Error in Copying VHS

I am trying to copy a vhs to a vhs and I am coming across the same problem every attempt. The copy is distorted and alternates between bright and dim. I have cleaned the vcr's and I am using a high quality rca to connect them. I heard a rumor that some videos are coded so that you can't make a good copy of them, so I am wondering if this is true or if I am overlooking something. Please help me with whatever advice you can offer, thanks for your time!

James

 

you wont be able to do a straite copy of vhs to vhs this way

the reason is because there is a signal inbeded into the recording of the vhs tape

this signal is known is macrovison, a very good protection system that stops you from what you are trying to do

you will have to purchase a signal stablizer which corrects this signal

failing that if you have a dvd drive in your computer and it`s of resonable spec, why not rip the movie to your hard drive then play it through your tv out of your video card to vhs, this is what i do when i need a copy of a movie onto vhs

i dont do it much now tho since a got hold of a dvd writer.

Rik.

 

Thank you for your advice. So how much and where are signal clarifiers? I already have a dvd burner, but it won't help in this situation cause the movie I'm trying to copy is out of print and they never made a dvd of it. Thanks again for your time!

James

 

do u live in the uk?

Rik.

 

no, I live on the west coast of the US. Are signal clarifiers available at most retail stores? Also, is there any way at all to make a clear copy without one, or does anyone know a way to get ahold of a copy of an out of print movie besides renting it?

James

 

any good electrics store should sell them, i know ebay where selling some a while back, dont know if they still have any tho.

Rik.

 

James, have you found a signal clarifier? I have one still in the box, never used. They work great for movie copying VHS to VHS.

 

I heard that you can bypass macrovision by connecting a cable from the RF out of one to the RF in of the other. Is this correct? Try it JimboK53

 

I've got a similar problem in that I'm trying to copy from VHS to my camcorder with the goal of moving from the camcorder to DVD. But I'm getting a "Copy Inhibit" message. I routed the coax-out of my "play" vcr to the coax-in of a "slave" VCR and then attached the RCA plugs of my camcorder to slave vcr. I still got the message. Is this a feature of Macrovision, too?

The wireless solution is sounding pretty good to me now. I borrowed a friend's Dazzle Hollywood DV-Bridge. It wouldn't pass the video either.

 

Don't think so,
Macrovision is a distortion of the signal, not something that generates an error message.

 

After several annoying hours of experimentation I found the only thing that really cleaned the signal up enough to make a decent copy (besides a signal clarifier), was sending the signal from a vcr to a wireless A/V sender/receiver, then to a TV import, and then to the second vcr. So apparently runnign the signal through the wireless signal sender and the tv cleared up the signal enough, thank you very much for your help.

James