To retro anons seething in the digital era

To retro anons seething in the digital era,
For a good decade I had a CRT TV hooked up with a VCR and could record anything I wanted onto VHS with no worries about copy protection. And the few worries I had were squashed with a Sima SCC-2...

Then I upgraded to a LED TV. First of all, a TV from 1994 has more inputs/output options than this LED bullshit...all I want to do is have the VCR in the loop of the CABLE BOX so I can record like I used to. From my experiments, I've seen that the HDMI direct link from cable box to TV negates coax and RCA inputs. So I need to split the HDMI from the cable box somehow to the VCR then run it back into the TV via HDMI.

Bought converter boxes, splitters, dig to rca boxes...all types of ill shit, and nothing works. When I split from the cable box HDMI 1 goes blank. My latest plan would involve an HDMI cord with one end male and split to a two-sided male on the other end...one goes from the cable box to left side TV for HDMI 1, then to HDMI-to-RCA box side two--to input VCR. RCA out from VCR to the opposite--RCA ins to HDMI out to "HDMI 2" input on TV. All I want is to have full access to premium channels like the old days, but through my fucking VCR while viewing on a hi-def TV instead of a CRT...this should not be THIS MUCH of a fucking hassle!!!

For those who say "why don't you just get a new cable box with DVR or a DVD recorder"--most TV is copy protected, meaning you can watch them but either can't transfer them off your box or record them to a disc (dvd recorder, which I have). The only option for copy protection free recording is VHS in the modern era...total bullshit, hence my problem. Any help, anons?

And you just ran into copy protection... It's probably the splitter that doesn't strip HDCP. Get one that strips HDCP.

In case of Yuropoor, does your TV have SCART? Some Sony's have output on those, even from HDMI.

And btw, is the DVD recorder integrated into the cablebox? Otherwise it should work when using analog inputs/macrovision stripped.

Never heard of that; many thanks, will look into. I just never encountered such an analog to digital culture shock before...it almost feels planned to phase out older technology and force you to embrace the newest shit...

Not sure about SCART either...will look into as well...

Got the DVD recorder hooked up elsewhere because it read cable copy protection from the get-go...I mainly use it to transfer VHS to DVD via the Sima SCC-2...god I love that beautiful machine...MCA Universal and HBO Home video can eat bags of dicks...

If you are designing a digital cable box, it's so much easier to opt for digital only. Plenty of ready to go solutions available. And providing analog outputs == copying according to Hollywood.

My Sony has SCART and in the menu I can assign it to provide output. Never tried it, much seems a better option to record to VHS.

So say I recorded Bloodsport from cable digitally via DVR; how can get that movie onto a disc? What I used to do was record VHS then transfer to DVD-r on another station, just for my own collection...how can this be accomplished in the digital realm?

Oh, shit Bloodsport is on? Press record...cool I have it now. Let me take it from there to a disc or a tape...I used to be able to do it so easy with a CRT/analog hookup...now that I'm digital its basically impossible without some frankenstein hookup...

pretty much
nowadays with digital transmissions, digital cables, and digital TV's, copy protection goes all the way through to the panel
the only way to get rid of it is with legally dubious HDCP stripping boxes
and at that point you might as well just torrent your tv shows, as far as they're concerned you're avoiding their protection either way

You're stance is you should be able to record Bloodsport from TV, and put your recording onto a disc?

Who here (and brave for it) ISN'T going to tell you to kill yourself?

Or at least to go torrent Bloodsport and chill out before the aneurysm comes.

tv broadcasters have always been pissed about people recording shit to VHS, now they have better means to prevent people from doing so
it's not that they changed their mind, they never wanted people to record tv

I honestly admire your dedication op, but why don't you just torrent your shows that you like?

What do you think, how much of your recording is just ocd hoarding and hiw much is real need, i'm genuinly interested?

>tv
>"real need"

From DVR to VHS to DVD-R? So much pain... so much trouble... If it's a external DVD-R with analog inputs, get yourself a TBC (Time Base Corrector) and record to DVD straight away.

But downloading is probably faster then recording real-time nowadays.

And the DVR? Anyway to dump the files on it?

My stance is that everything was fine before I upgraded to fully digital...with a CRT TV and a coax hookup with a VCR in-between I could record anything I wanted to VHS from any channel with no problem...

Oh shit, that episode of the A-Team is on? Damn why the fuck didn't anyone tell me Police Academy 4 is on Flix right now? Damn Vanilla Ice is threatening to kill people live on TV--I gotta tape this--AND RETAIN IT off of the original source is my point...

My ultimate solution might be to go back to square one and spring for another cable box, attached from a coax signal to VCR hookup like the old days, with a bullshit CRT 19" TV just to record the shit I want. Split of course. One end of the house is hi-def, the other analog as fuck. But the latter being way more adaptable, ironically.

I know, for me op is pretty crazy, but i leave the room for some real explanation

>But downloading is probably faster then recording real-time nowadays.
yep, unless he's in the middle of nowhere can only get dialup or something
since he doesn't give a shit about video quality, even shitty 350M files will do, which assuming the show is 45min, would only need 1.037Mb/s download speed to get in real time

while i used to record tv onto vhs all the time as well, i moved on once my internet connection got up to scratch

these days i have Sonarr (a program) monitor shows i tell it to, and it will check for newly released shows and go out and find/download torrents for them, automatically
it even renames and sorts the downloads nice and tidily

>check for newly released shows
episodes*

Video art, honestly. I like to make cut-ups like audio DJ's, but 4:3 retro video has been made nearly impossible to access anymore. It would be like destroying all copies of Whodini vinyl records, and only allowing streaming (unlicensed) versions to be played that are all owned by whatever conglomerate, per-play, per-click, per-stream.

The first 30 seconds stream HD, then....
Fuck off, basically.

That's because nothing is recorded in 4:3 anymore. Also, making cut ups is so much easier on digital.

Yeah. That's how it was when VCR's were integrated into television, which is why we have the pop-cultural history that we have. The ability to record and show what we captured, accordingly...From James Brown drunk on CNN to Budd Dwyer suicide...it all happened on the freedom of VHS transfers.

Understood, totally. Here's my solution. Record TV to VHS, then VHS to DVD-r. DVD-r into player, zoomed in one time to get rid of black bars--input into a digital capture device on your PC. Kind of like the old TV cropping technique but works regardless. Think of it as a medium...4:3 instead of wide, thin rectangles.

>calling something a LED TV
>on muh Cred Forums

be constructive

>Record TV to VHS, then VHS to DVD-r. DVD-r into player, zoomed in one time to get rid of black bars--input into a digital capture device on your PC.
uh... why not just connect the VCR to the capture device?

user...a few things...

#1: The "typical" way of consuming media has changed. Literally nobody gives a shit anymore about network television, except network television groups. And even they are beginning to realize that typical network television viewers are dwindling drastically.
#2: Media STREAMING is where the markets are moving these days. You'll hardly find a show, broadcast, video, clip or cast that isn't available to stream live on your PC/Tablet/Mobile Device either live as it debuts on network television, or mere minutes after it airs. Shows like NCIS, America's Got Talent, Hell's Kitchen, all that garbage shit is available for streaming on Hulu, Youtube, the network's site, a thousand different sources online have the video, clip, broadcast, or similar available to you, right now.
#3: The best part of this digital streaming revolution? Everybody has access to everything. Everything is recorded. You don't have to do it. Especially not in some ridiculous and retarded outdated way. Torrent it. Direct Download it. Screen-record the stream yourself, if you're so inclined. Legally, or illegally, whatever you want to see is available online right now, I promise you. You can download/torrent it directly to your PC, store it on Hard Drives, SD Cards, USB Flash Drives, DVDs, Blu-Rays, whatever medium you desire, to be consumed as you want anytime.

You're trying to do what many others have perfected in better ways, rather than enjoying the published fruits of their labor.

You could always get an el gato or hauppauge capture card and a small media pc to record onto. Split the signal so you can record and watch. Probably the best way to do it currently

Have that as well, but the capture device is in a different room, away from cable source due to logistics...I could run a 100 foot coaxial I suppose...I have an editing area and a viewing area, basically.

I get you, man...times have changed. But as we all know, upgrades tend to take a loss. We sacrifice control for convenience in this case. I just want to own what I watch in the format I choose, but the current state of technology makes it harder for me to do so.

Streaming...Look, I get that too but...doesn't anybody like anything ENOUGH to physically own something anymore? And hey, for the consumer its one thing, but what about artists working in this a/v medium? Pioneer makes CD-DVD turntables, but I can't stream media to them...and even if I could--fuck that--my crate is MINE. Just like that Whodini 12'' instrumental...not owned by Sony or whoever, not cataloged per play, and not eligible for renewal after so many viewings...

I'll own what I want, for as long as I want, and do whatever the fuck I want with said content for as long as I want, basically...that's my approach. I know times have changed, but fuck the times if they change not in your favor...