Copy-protected VHS

[Ghitulescu]

I am now at parent's home, where I have found dozens of VHS cassettes I do not need them further.
My intention is to keep one, maybe two of them, and in particular those whose copy protection is the hardest to bypass, in order to have it/them as testing objects. The rest will be discarded, as I have anyway the movies on DVD/BD, and the flat has to be given up for a smaller one.
I think Disney is the most difficult to copy, but maybe there are ideas?

[PatchWorKs]

I remember that the most effective way to bypass CP was using RF in-out, so: https://github.com/oyvindln/vhs-decode

[Mounir]

U need an external TBC or some of those old video mixers.
Check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul0LwlIbFW8

[Ghitulescu]

Thank you for the answers, but I think there might be a confusion here.

I don't wanna bypass any kind of CP.

I simply wanted to keep one cassette, maximum 2, that are notoriously difficult to copy.
The aim is to show that using 2 normal devices one cannot copy it, and had to recourse to special toys. The trouble is that I wanna be pretty sure that using ANY 2 commercial VCRs (not with on-board TBC, not before HQ, not via RF aerial) I can demonstrate the impossibility to copy.

[lordalibaski]

I would search for one of these in your country, I have seen one on eBay

Liteon DVD Player/Recorder HD-A760GX

Then go to this site and download the firmware you need, flash the drive and it will let you record the VHS onto the hard drive. You can either burn it to a DVD or remove the hard drive from the unit and connect it to your PC via a IDE cable and copy the files straight to the PC, there you will have to rename the file extension to .mpeg2 or vob.

http://www.twowheels.plus/liteoneu.htm

or easier just search for the Disney films online it would be cheaper.

[ninkun]

A special way to capture Macrovision protected vhs tape, is to use Victor HM-DHX2 via HDMI output.
There is a HDMI output on this deck, but protected vhs only by using HDMI can be captured. Other output ports still output dirty images.

[ReinerSchweinlin]

Macrovision worked by introducing garbage signals in the sync-scan lines above the picture, which tripped the input stages of Recorders that were used to copy these tapes (the AGC would turn down the brightness, because theses signals were at the clipping range - therefore the input stage assumed a too bright picture ...)

Try any old analog Video mixer, those often didn´t bother about these scanlines and re-created the picture on the output. Also many older capture cards or DVD Recorders were not tripped. Composite distribution units also worked, DV Capture cards..

In Germany, many of the ELV Products for Video Colour Correction were usable (there even was a macrovision remover thingy, which quickly dissapeared from the market for obvious reasons). Look at Kleinanzeigen for Vivanco Video Mixers or ELV Video-Tools of the analog time.

For Disney movies: Just get a DVD Copy of them :)