Disable Macrovision in stand-alone DVD players...

[RFBurns]

I finally hooked up my DVD recorder and wanted to record one of my shows on HBO so I could watch it later. It started recording for a few seconds, then it said copyright protected and stopped recording. Every single channel of HBO did the same thing. So my question is will the Sima allow me to record from my satellite receiver? Is it HBO that sends the signal, or does it come from the satellite receiver? Thanks again for your help, much appreciated.

Also, I did try recording on a DVDR-W disk in VR mode per the instructions in the DVD recorder's manual, but same thing, recording not allowed.

The Sima unit should allow you to record off of satellite as it would off a cable box or direct from a DVD player with a disc that has the macrovision copy protection. Use the S-Video connections for cleaner video feed. The Sima box has both RCA and S-Video connections on the input and output.

Some machines will allow recording once only onto a RW DVD, howver not all shows and programs and program providers such as HBO or other, allow any recording at all of certian programs, but allow others to be recorded. Its kind of a flip of the coin toss scenario. Some shows allow recording only once onto a RW, some shows dont allow any recording at all except to a Tivo box. It depends on the program provider and show.

Hope this helps!

[Persephone]

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Hi again!!!!!

I have BOTH S-video on my Cable Box AND my Digital Box, alas, my O-L-D TV doesn't have, I am currently hooked in via RCA cables, BUT since I get ALL my channels via my Cable Box and THAT is hooked into my DVD Recorder+VCR, should I go with S-Video? Is it better then RCA?!??!

[RFBurns]

Hello! Yes use the S-Video connections if possible, the S-Video connection gives better results in clean video and color balance.

[Persephone]

Hello! Yes use the S-Video connections if possible, the S-Video connection gives better results in clean video and color balance.

Will do...THANKS!!!!!!

[Persephone]

Will do...THANKS!!!!!!

RF, or anyone else who can help me out....

I tried hooking up the S-Video cables as per the instructs I hooked the cables from the Digital Cable Box TO the SIMA unit and THEN from the SIMA unit TO the DVD Recorder/Player, BUT, I got NO PICTURE!!!!! The sound was fine, just no pic....I hooked it up via my S-Video Out on the back of my Recorder, should I have hooked it up by the FRONT S-Video, i., e., S-Video In??????

THANKS!!!!

[M4P]

Thank you, RFBurns, for your help. It is much appreciated

[RFBurns]

RF, or anyone else who can help me out....

I tried hooking up the S-Video cables as per the instructs I hooked the cables from the Digital Cable Box TO the SIMA unit and THEN from the SIMA unit TO the DVD Recorder/Player, BUT, I got NO PICTURE!!!!! The sound was fine, just no pic....I hooked it up via my S-Video Out on the back of my Recorder, should I have hooked it up by the FRONT S-Video, i., e., S-Video In??????

THANKS!!!!

Hi!

On your recorder unit, make sure you have selected the proper input, most recorders do have the back and front input connections and some units will automatically find the signal, but some units dont, you have to select the input in the recorders setup menu. If you still have problems, try the composite RCA connection. It also might be that your recorder must also be told what type of input you want to use...ie: RCA or S-Video.

On the source unit, there may be an output selection function to choose the S-Video or RCA output connections...check via the on screen menu selections to see if your unit must be set for a given output connector. Most units already output a signal on both RCA and S-Video as well as the RGB connections if the unit is equipped with RGB.

To test the Sima unit, try plugging it into a 2nd DVD player or even a VCR, just to see if you are getting video signal in and out of the Sima unit.

Also check the tiny switch located on the output side of the Sima unit. It is a PAL/NTSC switch, and might be set on PAL. Just switch it over to NTSC if it is on PAL.

The input side of the Sima unit detects automatically which type of input you are using, ie: RCA or S-Video and will use that input it detects a signal on. For output, it doesnt matter, as both the RCA and S-Video will have a signal on them. And of course, make sure the LED is lit up when it is powered by its AC adaptor.

Hope this helps!

M4P....your most welcome!

[E-MEL]

I have a Sylvania DVR90VF DVD Recorder and am looking for a way to disable Macrovision from it. If anybody knows of any hacks before I have to go out and buy something, please help; I'd appreciate it thanks.

[RFBurns]

I have a Sylvania DVR90VF DVD Recorder and am looking for a way to disable Macrovision from it. If anybody knows of any hacks before I have to go out and buy something, please help; I'd appreciate it thanks.

Hi!

Well, unless you want to re-engineer the unit's mpeg encoder/decoder circuitry, which is where the macrovision decoding routines are located, its somewhat impossible to have the unit itself remove macrovision. Of course the macrovision only takes effect during playback of a disc if the disc has been encoded with macrovision.

The Sima unit is a way around that, intended for improving the video quality on many monitors and tv's that have less than fast APC and AGC circuits. The macrovision plays havoc with these older designs, thus the pix turns out garbly and undesirable. A rather sneaky but neat way to protect recordings by inserting a pulse that varies in amplitude along the vertical blanking interval pulse. Much like how closed caption data is inserted (vertical line 22), macrovision occupies almost over half of the remaining available vertical blanking pulses with basically a huge varying in amplitude pulse that mucks with video AGC and APC/L circuits found in every tv, monitor, vcr, dvd recorder, camcorder, anything that works with video.

Sorry but the best way around the macrovision is with an external unit such as the Sima.