Macrovision problem
 

Hi all,
Been surfing the forums for quite a while now and decided to put them to use.

I am a wrestling fan who normally orders the ppv events as and when they happen. the problem is that these are normally on at 1am to 4 am on a sunday night/monday morning and work commitments often stop me from seeing them so i record them. however sky or ntl are recently using macrovision which mucks up the quality. Just wondered if there was any way I could stop this. have tried searching for a way to stop my video recognising the macrovision to no avail, is there any way of telling the box not to put it out. I pay for these events, and just want to watch them at a convenient time of day. My Video is an Aiwa FX5500, and my stb is a samsung 2100.

Thanks for your time in reading this and any help would be much appreciated.

Re: Macrovision problem
 

AFAIK there is no way around macrovision.....no doubt someone will come and prove me wrong ;)

:welcome: to the site btw :)

Re: Macrovision problem
 

There is, but you need a video recorder that's able to record Macrovision encoded programs (without it losing picture quality or sound), and for the original poster, it's not NTL or Sky using Macrovision, it's encoded before they get their hands on it.

Re: Macrovision problem
 

:dunce: thought someone would prove me wrong :cry:

are these machines readliy available?!?

Re: Macrovision problem
 

A fair number of older videos record macrovision encrypted programs and replay them OK. I don't have the problem though as my Sky+ box records them perfectly. :welcome: to Cableforum.

Maybe these will be available on VOD when it gets to your area and that will solve your problem.

Re: Macrovision problem
 

I've heard the same about older VCR's.

It is also possible to obtain so called 'video conditioners', that install between the source & the recorder, to remove the macrovision signal. Unfortunately these tend to be associated with copyright avoidance - afaik Maplin used to do one, but withdrew it, for this reason.

Re: Macrovision problem
 

Actually, Macrovision is (AFAIK) applied by the box when it's requested by TV companies (which is why Sky+ can record it). I am splitting hairs though..

As was stated earlier, older videos do remove macrovision quite well, as do Tivos (bit difficult to get hold of one of those now).

Other than that, as homealone said, the only option is to buy an external Time Base Corrector. There is a company that does scart leads that can do this: http://www.ktvision.com/main.html

I don't know what the company is like however, I just found them via Google.

Re: Macrovision problem
 

We had a discussion about this some time ago:

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...ion+eliminator

Once upon a time you could buy a device called a Macrovision Eliminator, that would strip the Macrovision from the video signal and allow you to tape or DVD it. European Law, however, clearly outlaws sale of any device whose primary purpose is to circumvent copyright protection, which is what Macrovision is. The thing is, the technology behind the Macrovision Eliminator has legitimate uses ... it cleans up a TV picture, especially useful if you have a lot of devices connected in a chain of SCART leads and if your TV has a large screen. Maplin Electronics caved in and stopped selling 'Video Enhancers' two years ago, however having looked into this I believe the reason they did so was because they didn't think it was worth the cost of a court battle with Macrovision over the issue, and not because they genuinely believed that all Video Enhancers are inherently illegal because they can be used to strip copy protection.

Still, Maplin may no longer sell them, but there are places in the UK you can pick one up. Try here: http://www.sonel.com

Note the exhaustive legal notice on the homepage; their device is intended to allow you to improve the picture quality of your TV, *not* to strip macrovision from the signal in order to facilitate copying. If you use it to copy Macrovision-protected TV, then you are not using it for its intended purpose.

Re: Macrovision problem
 

Same one i have, does the job. :)

Re: Macrovision problem
 

Don't TV cards strip Macrovision? Direct your signal in to the pc, then back out to your video.

Re: Macrovision problem
 

If you can lay your hands on an older Aiwa fx4500 you will have no further macrovision problems. Or try a Liteon DVD recorder from Argos at £149 and record through the aerial connection, the scart recognises macrovision

Re: Macrovision problem
 

The TV card in my fileserver/pvr doesn't seem to be affected by macrovision - well it's let me tape from DVD (Before I had a dvd writer and copier downstairs)

Of course some dvd recorders can be 'adjusted' so that they are not affected by macrovision either.
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This one?

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/st...lickfrom=image

If you look for a suitable firmware (which can be burnt onto a cdrw and just put into the machine to upgrade it) You will not only remove macrovision protection - but also add a 3 hour recording mode.

Re: Macrovision problem
 

Thanks for all your help guys, haven't decided which route to go but will probably buy a dvd recorder or tivo if i can find one.

Once again thanks

Re: Macrovision problem
 

If you do decide to go for a Tivo, or are looking for one, try http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...splay.php?f=14 as they do have a lot of help on UK Tivos..