Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!ncr-sd!sagpd1!jharkins
From: jharkins@sagpd1.UUCP (Jim Harkins)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Cable TV descramblers / Rental movie stabilizers
Message-ID: <597@sagpd1.UUCP>
Date: 16 Jan 90 00:53:05 GMT
References: <235@mojo.UUCP> <1990Jan13.005314.5145@ns.network.com>
Reply-To: jharkins@sagpd1.UUCP (Jim Harkins)
Organization: Scientific Atlanta, Government Products Div, San Diego, CA
Lines: 21

In article <1990Jan13.005314.5145@ns.network.com> logajan@ns.network.com (John Logajan) writes:
-I am not very familiar with the latest rental movie protection techniques,
-but it used to be more popular.  They would play around with the vertical
-sync timing such that a VCR trying to record with get wacked out.  It
-takes longer for a VCR scanning head to adjust speed than the TV CRT.
-Unfortunately, it also takes longer for the VCR player heads to adjust
-so that method can cause problems in normal viewing -- and fell into
-disfavor -- I thought.

No, it's still there.  Last summer I bought a friend a cheap VCR and on maybe
a fourth of the movies she rents the damned picture rolls every few minutes.
On my (expensive) VCR I don't have any problem.  IMHO, a copy-protection
system that causes problems like this should be outlawed, or the VCR should be
clearly labeled "WARNING -- We know you are honest but the movie companies
think you are all thieves.  This VCR may have problems showing some movies".

Of course, she never mentioned this problem to me and by the time I saw it
the thing was out of warranty.  bah humbug.

jim
"Only dead fish go with the flow"