ok guys i got a question. i would like to backup a commercial vhs to my computer to eventually burn to dvd. i have a vcr, a canon DV recorder that will let me send an anaolog signal to it and output it through firewire to my pc, and i have videowave 7 which lets me capture stuff from my dv recorder, and a liteon dvd burner. i hook up the AV cables to the camera and then get everything all set and then after a few seconds it says "Copying Prohibited" or something. something about copyrighted signals. ive read about Stabilizers and such but not anywhere does it say if they work with the setup i have, everything is about running it though a capture card. any help and advice will be appreciated. thanks
Depending on how fancy you want to get,menus,chapters,ect. Way easier to do it all through your recorder with stabilizer probably higher quality. On my dvd recorder if I capture and dub in real time it puts in chapters and a menu,not fancy. If I record in high speed mode I can dub quickly but no chapters. Alot more variables through computer but more flexible and I still believe you'll need a stabilizer. Never tried it. Hope this helps.
Hit up a garage sale, for any old VCR (1980's). It will completely ignore macrovision (the copy protection), and allow you to do your thing. Other options are far more expensive.
Macrovision relies on the VCR's ability to autotune the channels. Newer VCR's have a chip. Old ones usually had a door on the front, where you could fine tune (usually) 13 channels or so. That's the kind you want. Pawn shops, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Thrift stores, wherever. I picked up a super nice SVHS JVC for $10, that sold new for $1600.
