Macrovision Corporation

William J Wrobleski

Ronald Quan

John O Ryan

Johan Cornelis Talstra

Antonius Adrianus Cornelis Maria Kalker

James R Holzgrafe

David C Collier

Patrice J Capitant

Mark A Hollar

Kordian Jacek Kurowski

Gerow D Brill

Derek T Nelson

Andrew B Mellows

In the known color stripe process for preventing recording of video signals, the color burst present on each line of active video is modified so that any subsequent video tape recording of the video signal shows variations in the color fidelity that appear as undesirable bands or stripes of color error. This color stripe process is improved by a combination of modifying the phase of the color burst on only part of the color burst. Additional improvements were obtained by incorporating techniques of widening the normal color burst envelope towards the trailing edge of horizontal sync and towards the beginning of active video. These techniques are useful in improving the performance of the color stripe process in both the NTSC and PAL color systems. However, additional improvements are described in the PAL system whereby the phase modifications are controlled so as to avoid disturbing the so-called PAL ID pulse. Such avoidance of the PAL ID pulse improves the playability of the color stripe signal in the PAL format.

Method and apparatus for improving the playability of a PAL or NTSC video signal containing color burst modifications

Method and apparatus for providing generational copy control of a video signal. A digital video signal contains content information, first supplemental information and second supplemental information. The first supplemental information is represented by a watermark pattern, the second by a control pattern. Copying of the content information is only permitted if a predetermined combination of the first and second supplemental information is present. Pseudo-sync pulses are added to a blanking interval of an analog video signal converted from a digital video signal, the pulses representing the second supplemental information.

Generational copy control of a video signal

Method and apparatus for improving the effects of color burst modifications to a video signal

A technique is disclosed for preventing unauthorized playback of scrambled video/audio signals recorded on, for example, a video tape cassette, which technique includes several cooperating processes and apparatus which further prevent the playback of recorded video/audio when the playback apparatus is in a still or pause mode of operation. The technique includes selected combinations of processes of inverting and re-clamping the luminance component of the video signal just prior to FM modulation; blanking an overscan portion, or portions, of the video signal and adding a video retrace signal to the overscan portion(s); inverting the normal control track signal and position modulating the normally unused edge; and selectively scrambling the audio signal and recording the scrambled audio signal in an audio track or in a Hi-Fi track. A selected user specific authorization code is recording in and recovered from the audio track. The recorded scrambled video/audio signal is recovered via a modified combo VCR/TV unit with no external video/audio jacks, which reverses the scrambling processes mentioned above, but only if the descrambling apparatus is authorized by having the proper recovered authorization code.

Method and apparatus for recording scrambled video audio signals and

A method and system for preventing a visible video copy being made of a projected image on a screen. In a theater environment, an image is projected upon a screen by a film projector or a video projector. A form of film piracy is accomplished by copying the image on the screen with a video camcorder. Most of these video camcorders are sensitive to the visual spectrum as well as portions of the infra red spectrum. To prevent the copying of a projected image by such a video camcorder, a focused or unfocused image in the infra red spectrum is projected on top of the visual image. This infra red image will not be visible to the audience in the theater. However a recording of the visual image by a video camcorder sensitive to the infra red spectrum will be distorted beyond use. When a focused infra red image is projected onto the screen it may include a message indicating the date and source of the recording. Other messages could be used including a message to the video pirate that he has been caught.

Method and system for preventing the off screen copying of a video or

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

William J Wrobleski