Newsgroups: sci.engr.television.advanced
Subject: Re: DVD film to a VHS video cassette recorder (transfer problem)
References: 
"cablevision"  writes:

> Hi! I have a brand new Panasonic DVD_RV31 DVD player (not in a PC but a
> stand alone one) and a 1 year old Hitachi VT-UX6450A VHS video cassette
> recorder. This weekend I tried to transfer a DVD film from the DVD player to
> the VHS Recorder using the Vid�o and Audio Left & Right c�ble. So the setup
> is simple. I plug the three output cable of the DVD in the three input (LINE
> 1) of the VHS recorder (of course in the good order) and I take the three
> output of the VHS to the three input of my 50 inch projection sceen TV.
> 
> When I play the DVD, the signal goes out to the VHS and then goeas out of
> the VHS to the TV and everything is fine. The image is very clear. BUT! When
> I start the recording on the VHS the image become very bizare. It goes out
> of the sceen or at least in the top of the TV and the quality is bad. If I
> stop the recording, everything goeas back to normal. I even tried the LINE 2
> input in front of the video (normally fo a camaera) and the problem is the
> same.
> 
> Is this a some kind of copy protection system or do I have a problem with
> one of my equipment. 

What you have faced is indeed a copy protection system called 
"Macrovision copy protection". It is designed to prevent you to copy 
a DVD onto VHS with any usable quality. Macrovision is a DVD player
feature controlled by the data in DVD disk. The maker of DVD disk
cna decide if the protection should be added to the video output
signal or not. 

> Is this that a video can not record the format of a DVD
> film (letterbox for example).

The format is not the problem. The reason for is the protection
scheme designed to prevent you to copy DVD material to VHS cassette.

-- 
Tomi Engdahl (http://www.iki.fi/then/)
Take a look at my electronics web links and documents at 
http://www.epanorama.net/