Reasons for disabling Macrovision in DVD players .

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  • Pontoneer
    Junior Member
    Junior Member
    • Mar 2005
    • 8

    Reasons for disabling Macrovision in DVD players .

    Dear sirs ,

    the reason I would wish to disable Macrovision on my player ( currently Sony DVP-S325 - but soon to be upgraded either to DVP-S7700 or DVP-S9000 whichever I am successful bidding for on eBay) is that Macrovision encoded discs cause a constant pulsing of the black level which is both noticeable and extremely annoying when viewed on my Sony VPH 1270QM CRT projector .

    I have no wish to copy/backup any discs or tapes , just to view my legitimately purchased discs on my equipment . It is perhaps unfortunate that I am using a projector with a contrast ratio of 17,000 : 1 (something Plasma Screen , LCD and DLP projector owners can only dream of) which reveals shortcomings in programme material that even CRT broadcast monitors such as my Sony PVM2730QM do not.

    The player is connected via my Sony TAE 1000 ESD AV preamp and the Sony PC 1270 interface switcher . It makes no difference whether I use composite , S-Video or RGB inputs or whether I connect the player directly to the interface switcher or even to the projector ; this effect is always present.

    Non Macrovision DVD discs play perfectly as do Laserdiscs which of course do not have Macrovision. Where possible I still buy films on Laserdisc rather than DVD for this reason alone . Strangely , Macrovision encoded DVD discs play fine via my Apple MacIntosh G4 connected to the switcher via RGBHV as do Macrovision encoded VHS tapes played via my Panasonic AG7330 S-VHS player . I would just use the computer as a player except that it lacks a digital audio output . Therefore it is not much use for home cinema purposes when I can't decode AC-3 from it . One day I'll get a G5 !

    I know the answer is to get a player with a hardware Macrovision modification and , as I said above , am looking for one of the players already mentioned .

    I just wanted to emphasise that people who want rid of Macrovision are not always those who wish to participate in 'Grey' activities such as backup or copying of copyright material . Macrovision is flawed and does cause real problems for some of us who wish to simply view legitimately purchased discs !!!
  • Experi-Mentor
    Digital Video Master
    Digital Video Master
    • Nov 2004
    • 1456

    #2
    welcome to the forum

    do a search here :

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    • Pontoneer
      Junior Member
      Junior Member
      • Mar 2005
      • 8

      #3
      Thank you for your kind words of welcome Experi-Mentor .

      My posting was not so much a question as a statement that some of us have reasons other than the usual one for getting rid of Macrovision . I did purchase a hardware mod for the 325 but it was going to be such a pain fitting it that I decided replacing the player for one with an easier mod would be a better idea.

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      • Experi-Mentor
        Digital Video Master
        Digital Video Master
        • Nov 2004
        • 1456

        #4
        oops sounded like you needed help

        not sure what your mod is but, there's another way around it. here in "au" it's called a "video stabilizer". a black box which removes most of the m-v strains (yes. there's more than 1 strain of m-v).

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        • Pontoneer
          Junior Member
          Junior Member
          • Mar 2005
          • 8

          #5
          Hi - no offence was intended , I hope none taken .

          I am aware of various processors etc. but would prefer to disable m-v at source rather than add any unneccessary components into the signal path .

          The mod I was referring to was the techtronics one which involved replacing a couple of large scale ic's with very high pin density on the main circuit board as well as a few discrete components elsewhere. My soldering skills are ok and I have a selection of proper chip removal tools - but I prefer not to mess with these things unless something's already broken and nothing to lose anyway .

          Incidentally , the suggested mod/hack for the DVP-S325 on your link is to take the machine outside and smash it with a large hammer !!!!!

          It was always my plan to upgrade to a decent player , more in keeping with the rest of my kit , preferably factory modded already , and ideally with progressive scan output for which I can then buy an interface card for my projector .

          With this sorted out I should then be able to enjoy better sound & picture quality from DVD's at home than at my local cinema ( as I already do with other sources ).

          Comment

          • Experi-Mentor
            Digital Video Master
            Digital Video Master
            • Nov 2004
            • 1456

            #6
            ## no offence was intended , I hope none taken ##
            none at all it was my error

            ## Incidentally , the suggested mod/hack for the DVP-S325 on your link is to take the machine outside and smash it with a large hammer ##
            i'm really shocked if i'd known, i wouln't have posted it.
            this dvd hack site has been a godsend for lots of people (including me).

            i wish you well on your quest

            cheers

            Comment

            • Pontoneer
              Junior Member
              Junior Member
              • Mar 2005
              • 8

              #7
              Don't worry - the 325 is a pretty basic machine !

              Regards ,

              derek.

              Comment

              • Pontoneer
                Junior Member
                Junior Member
                • Mar 2005
                • 8

                #8
                Further to my earlier posting , I have since purchased a DVP-S7700 with the Techtronics region free and Macrovision free mod and a component input card for my projector - what a world of difference !! Blacks are now even blacker , picture is stable - wonderful - I am now rediscovering a whole new collection of films over again .

                I also managed to purchase a faulty black US spec machine and swap over the black case for the champagne finish one on my UK spec machine so that it now matches all my other black finish Sony ES kit

                Comment

                • toomanycats
                  Digital Video Expert
                  Digital Video Expert
                  • Apr 2005
                  • 595

                  #9
                  Pontoneer, I have a Sanyo PLCXW-15 LCD Projector and use the Component inputs. I have recently purchased a Zenith DVB 318 DVD player because of its ability to upscale DVD's to 720p or 1080i. I soon found out that since my LCD projector is not HDCP compliant, the DVD player automatically reverts the image to 480p. I found on my Macrovision free DVD's upscaling to 720p or 1080i was possible. I then tried using my Macrovision free backups of my favorite movies and was able to play them at 1080i. My conclusion is that you are correct. Their are many legitimate reasons for making backups that have nothing to do with "grey" operations. One should be able to enjoy the equipment that we buy at it's optimum performance, especially considering the investment.

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