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You could buy macrovision strippers from high street stores for years, Radio Shack / Tandy was a good candidate, they were usually sold as "video enhancers" or

You could buy macrovision strippers from high street stores for years, Radio Shack / Tandy was a good candidate, they were usually sold as "video enhancers" or "video stabilizers" or similar language.

dylan604 5y ago
Right, those were the consumer names of time base correctors. Edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_base_correction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_base_correction
- LeoPanthera 5y ago
  I don't think they were that advanced. The cheap consumer stuff would just use analogue circuitry to blank out the signal during the vertical blanking interval.
  - dylan604 5y ago
    It depends on the model. There were some that would allow one to adjust the contrast/chroma/etc. Of course it was all analog circuits, that's what made it all so accessible! Also, it probably wouldn't blank out the entire blanking as you'd lose CC or Teletext data. I forget the exact lines the macrovision appear on, but it was much higher than 17. We also used to embed ID codes in the blanking that would not get interferred with from macrovision defeaters that was also above line 17, so that was probably also on lines below macro. man, this is some blast from the past type stuff.
api 5y ago
Today you can get HDMI copy protection strippers in the form of certain exact model numbers of HDMI signal splitters. You have to get the exact correct model and it will pretend to be a DRM-enabled HDMI endpoint and strip it on the split end. You do not have to plug two HDMI monitors in. Just one is fine. They will enable things like Amazon or Roku HDMI dongles to work with computer monitors that do not support HDMI encryption. The most common use is just that, not to pirate anything.
- spookthesunset 5y ago
  Man I love that we now live in an era where this kind of thing can be easily purchased. Back in the day when I had SageTV as my DVR ripping off the content protection crap was impossible… all HD content had to be analog.
- jandrese 5y ago
  I was forced to go this route to get a Roku dongle to work through my receiver. I had actually bought an Amazon Fire Stick first and it had the same problem and returned it. Once the Roku failed in the same way I had to resort to the more drastic measures of going on Amazon and buying a $20 splitter. But now if I wanted to pirate something I could. It would be super easy too, since there's an open port I could plug the recorder right into.

dylan604 5y ago

Right, those were the consumer names of time base correctors. Edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_base_correction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_base_correction

LeoPanthera 5y ago
I don't think they were that advanced. The cheap consumer stuff would just use analogue circuitry to blank out the signal during the vertical blanking interval.
- dylan604 5y ago
  It depends on the model. There were some that would allow one to adjust the contrast/chroma/etc. Of course it was all analog circuits, that's what made it all so accessible! Also, it probably wouldn't blank out the entire blanking as you'd lose CC or Teletext data. I forget the exact lines the macrovision appear on, but it was much higher than 17. We also used to embed ID codes in the blanking that would not get interferred with from macrovision defeaters that was also above line 17, so that was probably also on lines below macro. man, this is some blast from the past type stuff.

api 5y ago

Today you can get HDMI copy protection strippers in the form of certain exact model numbers of HDMI signal splitters. You have to get the exact correct model and it will pretend to be a DRM-enabled HDMI endpoint and strip it on the split end. You do not have to plug two HDMI monitors in. Just one is fine. They will enable things like Amazon or Roku HDMI dongles to work with computer monitors that do not support HDMI encryption. The most common use is just that, not to pirate anything.

spookthesunset 5y ago
Man I love that we now live in an era where this kind of thing can be easily purchased. Back in the day when I had SageTV as my DVR ripping off the content protection crap was impossible… all HD content had to be analog.
jandrese 5y ago
I was forced to go this route to get a Roku dongle to work through my receiver. I had actually bought an Amazon Fire Stick first and it had the same problem and returned it. Once the Roku failed in the same way I had to resort to the more drastic measures of going on Amazon and buying a $20 splitter. But now if I wanted to pirate something I could. It would be super easy too, since there's an open port I could plug the recorder right into.