Sorry for starting a thread about this, but I believe you might help me out. Ok, I was thinking I'd use the break to finally put on DVD some of the amazing games I recorded this year on my HDD. From DVD it is possible to rip them, and share some with you, as I did at times in the past season. However, SkyPerfecTV now "protects" all games, not only EPL and Serie A, but also J.League, highlights and specials (such as the Awards' Night, etc.) included. The games are now signaled on my HDD as " (1) -> O " meaning they can be burned on DVD once only, and once they are, they will disappear from my HDD recorder (which would be no problem...) However, when I try to burn them on DVD, I am told that the DVD needs some special "initialization." If I do the initialization, I can then burn the game, BUT the DVD I produce is visible ONLY on the HDD/DVD player, and on no other machine: not on standard DVD players, not on my computer, etc. This is a real pain in the arse, because I can't watch them on my laptop, I can't watch them in my office, I can't give them to friends, and I can't rip them. I have tried to connect the HDD to an outside DVD-recorder with the yellow/red/white standard analog cable, but as I play the games on the HDD and try to record with the outside DVD-recorder, the latter gives me a message telling me that the material I am trying to record is copyrighted! So, somehow the protection works over the analog link as well... (How is that possible, I have no idea -- Am I doing something stupid?). Basically the games are stuck into my HDD recorder, with the only alternative to burn them on DVDs that can be played on that machine only... Any idea?? There should be a way...
Macrovision protection? I read that it's possible to block even the analog stream with Macrovision if the recorder is new enough to recognise the Macrovision flag (which it definitely would be if it's a DVD recorder). What happens when you put it in a computer? Is the disk completely unreadable? The fact that it "initializes" disks makes me think it's either inserting garbage data at the beginning to confuse computer DVD drives or it's using a strange filesystem to do the same thing, something like that, though I don't know if it's possible to do the latter with DVDs.
I would suggest to burn 1 game or material as an example. Then you could test software like DVD Decrypter if you wish to.
Is it recorded on a machine supplied by SkyPerfect, after programming in via code? I seem to be able to do anything I like with raw analog recording after setting the machine to record whatever is being input, and then setting the satellite independently. Also, there should be any number of computer programs to copy raw data from one DVD to another regardless of that. Handbrake a great if you have a Mac.
Handbrake is on Windows now too. If the disk isn't recognised in a computer though it might be a little trickier.
Thanks for all the replies. First of all, going via computer is quite a pain in the arse. Rendering takes forever, and there are other factors (width/height; deinterlacing, etc.) Here is the final verdict: - My HDD/DVD records "O -> (1)" programs only with its own stupid format that can be seen only on SHARP (and perhaps HITACHI) players. Not only that, only certain brands of DVD-R work. "That's," for example don't. - However SkyperfecTV people swear that most HDD/DVD can make ONE copy of "O -> (1)" programs - If I go with the yellow/red/white analogue cables from the HDD/DVD to my other DVD recorder (a Panasonic) programs (1) Can NOT be duplicated. Other programs can -- of course analogically. Thus, the infamous "O -> (1)" protection is detected by the DVD recorder, since the HDD/DVD somehow sends a message not to allow the copy. I tried with the anti-macrovision cable: same result. - I have however found a way around. If I use the yellow/red/white cables and go through an old VHS recorder, it works just fine. Somehow the VHS in between kills the "alarm" and I can record: O -> (1) program on HDD/DVD --to--> VHS --to--> DVD recorder Gives me a more than decent analog copy. So, this is where I am at... I have about 10 good games from this season to pass over, and in due time I will. I am glad I "beat the machine" but this is still rather tedious and not a digital copy, of course. The World Cup is here, and perhaps it is time to update to HD.......?? Again, thanks.
So, last night it worked... I had all the cables around the TV cabinet, so I run them from behind, re-plug exactly the same way and tried to copy on DVD Gamba-Frontale 4-4... but... "COPYING THIS MATERIAL IS NOT ALLOWED" What? I try then to make another copy of the program (JAGS) I successfully copied last night, and... "COPYING THIS MATERIAL IS NOT ALLOWED" ...........??? It looks almost as if by unplugging and re-plugging one of the machines managed to "learn" what I was going to do, and the red flag came up again... I mean, anybody has an idea of what could be going on? This seems a bit crazy...
Anything connecting online? Some boxes will try to attain copyright permissions if available. I am lucky to have a machine made in 2004 never plugged into the internet. You might want to downgrade yourself with a cheapy from Hard Off.
Nope there is no internet connection... The riddle continues... Well, HDD to VHS works with no problem, so it is the stupid DVD recorder (a panasonic from 2003, btw) that reads some signal through the cables, and stalls. I tried to change the cables, and I tried also my old de-macrovision machine with new batteries, but to no avail... I still do not understand why yesterday it worked thou...... It actually worked once last year too, so I assumed it was OK, but now there is always that stupid message "copying of this material is not permitted..." I am setting my mind on buying a Blue-Ray HDD/recorder, and I am pretty sure that would work OK and probably also take the stuff out from actual HDD, at least analogically. If that doesn't work, either I give up, or I go from HDD to VHS, and then again from VHS to DVD-R, but what a royal pain in the arse....... Why do they have to make it so complicated for a J.League game or show? I am not copying Iron man 2, what the... What annoys me is that now Blue-Ray HDD/recorders are around 70,000, and probably they will cost half in a matter of months, but then again I really HATE IT that I can't put games on DVD and watch them in my laptop... Thanks for the advice, thou. (I still wonder why yesterday it worked...)
Anyway, not going from box to DVD recorder: it is an HDD upon which I have recorded the games (via box) to DVD recorder. I thought the box could have been the problem, so I have unplugged it, but to no avail...
A short update... Since I know you're all VERY interested... I have recorded from the HDD on VHS. No problem. But as I try to transfer from the VHS to a DVD-R, same old error message... It doesn't let me do it. Well, the problem is clearly in the Panasonic DVD recorder: somehow, it reads some signal and stalls. I am wondering what it is: I tried the de-macrovision, and still get the error, so there is some other kind of protection. Not being a Gamba fan, and being overall a bit pissed-off, I will never buy a Panasonic recorder again. The BlueRay Recorder (of my dreams) will definitely be a Sony.
I don't know if that's the answer. One of the reasons MD failed is the stupid restrictions Sony put on copying MDs. I used to experiment with MD recording but there was no way to copy from one MD to another, even though I'd made the recording myself. Any equipment made by Sony is likely to come with dumb restrictions.
I know Toshiba does some region-free media. I know that's not the same issue, but it's another bs media nazi restriction and may be more likely to not have these issues.
Personally I was disappointed Bluray won the format war. Sony has a history of ferking up formats. "Managed copy" is never going to materialise if Sony have anything to do with it. If they do then it'll be impossible to buy blank Bluray discs without a signed affadavit that you aren't actually going to use them to burn anything, much less anything copyrighted, on pain of prison time.
All I want is one Hard Drive hat lets me record J.League games, edit them a bit, and burn them on normally formatted DVD or BR, once only. That is all I need...
Do you have a DVD of any match or show that was encoded with their crap -- ie: something which can serve as a test subject?
There's no guarantee that you'll be able to burn it on a BR-capable recorder though. I think it's likely that the same flag that is stopping you from recording DVDs will stop you from recording BR also. To me the natural solution is working out a way to get around it with a PC, because these hardware manufacturers have already worked out amongst themselves how to prevent people making copies using just AV equipment. The alternative is working out a way to chip or modify the equipment you have to make it ignore the flag, but I've no idea how to do that. Buying new equipment doesn't sound to me like it would work, because the newer it is the more anti-copying measures will be in place (even for just one personal copy).
Stefanole, the transfer from the Sharp HDD to anything else (except VHS) is surely problematic. I am not sure if and how I could save those games/shows. But the whole problem derives from the fact that the SHARP little bastard doesn't make even one single copy on DVD with a normal format--Most HDD/DVD (or BR) do let you do one normal copy. There is a total protection for some movies etc, but thanks heaven, soccer is still marked as (1) which means ONE copy can be done, legally. That is, if you have a decent HDD/DVD, which -sadly- is not my case. In conclusion: (a) The SHARP HDD/DVD I own doesnt make the single (1) copy on normal DVDs, but only on specially formatted DVDs that you can watch only on SHARP (and some HITACHI) machines. (b) The SHARP HDD/DVD I own sends out a signal via RCA (yellow/red/white) cables that prevent any kind on analog copy on some machines (not on my SONY VHS, but it does on my Panasonic DVD-R) (c) The protection is so infamous, that it transfers to the VHS recording, and I can't transfer the contents of the tape to my DVD-R, this probably because of the hyper-sensitivity of the Panasonic machine. (d) The protection is not the good-old macrovision. Regarding working through a PC, the files produced by the specially formatted SHARP HDD/DVD come with extension .VOR. On Mac the only sofware that transforms them into mpegs, etc. is not free, it is not reliable and takes FOREVER, often losing the audio track. A lost battle. I am going at MIDORI on Sunday to shop around for a BR, so I will ask and ask again. My bet is that the only way to save my files is a DVD-R that, unlike my Panasonic, doesn't bitch about the protection created by the SHARD HDD/DVD. One last note. As written in a previous post, once it worked, by running the whole thing via VHS. (HDD --> VHS --> DVD-R) It recorded a (1) program on DVD-R perfectly. But it worked once only. I detached the cables to run them from behind the cabinet, and as I tried to copy, even that very same program, I got back the error message. This is what I find very mysterious. In one instance, the protection did not work. I still wonder why... It feels like the machines "figured out" what I was doing, so as I unplugged and re-plugged, were ready to stop me from copying... eerie...
Yes. It doesn't work on any of my other DVD-players (Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic), nor it works in the laptop (Apple). It supposedly works on Sharp and some Hitachi = I am told: I never tried it. If I open the files in my computer, there is only this 4GB .VOR stuff, and as said in the post above, it is a complete bitch.
I finally went to Midori and I politely but firmly told them that they sold me something that did not fulfill my wildest desires (the Sharp HDD/DVD that records DVDs only on its own format). There was a micro-meeting between the Midori guys, then a senior came up and apologized. He asked if I was interested in returning and upgrade. For a mere 15,000 yen difference they offered me a SONY Blu-Ray-R that definitely records (1) games on DVD. I was quite amazed because my HDD/DVD was bought like 8 months ago, but I of course said "yes!" I then asked how to try to save my files stuck on the SHARP, but I was told that probably it is not possible. So, I am tossing them on VHS, perhaps one day I'll find a way to transfer them on DVD... At Midori, there are "filters" that sneak around protections, and they cost from 8,000 to 15,000 yen, but there is no guarantee they will work, since SkyPa keeps updating its files protection. And THOSE can not be returned Well, perhaps happy ending, anyway...?
This is what keeps me from getting satellite or cable. Well, that and all I'd want are soccer channels and music channels and all those extras would set me back major dough I'm sure if I scrounged in Akihabara I could find solutions to this DVD burning issue; the thing is that they can't legally call what they let you burn a DVD because of the whitebook standards for the format.
Ok, I am sure you wanted an update... I have found out that it is basically impossible to burn on a normal DVD an １回だけ録画可能 (once only recording) program. You need to format the DVD you want to sue as VR, and it works only on new readers that can digest the goddamn VR format. Amen. As Dokool said, you can VERY LIKELY find a box in Akibahara and make copies from the HDD to an external DVD recorder, but... 1 - They won't be digital copies, as they will go through the RGI (yellow/white/red) cables 2 - The box will work until SkyPerfect modifies the signal that protects the １回だけ録画可能 , then you're back to square one. I believe the only chance would lie in what PCs and Mac can do, ripping VR DVDs and letting you burn them as normal DVDs. But it is still means a lot of time, and two DVD-R needed for each game you want to turn into a normal DVD. I'll probably save games at standard quality on BluRay-R. You can put three games or five JAGS on one disc, seems like a decent deal. Perhaps the only deal...
I know this is quite a necropost, but I was in Akihabara tonight on an unrelated matter and saw these: Perhaps this might play back one of your unwatchable DVDs, Goru?
I think they absolutely do. Awesome!! The unfortunate thing is that my CPRMs now are mostly Blu-Rays, but probably just a matter of time, and in any case I can re-start burning DVDs this season. Did they look like illegal players hidden in a dark corner, or normal stuff? I'll look for them in Kyoto, but if I don't find them you'll take me there in March. Or buy me one before the cops raid them!! We're up for Verdy-Sanga on 3/20 anyway, right?? Thanks Dok, you rock!!