Post #4305612
2026-08-01 06:14 UTC
That was Macrovision, which was a signal inserted into the top few frames that weren’t shown on a TV, but which the VCR used to calibrate its black level. I designed a box which removed them so I could make copies of stuff. It was a bit pointless with hindsight, because I very rarely watched the copies I made.
Replies (2)
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@GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 2026-08-02 11:25
It was definitely a wildly practiced sport for sure. If you had kids like we all were, those tapes got used. But for the adults, yeah it was basically just for sport.
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@f4f4f4f4f4f4f4f4@sopuli.xyz 2026-08-02 14:37
I wasn’t even trying to copy, just trying to connect a DVD player to my RF-cable-jack-only TV. DVD player -> AV cables -> VCR -> coaxial cable -> TV. Nope! Not allowed! It’s 2001 and we’re already screaming loud and clear that pirate copies are superior because they just work. I ended up getting a Voodoo3 3500 TV on clearance sale, and playing movies on the TV through that.