removing analog content protection

[eathasa]

Hi, I use Windows Media Center Edition for a DVR. My cable company uses analog content protection, I assume Macrovision and/or CGMS-A. Windows MCE prohibits burning such content to DVD. I bought a Sima ColorCorrector Pro-Series (Model SCC) about 6 months ago and put it between my cable box and my capture card... This worked to remove the protection until recently. Now it only works about 10-20% of the time.

Ideally there would be a software/driver solution, but I'm willing to buy another hardware device if it will work better. The Model SCC video processor is a few years old, so protection technology may have been updated...

Is there any software solution for Windows MCE yet?
Or can people recoomend a good hardware solution, preferably economical?

Thanks :)

[eathasa]

bumping.. anyone? thanks.

[Mug Funky]

that's a bit odd. if there's a way to crop with it, try cropping a few more lines off the top.

the VCC has a TBC in it doesn't it? the amazon link i found implied it but didn't say the words...

Macrovision hasn't changed in years, but there are 3 types out there. perhaps your broadcaster switched to a different kind?

or perhaps windows media centre is screwing you somehow? try running some un-protected content through and see if you can burn that.

[eathasa]

It doesn't have a crop control. What's a TBC?

I'm thinking either my broadcaster changed something or else a recent update to Media Center is doing something different. Probably my cable company, Comcast...I was visiting a cousin recently and set him up to capture via Firewire from his cable box... and his (different) cable company had no protection on any channel.. he could capture high-def HBO and do with it what he pleased.... (jealous)

I am able to burn some content, though I was surprised that I was unable to burn something recorded off of PBS, even. The error I get is "This file is license protected..."

[gameplaya15143]

... or else a recent update to Media Center is doing something different. ...Yet another reason to disable updates :rolleyes: And that is likely to be the problem I think. I suggest reinstalling the OS (virtualPC makes this test easy) see if it works without any "critical security" updates.

TBC = Time Base Corrector
They are used to turn a bad video signal into a 'stable' one.

[JohnnyMalaria]

It may be too circuitous but this will work:

Take the analog output from your DV, send it through a miniDV camcorder that has pass-through.

Capture a DV AVI file.

DV devices are savvy to CGMS-A and encode the DV stream with various flags.

Use our Enosoft DV Processor to change the CGMS-A flags.

Send the new DV back to the camcorder and hook up the analog output to a DVD recorder.

(The CGMS function in our software will be available publicly in the upcoming beta release, due by the end of this week).

If you have two DV devices, you can do the whole thing live, too.

[eathasa]

Yes, it supposedly has a TBC.

I do like to keep my computer updated to make sure it is secure on the internet... but I might consider restoring a system backup made before the first of the year (around when the problem started) to see if that resolves it. If it does, Microsoft changed something.

I still am interested in recommendations on hardware video processors that will reliably remove CGMS-A and all versions of macrovision protection. Obviously, that would solve my problem no matter what Microsoft does. If by some wonderful chance there is a driver or something for windows MCE that works the same magic, I will be very very happy :).. but I haven't found one in my searching.

Johnny, that's very interesting... but unfortunately I don't think that will work for me. If your software works with the dvr-ms file format and can remove the license flags, that would be great, though! Content gets into my system when Windows Media Center records it off of live tv, and it's recording around the clock. Also, I don't have a digital camcorder.