Re: Is S-video just an output?

PeterD wrote:
This feels like a silly question, but is the S-video socket on my PBG4
only for output?

We've just bought a DVD recorder, planning to bin the VCR. First though,
we have to transfer all the videos we want to keep to DVD, so I bought a
stack of DVD+R blanks and set about the long tedious process of playing
all our 'want to keep' videos, to record at 1x.

Except that it won't be a long process, because it turns out the DVD
recorder balks at recording commercial videos. Once again copy
protection annoys the people who bought the legitimate content, whereas
if I'd bought pirate videos in the first place there'd be no problem
transferring them to DVD.

I tried connecting the VCR to the DVDR with an RF cable, assuming that
surely an analogue signal couldn't contain copy protection, but
apparently it does. However, I understand that capturing the signal to
computer and burning DVDs from there doesn't have the copy protection
problem, but I'm guessing I need some kind of A/D converter, and that
simply connecting S-video from the VCR into the computer isn't going to
do the trick.

It's macrovision copy protection that scrambles commercial/protected VHS recordings. And whatever method you chose, it will scramble the copy, but it is very easily defeated...
In the states it has been legally tested and the owner is allowed to make one "back-up copy" without infringing copyright. Here in UK the copyright laws are still too strict. In the states "Macrovision stripper devices" are marketed with that name, Here in UK they cannot market them with that obvious intent, so they are called "copy stabilizers".
They cost approx £20 and Maplins sells one as do all good Audio-Visual stores. Just pop into a Maplins or your local AV store, tell the saleman you want to copy video tapes and you want a "stabilizer" hand over your twenty quid, connect the device between your VCR and DVD recorder/Computers capture card etc. PLayback your copy protected VHS tape and the "stabilzer" will deliver an unscrambled signal to your recorder....
.

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