCR's inputs. All I'd end up with was the pulsating bright/dark/color protection. I tried making a tape from a DVD, and it came out with a VERY strange venetian blind effect!

Probably shouldn't mention this, but there is a VERY avid hacker community for DVD players. Surprisingly, a cheaper off-brand player (made by Apex) is easily modified. (Or you can find places that sell modified players if you know where to look.) Typical modifications include defeating the region encoding (to play DVDs from any part of the world), and turning off the Macrovision. (The actual Macrovision encoding happens in the player--the DVD just tells it whether to activate or not.) The Apex players, too, have a switchable NTSC/PAL circuit (on the remote) to play PAL DVDs on NTSC equipment. (I'd have to check it personally, but I've been told that is how it works.) I'm tempted to get one and de-region it since there are a few music DVDs from other countries I'd like to get ahold of...and it won't break the bank.

The Apex players are usually found online, or at places like Sam's Club or Walmart. Single-disc players are well under $100. Probably not the ultimate quality, but they serve a purpose. ;-)

With certain older DVD models, you can find instructions online for key sequences to change the region encoding, or defeat it. IIRC, one or two of them may have enabled access to a hidden config menu where you could change the region and defeat the Macrovision.

I'm not promoting piracy, but it really irks me that I can't even make a copy for my own use. I'd rather give the kids a 50 cent videotape copy to use, rather than a $25 DVD. And my issue with running the DVD through the VCR just for viewing really irked me. I have looked into ripping a DVD and making a VCD copy, but the whole ripping process just looks overly complicated.

[Jamie Tate]

The Apex machines look horrible, like watching a quicktime movie... well, not quite that bad.

[-=Rudy=-]

Like I said, the Apex is for a limited purpose...I'd rather watch a BAD picture from a modified Apex than not see a DVD at all. Then again, I can't judge picture quality on a badly-adjusted Sylvania at the local Sam's Club!

[SVL]

If you look into this in more detail, you will see that not just Apex and the like, but even major brands usually leave a back door to defeat regional coding in their players.

Macrovision is a different story, probably because there is more studio pressure there.

Something else that bugs people in a major way is the UOP (User Operation Prohibited) commands in DVD player software - things that make you watch promo clips and FBI warnings. Some modifications take care of those as well... or so I have heard;)

[Jamie Tate]

Originally posted by Rudy@A&MCorner
Like I said, the Apex is for a limited purpose...I'd rather watch a BAD picture from a modified Apex than not see a DVD at all.

I agree. I recently bought a PAL DVD I was dying to see. Recording it with my friend's Apex will hold me over until I can do a better transfer with my computer (Thanks HZ!).

[-=Rudy=-]

Originally posted by SVL
Something else that bugs people in a major way is the UOP (User Operation Prohibited) commands in DVD player software - things that make you watch promo clips and FBI warnings. Some modifications take care of those as well... or so I have heard;)

Bingo! These are VERY annoying. Especially when it takes you five minutes to wade through all the warnings, that infernal THX noise, and countless other things just to get to a menu that says "start" or "play".

That's one good arguemnt for Laserdisc--you put it in, and the program starts playing immediately. (The warnings are easily skipped.) To me, this is one of DVD's biggest shortcomings--you can no longer just put a movie in and play it!

I'll have to check into those backdoors, though...I haven't really looked at it in depth recently.

[BradOlson]

eBay has Macrovision copy boxes available all the time.

[RetroSmith]

Indy, if you use an OLD VCR to record the DVd, it will ignore the Macrovision.

Any "Top Loader" should work.

[Sckott]

I use a SIMA COLOR CORRECTOR for DVD when I absolutely must (or can't) use a DVD directly to the TV.

The nice thing about it is, you can EQ the color, brightness and sharpness AND it does not let Macrovision through.

Buy it at J&R. Works with RCA Coax and the digital S-Vid out, and also vice virsa for output as well. I bought mine for the same price, about $111.00.


http://www.jandr.com/JRProductPage.process?RestartFlow=t&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=1395&pcount=&Product_Id=21754&Sort=

Yes, some DVDs use code 1 or 2 Macrovision, and that hurts the consumer something fierce. Absolutely stupid.