I wanted to record 4 movies from VHS tapes onto one tape, in SLP mode. I believe this is legal as I already own the tapes and this would fall under the “fair use” clause. I just want a compilation tape for to watch at our cabin. I’m not bootlegging or anything like that. When I do this I use a CopyMaster device to block out the Macrovision. I’ve had this device for a few years and it always works.
That is, until last night. It completely failed. The copy I made of Blood Work is all scrambly and flickering. WTF?
Did they come up with something new?
If you were doing tape-to-tape, they probably have some new trick (macrovision being so easy to defeat).
You might try this:
Reverse the source and recording decks - an older machine may not know to screw up the signal - yes, CSS and Macrovision are both “add-on” signals which are intrepreted by the recording circuit in your VCR to mess with the video signal (macrovision diddles with video gain, don’t know what CSS does).
If that doesn’t work, see what you can come up with looking for pro-grade “duplicators” (not “recorders”) - those machines are what the “factory” uses to cut the tapes you see in the store.
(yes, they are expensive). Duplicators do not play games - they have a switch which cuts out the circuitry involved in detecting the anti-copy signals.
Do all of this while, of course dutifully adhering to all applicable laws.
This may seem obvious, but have you checked the battery in your anti-macrovision device? The onr I had worked off a single 9V battery.
Nah. Mine works on AC. I’m thinking there is some new kind of security being encripted onto the tapes. Blood Work being somewhat new, and the other tapes (K-Pax,Formula 51, The Maltese Falcon)
Being slightly older, a little older, and much older, respectively.
Do you feel lucky?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3051563377&category=21168
Have made two purchases from this seller - one was great, the other was not.
At this point, the JVC BR-7xxx series is both obsolete and hard to service - although I have them, I don’t intend to try to have them brought up to spec.
YMMV
Geez. That’s alot of bread. All I want to do is make compilation tapes so I only have to haul around one tape instead of 4 or 5.
Nobody said the studio/pirate (although you, of course, are not invloved in piracy, are still seeking the ability to do what pirates do) cat-and-mouse game would be cheap or easy 
OR - as an experiment - take the original to your local “Video Duplication” (Yellow book) shop and ask them to make a dupe - the usual fee is $20 (in my little town, at least) - BUT - if they can do it, so can you. Maybe not cheaply, but for personal satisfaction…
and I am assuming that you are copying to and from the same video system - if you are trying to copy among NTSC/PAL/SECAM - stop. Specialized equipment is required. (mine is on order 
)
Could it be that your CopyMaster device only blocks out Macrovision 1 and not Macrovision 2, 3, and 4? My original $40 Hong Kong-made anti-Macrovision device only handled level 1. I ended up having to buy an $80 device from the Netherlands to make it work. All this just to hook up my DVD player through my VCR and watch DVDs without having to buy a brand new TV to hook it directly to. (I tried several boxes that converts the RCA composite outputs from my DVD player to my TV’s coax input, but none of them worked very well, and you had to switch them manually if you wanted to watch the TV, and it was just extremely irritating all around.)
Stupid lousy no-good VCRs and DVD players being Stupid Macrovision protection should only be activated on the signal you’re recording to tape, but noooooooooooo… not that I have the slightest idea why anybody would want to record a DVD to a VHS cassette tape anyway. Now that high-quality progressive-scan DVD players can be had for under $50, there’s really no reason to be copying DVDs onto tapes. But obviously it does happen, so it’s perfectly understandable that Macrovision and whatnot should kick in when you’re trying to do so, but not when you’re just trying to watch the stupid thing!
Whew … must calm down … blood pressure getting … too high …
I thought that gettting around an ant-piracy or encryption device was technically illegal, even if it was for your own use. I’m sure there is lots of misinformation out there on this subject, but can anyone point a good cite?
I can’t imagine how a VCR or DVD player is supposed to know the difference between someone watching it through a TV and someone recording it. In order to work, the Macrovision must be present in the video signal to do it’s job, which is to mess up the recording via the VCRs AGC circuit. Normally it won’t affect the TV picture, but occasionally, you get a set that is affected by it.