Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] DVd saga... over?

["Igor Izyumin Jr." <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

> I've always assumed vcr's were /smart/ enough to know to remove
> Macrovision from what is being sent to the tv but not if it's being sent
> to the tape. Macrovision is fairly easy to remove but it is frowned upon
> in the same was DeCSS is frowned upon, It does distort your picture/sound
> clarity in some cases though so it is legal to remove it from media you
> own for your own viewing.
I am not sure about the legality, since neither you nor I are lawyers, but MV 
is NOT removed by VCRs (or else you could just daisy-chain a bunch of VCRs to 
remove it) and is best removed by hacking the firmware in a given DVD player. 
 MV does distort the picture even when it does not affect the TV, because it 
is basically interference.  However, nobody is worried because that's the 
whole point - you're not supposed to be able to get a perfect copy from a 
DVD.  That's why they are so pissed at DeCSS.

> I'm not familiar with all the details but remember tidbits caught ehre and
> there and remember a schematic for a Macrovision filter I saw in a howto
> magazine that was simple enough that even someone new to electrnoics
> should be able to build it.
Not the case at all, either.  The boxes (the good ones anyway) are quite 
complex and cost some pretty good money.  The cheap ones will barely be 
better than with MV.  Once again, the best way is to hack the player to 
output MV-free signal.  I think it could also be done with certain video 
capture cards if you set them to pass-through, but I'm not sure since even 
some of those DETECT MV and REFUSE TO OUTPUT MV-free signal.  The conspiracy 
is large and amazingly coordinated.
-- 
-- Igor

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