vhs tape problems when trying to copy to dvd

[popinga]

Hi, I just bought a Pioneer DVR-210 to transfer my vhs tapes onto dvd. I have a problem where the stuff on the vhs tape is breaking up or blacking out entirely when I try to play and/or record it. I have the cable antenna hooked into my dvd recorder, and the output on the dvd recorder is directly to the TV inputs (using RCA jacks—my tv and vcr do not have s-video or component hook up capability). My vcr is hooked from its output directly to the dvd recorder input by RCA jacks).

It’s not an issue with the quality of the tape because when I hook the vcr directly to the tv the tape works fine with no fragmenting or blacking out of the picture. The tapes I want to dupe to dvd are ones I made of old tv shows and are not copy protected. They have a few problems with some minor static but are in good condition.

Can anyone advise how to overcome this problem? I was thinking about switching the vcr be in between the tv and dvd recorder (with all the hookups that the dvd recorder has now). I was also thinking about if an A/B switch that would have the outputs from both the dvd recorder and vcr plugged into its two inputs, and then the output from the A/B switch plugged into the inputs on the tv. Do you think if I dupe the tapes onto new tapes and then try to dupe it to dvd, that will work?

Do you have any advice on how to fix the problems in my setup, or any thoughts on the solutions I am thinking about? Thanks!

[samijubal]

Check the RCA jacks, cheap jacks often have problems. If the DVD and VCR are too close together that could be a problem. If the tapes are being played back on a different VCR than the one they were recorded on that can be a problem too. Compatibility between different VCRs isn't that good sometimes.

[johns0]

The problem you are have is macrovision copy protection causing the picture to screw up,do a search and you will find tons of help.

[gshelley61]

Yup. You are encountering anti-copy protection signals. They can be defeated with the right type of TBC, processor, enhancer, or stabilizer. Lots of info available on this subject.

[samijubal]

Home recordings don't have Macrovision, only prerecorded material.

[TheFamilyMan]

Old home recorded tapes sometime exhibit copy protection like noise in their playback. The TV playback won't show it. I've had this problem, though not with using a DVD recorder. When I tried the "dup the tape" method, the new tape still had the noise and looked even worse than the original. A TBC (time base corrector) is required to clean up this kind of noise. Some DVD recorders have them built in. If you're fortunate and yours does, use it. If you're already using the built in TBC (or don't have one) and you really want to convert these tapes, consider spending a lot more money on a new VCR and/or external TBC. Tons of excellent advise on the options awaits you within this site.

Experiment with a freshly made tape to see if it has the same problems. If it does not, your hardware or setup is not the problem and your old tapes have noise problems. Good luck.

[johns0]

Macrovision can be activated on tapes which have lots of noise on them.

[samijubal]

If you have more than one VCR try another one, quality and compatibility varies greatly from one machine to another.

[popinga]

thanks to all for your help and suggestions. I have another question, about the time base corrector--I note from other posts that the Pioneer DVR-310 is supposed to have this time base corrector, but I scoured the instruction manual (shared by both the 310 and the model I have, and see nothing about this time base corrector). FRom other posts, I understand that the 210 (my model) and the 310 are supposed to be identical

Can anyone tell me how to activate the time base corrector, or where to look to see if I even have it? Thanks so much.

[Capmaster]

A time base corrector that is built into a DVD recorder will not normally remove macrovision. It's there to clean up the signal, primarily for tape captures. For legal reasons, it won't disturb macrovision, and if MV is present, the recorder will probably tell you you can't copy the material.

You need a standalone clarifier or TBC to remove macrovision. However, I think your problem is something else since your problem occurs on homemade recordings, and is free of macrovision. However, it sounds like a TBC could clean up the signal for you.

[ZAPPER]

Can you or have you tried using coax