Good setup to copy NTSC tapes to DVD in Europe?

[Baree]

I was not sure where to post this. I did saw the VHS buying guide in the Restoration thread, but that doesn't answer my questions. So I'll just ask here.

As an animation collector, I find it frustrating that it is so difficult for me to copy NTSC tapes to DVD. Some animated movies and shows have only been released on VHS in America, so there is no other way for me to get them. And of course I want to copy them to DVD since VHS quality deteriorates quickly.

I have been looking into this a lot, and I think my best bet is one of the following two options:

Getting an American VCR and record directly on my PC. This may help with copy protection on some tapes, however there will most likely be quality loss and I hear audio can get out of sync.

Getting an American VCR/DVD combo and copy on that machine without hooking it to a tv. This is probably the best way to conserve quality, however, I have been told that there are often issues with copy protection. This surprises me, since I have copied a lot of PAL tapes to DVD without ever having a problem with copy protection. As a matter of fact, I also copy NTSC tapes right now (which means some quality loss due to the conversion to the hybrid PAL-60 signal and a bar at the bottom of the screen that is probably related to the difference in lines between PAL and NTSC) without ever having any issues with protection.

Any insight and info as to what set-up might work best or if there is a DVD/VCR combo that may overcome said protection, or any tips in general, are welcome.

[DB83]

1. Connecting an American VCR (you would need a power converter) to a PC will not help copy protection if the tape is protected.
2. An American VCR/DVD combo will also not help copy protection. Quality this way will not be the best.

There are/were some Philips European VCR/DVD combos that allowed Pal60 copying from tape to dvd.

Just because you have not had an issue with copy protection does not mean that the issue does not exist. Try a Disney tape as an example. No combo will overcome copy protection.

[hech54]

Most European VCRs can play NTSC tapes so you can watch them on your European TV....but capturing or recording them is VERY difficult. I've yet to find a way to do it....and I've been here for almost 8 years. I've heard the cheap EZCap USB device can do it...but only the genuine one.

[victoriabears]

Going back a couple of years the Panasonic combo sold in Europe, the es-46V had a menu option to change both the vhs and dvd recorder sides to pal or ntsc, now one issues you have is overriding the copy protection may be,

So you would need a TRUE NTSC vcr and a NTSC DVD recorder, or two of the euro sold panny combos if they still have the option to switch. and a Time Base Corrector to kill the copy protection.

[tinpanalley]

You can use a Hauppauge PVR in your computer which will read through the macrovision. Been doing it for years. But then getting onto DVD is another issue if you don't know how to do that with the mpeg you end up with.