Sony BVT-800 Time Base Corrector
 

I just bought one of these for $10, it had been hanging around the Second Hand store for months at $15 with no takers so I made an offer.

Don't know if it works but it was part of a big lot of Pro gear this place bought some time ago.

What I want to know is can it be used to strip off the Macrovision so you can record VHS to DVD?

It also seems to be capable of enhancing the video and making various adjustments to the Chroma levels and what not.

Is it of any use at all at this point or did I waste $10?

It looks pretty much like this eBay unit, right down to the missing door, mine doesn't have a "Scrap" tag on it though.

Just the thing for my BVU-800 3/4" machine. It connects to the VTR by a multi-pin cable, if I remember correctly. You'd have to check to see if it has a composite video input. If you can find a maintenance manual for it, it would say whether the device processes or reconstructs the vertical interval, which should kill macrovision. It may have adjustable 'clipping' which would return the early style of macrovision to legal video levels.

$10 is reasonable, even if you just use it as an electric room heater for chilly nights.

Chip

It does have what looks like a Composite input, I wouldn't have bought it if it only had the multi pin job.

The two boards slide out the front for servicing, saying this thing is complicated is like saying the Titanic was kind of big, there are hundreds of IC chips on the one board and a zillion components on the other, no way I could ever attempt to fix it if it's broken!

That is likely a line based TBC that needs advanced sync from a VCR to work. Its great for old U-Matic or reel-to-reel setups, but useless with modern equipment. You need a "full frame" (also called infinite window) TBC to strip Macrovision.