# Copy Protected TV Shows



## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

I opened up my Tivo Desktop Plus, first time in several months. What I found shocked me, many of my recorded shows had red circles with lines slashed through them and it said they were copy protected. I never saw this months ago. How sad that we can't even copy the shows we want to transfer on, say an iPod, to watch later.


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

I've found that the Discovery Networks, including the Travel Channel and the Science Channel, is the most prominent source of copy protection on my TiVo. It makes sense, though: They make a lot of extra money from selling DVDs of their programs. They don't make anything extra off archival copies folks make of their broadcasts. I've found that anything copy protected on my TiVo is available on DVD, so just check the network's website and you can perhaps purchase a copy of what you want.


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## dlneal (Nov 5, 2004)

I own two series 3 TiVo systems. Many programs show up as copy-protected that I WAS TOLD are NOT. I went to transfer to a different TiVO a HGTV show for my wife to watch in a different room and couldn't...WHY?

I read somewhere that this is a problem, that only certain channels/shows are really copy protected and that the TiVo was not functioning properly designating the other programs...

Anyone know any more about this????

Sign me...Frustrated in Baltimore!


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

Best info I've seen indicates that the issue is never with the TiVo... it typically is doing exactly what it was deliberately designed to do (whether folks like what it was designed to do or not). 

Rather, generally, there are three scenarios:

1) Content owner or network wants the content protected.

2) Cable company wants the content protected (and the content owner and network don't explicitly prohibit this in their carriage contract).

3) Cable company mistakenly sets the copy protection flag on content that shouldn't have been protected. 

HGTV... not sure. I do know that the Travel Channel wants everything protected; that's the one that gets me every time.


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## roddie (Oct 17, 2007)

It seems that VH-1 turned copy protection on for its shows about two weeks ago, at least on Time Warner here in Dallas. 

I typically record everything on one TiVo HD and then move shows over to another one to free up space, but I can't do that anymore with VH-1 stuff. Bummer.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

Remember the VCR days when we could record and then play on whatever VCR we wanted?


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

I also remember the snowy reception and degradation of VCR recordings.


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## diceman719 (May 20, 2006)

roddie said:


> It seems that VH-1 turned copy protection on for its shows about two weeks ago, at least on Time Warner here in Dallas.
> 
> I typically record everything on one TiVo HD and then move shows over to another one to free up space, but I can't do that anymore with VH-1 stuff. Bummer.


I get around this whole issue by using a Pinnacle Dazzle-type device.
(They're made to digitize VHS tapes, but they work perfectly fine on protected TIVO recordings - and they run under $100.)

I just take the component output from the TIVO and run it into the device, and connect the device's output to my PC using its USB cable. It has a hardware mpg decoder in the unit, so it converts as it records.

I end up with an unprotected mpg that I can do anything I want with, like running it through VideoReDo to remove commercials, copying it back to any of my TIVOs with Desktop or TivoServer, etc.

There's a little more effort and pre-planning involved, and there's no Instant Gratification - but if one really wants to MRV *any* show it does the job...


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