eliminating Macro

[bluevine]

I want to make a backup copy of a DVD that I bought to VHS. I tried to hook it directly from my DVD player to the VHS deck and even with a Sima Copy buster (a few years old) I still get multiple horizontal lines on the VHS copy which tells me its got MacroVision.
If I rip the DVD to my hard drive, will the resultant AVI files still have Macro? Or do I have to convert it to MPG format to eliminate the macro?
Either way, I assume I can then output either format through my computer to a video output which is hooked up to my VCR and record it that way.
Perhaps Macro can't be eliminated this way at all. I don't want to get into the this DVD hack stuff as I'm not that technically proficient
Thanks

[gll99]

Even if you remove the macrovision you may not like the quality of a TV-out to vcr copy.

There are programs that remove macrovision but they are not free.

One which works with POwerDVD and WINDVD is called DVDidle.

Another which is viseo card specific is called TVtool.

You would have to find their sites and see if they are suitable for you.

DVDidle allows you to play your DVD and watch the video on your TV-out or copy it to vcr with macro removed.

TVtool basically blocks the macro signal at your video card or uses a substitute driver but it only works with TNT or certain GEforce cards.
The tvtool site has an older free product called tvcc2000 but it too is card specific.

Using smartripper (imbedded in dvdx also) will remove macrovision from the ouput. Technically you could just rip the DVD and play the ripped movie from your HD through the TV-out without creating a mpeg or avi and see how it looks on the VCR.

[bluevine]

Thanks - I was going to convert to MPEG2 and then try to output it from the hard drive, through the video out on the capture card and then to the VCR.
How can I find out more about Smartripper. Is there something on this board that explains it?

[gll99]

Look on the left panel at OTHER...Tools...Rippers, decoders something like that . Smartripper is not the only one that will remove macrovision. Try the one you like. The reason I recommend just ripping and removing the macrovion is because your software DVD player will still play the movie and if you plan to use the tv-out to your vcr you will get the max quality possible. Converting to avi or mpeg will not give you max for tv-out.

If that is not good enough then vcd/svcd to standalone DVD player to vcr (if you still want) may be the only thing left.