Copying a tape with Macrovision

[gammer]

I searched for this but didn't find an answer for it.

Here is the situation:
Lets say a friend copies a tape from one vcr to another vcr without removing the macrovision protection. Then I take the copied tape and try to capture it to my computer.
If I run the copied tape through my TBC, will it remove the macrovision from it? or is the copied tape now permanently embedded with macrovision?

Thanks,
gammer

[lordsmurf]

No such thing as "permanently embedded with macrovision".

[gammer]

So does this mean the TBC will remove the macrovision from the copied tape?

The reason I am asking is this:
If you play a Hollywood tape in your vcr to a TV it does not show the macrovision. But if you copy the tape and play it in your vcr to a TV then you will see a distorted picture or whatever macrovision is doing.

So I am curious if the distortion on the copied tape due to macrovision can be removed?

thanks again...

[lordsmurf]

If you record a garbled signal, it's crap forever.

Some older VCRs ignore MV, and can in fact pass it on to the new tape. GoVideo dual decks have been known to do this. I thought you meant this. Apparently not.

[Cornucopia]

Anytime you copy tape-to-tape, you are making your signal more "unstable" unless you use a TBC to generate new clean sync.

If you've been able somehow to successfully copy a MV encoded tape--which originally had the MV-modified sync pulses/colorburst--to a new tape (it can happen), your 2nd gneration tape will have the normal tape-to-tape generational instability and COMPOUNDED on top of that will be the MV distortions (actually the other way around).

So I'm not surprised that capping a 2nd gen MV tape is giving you fits! Go back to the source (if you're legally allowed to do so).

Scott

[FulciLives]

So I am curious if the distortion on the copied tape due to macrovision can be removed?

No. That copy is crap. Toss it out!

See when you play back a MACROVISION tape and copy it and the copy has all that CRAP (distorted video + video going from almost b/w to oversaturated colors etc.) on it then that copied tape cannot be fixed.

Now it is possible to make a "quality" copy of a MACROVISION tape because as LordSmurf said some older VCR's will ignore it or maybe you used a "black box" (but not a Full Frame TBC) and that allowed a "quality" copy to be made BUT guess what ... even though the copy plays back A-OK it might still have MACROVISION on it meaning that you need a Full Frame TBC to copy it again to your DVD recorder or capture device etc.

So hopefully I've made it more clear but just to sum up ... when you copy a MACROVISION tape to another tape you get one of two things:

1.) Garbled distored tape that is useless and cannot be repaired
2.) A clean looking "quality" copy BUT one that probably still has MACROVISION on it

The first cannot be fixed. The second can be copied but it would be best to use a Full Frame TBC device.

To clarify since you seem somewhat unsure ... a Full Frame TBC will remove ALL forms of copy protection BUT not in the first case since the video has already been ruined by MACROVISION in the copy phase.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[gammer]

Thanks for all your replies.

I do own a Leitch VT2500 TBC, and I use it for my VHS to Computer captures.

I asked my original question because I know someone who has a couple of VHS tapes that I want to capture, but he wont give me the original tapes. So I was thinking of asking him to copy the tapes for me but he does not have a TBC to take care of the macrovision. I guess I will have to try harder to get the originals.

Thanks again,
gammer

[FulciLives]

Thanks for all your replies.

I do own a Leitch VT2500 TBC, and I use it for my VHS to Computer captures.

I asked my original question because I know someone who has a couple of VHS tapes that I want to capture, but he wont give me the original tapes. So I was thinking of asking him to copy the tapes for me but he does not have a TBC to take care of the macrovision. I guess I will have to try harder to get the originals.

Thanks again,
gammer

If you want it that bad you can bring your computer to his place and do the capture there.

Or you can let him borrow your TBC so he can make a quality copy and to top it off give him (on borrow of course) a stand alone DVD recorder so he can copy straight to that instead of another VHS/S-VHS tape.

It's just easier brining over a stand alone DVD recorder than lugging your whole computer over (unless you have a laptop that is capable of capture).

- John "FulciLives" Coleman