The Pixel Fixer
Some time back, we put a new Cyberhome multi-region DVD player in the living room. Unfortunately, unlike the GE DVD player with Apex firmware which broken down a few months ago, this machine won’t defeat Macrovision. I know why Macrovision is there. It’s not a bad idea. But it also makes stuff damn near unwatchable. So I devised a somewhat inelegant solution.
The gadget standing on its side (far left) is an effects box that Sony used to sell with its Hi-8 video players so enterprising videomakers could pixellate, strobe-frame, posterize or otherwise mess with their home videos. It’s the strobe frame feature which comes in handy here: when set to its highest frame rate, it’s putting out about 27fps, close enough for government work to standard 30fps NTSC video. The digital processing also very, very slightly pixellates the picture – and wipes out the effects of Macrovision. It’s more noticeable with text such as TV or movie credits than it is for moving video.
I’ll bet Sony never even though of using this thing like this whenever they made it back in ’92 or ’93. Now that my wife can watch the 3-DVD Titanic set I gave her for her birthday (along with Stargate: Ultimate Edition) (and yes, really, Stargate was for her), I’d like to thank Sony for giving domestic tranquility a little bit of a digital boost.
Memo to the studios: when your copy protection methods prevent ordinary folks from simply watching the official, store-bought products they’ve paid their money for, you play a role in creating a market for piracy. Just a little something to think about.
If anyone wants to look on eBay, it’s a Sony XV-D300 Digital Video Adaptor (spelled just like that). Expect to pay $50-$100 for it. (I inherited this one from a Fox station I worked for about ten years ago after the station deemed it useless and threw it out. And friend of mine resoldered the RCA jacks and it’s good as new now.) I’ve always found it fun to mess with its effects, but it works a treat on this too. Make sure you get one with a working remote.… Read more
