How to address anti-copy (Macrovision) errors

lordsmurf · Posted: Nov 26, 2004 13:02

NOTE: This is not really a "restoration" topic, but I've quickly covered it anyway, as it's sure to come up. Posts concerning anti-copy should be confined to the CAPTURING forum (or DVD RECORDER forum if using DVD RECORDER).

Anti-copy is something studios put onto commercial VHS and DVD releases. It is an artificial error injected into the video stream, meant to confuse VCRs, DVD recorders and capture cards. It's there on purpose. Macrovision is merely one of the companies that makes an anti-copy algorithm (actually, they have 3 of them).

The unfortunate side-effect is this detection in VCRs/recorders/cards may be too strong, or it can confuse the artificial error with geniuine errors on unprotected tapes. This is the reasoning for this post.

This cannot be restored. Not in software, not with hardware. This is something that must be overcome DURING the capture process. You need one of three things to defeat anti-copy (or genuine errors that look like anti-copy).

1- A standalone full-frame timebase corrector (TBC). This is a flawless method. A full-frame TBC removes a portion of the signal and replaces it with a new one created by the TBC. Anti-copy and other similar errors reside in that part of the signal. Problem solved. About $200-300+
2- A "remover" or "enhancer" device. These are not flawless, but many tend to work a majority of the time. About $50-100+
3- A card/recorder/VCR that ignores that part of the signal. There are not many to choose from, and often the card/recorder/VCR is of lower/mediocre video/audio quality.

Do one of these 3 things to fix your situation.
Again, this is really more of a CAPTURE problem, not a restoration issue.

Samples:

Image as it SHOULD be:

Image with false anti-copy error ruining it:

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lordsmurf · Posted: Dec 31, 2004 13:10

Cheap clarifier/stabilizer/remover list:
I'll re-edit this post and list more as new ones are found:

Most popular:
- http://www.facetvideo.com/xcart/customer/home.php
- http://www.simacorp.com/products/item.ep.html?session=4df5e2be84d ... amp;id=476
- http://www.simacorp.com/products/item.ep.html?session=4df5e2be84d ... amp;id=477
- (Note: Best Buy and other "big name" stores carry SIMA products.)

Others:
- http://www.checkhere22.com/stabilizer.html
- http://www.lik-sang.com/news.php?artc=2874
- http://www.dimax.com.ua/English/dvd_recorder.htm
- http://www.sonel.com/
- http://www.stardevelopment.com/videomagicdvd.htm
- http://www.220-electronics.com/dvd/copyenhancer.htm
- http://www.teleshop.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/macrem.htm

I DO NOT GUARANTEE ANY OF THESE WORK.
I DO NOT GUARANTEE THESE STORES ARE TRUSTWORTHY.
AND OTHER PLACES MAY HAVE BETTER PRICES.
This is JUST for your reference on what exists.

And again, this thread is here to help you remove that over-protective nagging/corruption on VCRs, DVD recorders, and capture cards that sees protection where none actually exists (degraded homemade VHS tapes). These products are sometimes known to remove the problem, but add in others. Again, a FULL FRAME TBC is the best option, not these things.
_________________
digitalFAQ.com Guides for video capturing, restoring, authoring, burning. ATI AIW help.
NoMoreCoasters.com How to avoid burning bad discs. Blank media FAQ.

myfogin · Member Joined: 10 Jul 2002

I just got one of these in the mail yesterday.

Took about 2 minutes to hook up and has worked flawlessly on the few VHS tapes I tried last night (all retail macrovision tapes) Panny 85 dvr would not record when unhooked.

Noticed no loss in detail etc at all.

I don't see what you could get to do a better job at that price !!!

MrMoody · Mad Eye Joined: 26 May 2002 Location: NTSC Land

myfogin · Member Joined: 10 Jul 2002

http://www.checkhere22.com/stabilizer.html

I got the stabilizer

link works fine for me

funkguy4 · Elated Joined: 08 Jul 2002

woah, i just looked @ the link for that, and the picture looks exactly like one that i have lying around somewhere from the early nineties...except mine takes batteries, not external power, meh.
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MrMoody · Mad Eye Joined: 26 May 2002 Location: NTSC Land

Marvingj · Posted: Dec 31, 2004 19:44

Great Post!!!

fmctm1sw · Convoluted... Joined: 03 Jul 2002

youngblood · Member Joined: 04 Jun 2002 Location: The Ghost Planet

Does a good TBC take care of the whole problem with Macrovision or do you need a stabilizer also...

Thanks
YB

qkholland · Member Joined: 28 Dec 2004 Location: CA, USA

lordsmurf · Posted: Jan 05, 2005 03:17

gshelley61 · Frequent Flyer Joined: 19 May 2004 Location: USA

nixie · Member Joined: 19 Apr 2004

There were plans for a Macrovision scrubber in the old Radio-Electronics magazine back in the 1980s. It was an analog type circuit that removed the Macro pulses without removing line 21 or any of the usual information in the vertical blanking interval. It only removed the Macro pulses and not the color-stripe encoding. Also, it didn't remove the CGMS signal.

BKL · Member Joined: 06 Oct 2001

When converting my old VHS tapes, I use the pass-through feature of my Sony digital camcorder to ignore the Macrovision signal and convert the VHS analog video to DV for Firewire input to my PC. Provides great conversion performance. My ADVC-300 won't work with Macrovision tapes.

mysticdx · Member Joined: 29 May 2005 Location: none

the bottom picture in that guys post dos that when im editing on 2 vcr's one is sanyo vwm-950 and the other is a panasonic that i buyed in 98. i use the panasonic just for play but you can already see that type of ripple effect in the picture. but there nothing wrong with my sanyo so im try to go buy another one just like it. i can't buy big dvd recorders right now i just buy a bit at a time.

jolo · Member Joined: 13 Mar 2002 Location: United States

bgclarke · Member Joined: 13 Aug 2005 Location: Nepean, Ontario

I am considering getting a PVR (SA8300 SD) as well as a DVD recorder.

Question #1
When reading the manual for the PVR, I noticed that it has input jacks on the front of the unit. I was curious to know if anyone has tried using this PVR as a way to remove MV when transferring commercial VHS tapes (which I legally own) to DVD.

Question #2
I notice that when I send video signals through my HT receiver (Panny SA-HT400), the images shown on the TV are brighter than when they are sent directly to the TV. I'm assuming that some sort of video post-processor is at work here. So, if I pass the VHS A/V signals through my HT receiver and route the "VCR Out" from the HT receiver to the DVD recorder, could that be a way to remove the MV encoding?

I'd have to try to be sure, but I am curious if either of these methods have been tried before.

R55B · Member Joined: 27 Aug 2005 Location: Florida, USA

Re: Macrovision errors in analog transfer....
JVC, Sony and Panasonic VHS and S-VHS Duplicators will permit you to record your favorite media without interferance from the applied algorithm signal. There is a manual AGC (on/off) setting for that either internally, or on the control panel of the machine. Good for mixing music videos to movie footage, creating montages, etc. Plus, there is no loss of video quality in the record mode. Once the media is duplicated, it can then be digitised. Software for bypassing errors cannot equal the hardware fix.

vhelp · ..Semi Neutral.. Joined: 31 Mar 2001 Location: New York

@ LS

In my struggles w/ MV, I found that bumping down to a lower
grade capture card, proved perfectly acceptable results, and
I now incorporate my ATVW_VE card below, in my capture setups.

Perhaps adding in this tid-bit to your list may help some..

Other ATI cards based on the BTxxx chip, such as my
ATI-TV Wonder VE card. It uses the FUSION 878 chip.

And, my ATI-TV Wonder pci (other pc) used the Connectix chip.

Both these cards show absolutely no Macrovision. Just clean
video

-vhelp 3581
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R55B · Member Joined: 27 Aug 2005 Location: Florida, USA

[b]RE: Dated ATI VE

<In my struggles w/ MV, I found that bumping down to a lower
grade capture card, proved perfectly acceptable results, and
I now incorporate my ATVW_VE card below, in my capture setups.>

You should describe your software load for these old cards. Dated software can be overridden by an autoupdate. Are you running the VE card without Rage software present on your machine? Or just the old drivers? Many probably have never heard that the VE or TV wonder can beat MV's. Please elaborate.

vhelp · ..Semi Neutral.. Joined: 31 Mar 2001 Location: New York

fwiw..

To date, I have not been able to capture tapes with MV writen on them
through my ATI Rage Fury Pro capture/graphics card, which is using the
WDM drivers.

I have done many countless re-installations of my AT Rage Fury Pro card,
and my ATI-TV Wonder VE capture card and in every installation, no sign
of Macrovision from the VE card. The drivers I am using on the card are
those from my VE 's ATI installation disk.

Remember, the VE has the BT8x8 chip [Fusion 878] and also, is driven by
the VFW driver, not the wdm driver. And, all my MV writen tapes run
through the VE perfectly without any sign of MV anywheres

-vhelp 3582
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R55B · Member Joined: 27 Aug 2005 Location: Florida, USA

RE: ATVW_VE Capture Card

Gotcha. But I see you have 3 cards in use. How do you switch between the three? Please reply! Thanks.

vhelp · ..Semi Neutral.. Joined: 31 Mar 2001 Location: New York

>> Gotcha. But I see you have 3 cards in use. How do you switch between
>> the three? Please reply! Thanks

Simple. During my MV testing, and using more than one ATI capture card..

Inside my capture software, there is an option item you pulldown and
select what "capture driver" you want to use. This can vary from
capture software to capture software.. and may not be the same menu item
or tab item, or whatever/whereever it is placed.

I am able to test for MV in a multi-capture card system by ...

For example.. in avi_io, the menu item, "Devices" gives the user a
choice of "capture drivers" to use in a given capture. If you have two
capture cards, then you'll see two choice, for instance. In my case,
my two (actually, three, I have my DC10+ card too) ATI show up as,

** Studio DC10 ------------------ [is my DC10Plus card]
** MSVIDEO: brooktree ----------- [is my VE card]
** Microsoft WDM image capture -- [is my Rage Fury card]

-vhelp 3585
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