New video! Macrovision (re-posted)

I've received much feedback on my mistake :) In my head, I was thinking about how in digital you cannot exceed 0db or it becomes clipped, but in analog going to +3 db or so is usually OK without distortion. I've always thought of "clipping" to be a digital-only phenomenon because of this--clipping in digital vs. distortion in analog. Though that's just talking about proper recording level and ignoring the fact that there is a max voltage level in analog which itself causes clipping. Which is how that mistake got made...

Technology Connections

Alec, your message overlay states that clipping is a digital phenomenon - not strictly true. Digital cliping occurs when the signal level exceeds the highest digital value and generates very unpleasant distortion. Analog 'soft' clipping occurs when a tape is overdriven, oversaturating the recorded signal and creates a 'warm', 'musically pleasing' distortion. Analog 'hard' clipping occurs when the output of an amplifier final stage is driven beyond the supply voltage rails and produces nasty distortion. Great videos btw, I worked for years as an electronic design engineer and love to revisit old video tech. You should consider doing a video on 3-machine video editing and how challenging it was compared to the almost too easy NLE we have nowadays..

Gordo

I would assume that VCR B's recording would wipe out the VBlank data? It seems like that's something it wouldn't retain, but no clue here. Analog was weird.

Ketafuki

What would happen in this scenario: - Copy VHS from VCR A to VCR B, where VCR B is an older VCR not affected by the copy protection. - Copy VCR B's VHS (copied in previous step) to VCR C, where VCR C is a newer VCR affected by copy protection. Would VCR C's VHS be watchable? Did the copy from A to B eliminate the copy protection?

THE MUSIC DURING THE WARNING IM DIYING XD XD XD

I had a superb Toshiba VCR which I used (partly) to modulate broadcast video to RF to send to another set elsewhere in the house. This worked great until Sky Video on demand came along. The first ever film I bought to receive through a satellite box, had (I discovered) Macrovision in the signal. That nice Toshiba VCR used AGC on everything that went through it - not just when recording. So, I paid my money and the film was unwatchable where I wanted to watch it.

Stephen Bell

Simple, but brilliant at the time!

I wondered why the video suddenly went unavailable right when I was in the middle of watching it! Glad to see you keep on top of any corrections. Keep up the great work!

Wait, a Youtube Patreon channel that updates BEFORE the Youtube subscription does?! You're goin' above and beyond, sir!

Ketafuki