Copy protection for hybrid digital video tape recording and unprotected source material

An apparatus for playing back information recorded digitally on a recording medium, the digitally recorded information including copy protection portions, comprising:

• a mechanism for playing the recording medium and providing a digital signal representing the recorded information;
• a digital to analog converter for converting the digital signal to an analog signal;
• and
• means for inserting a copy protection signal into the analog signal in response to detection of the copy protection portions.

A method for inhibiting copying of material digitally recorded on a recording medium, the material including copy protection information, comprising the steps of:

• playing the material from the recording medium;
• detecting the copy protection information in the played material;
• converting the played material from a digital signal to an analog signal;
• generating an analog copy protection signal in response to the detected copy protection information;
• and
• modifying the analog signal with the generated analog copy protection signal.

A method of inhibiting copying of digital recorded material, the material including digital copy protection portions, comprising the steps of:

• providing from a recording a digital signal representing the recorded material;
• detecting the copy protection portions in the digital signal;
• converting the digital signal to an analog signal;
• and
• modifying the analog signal with an analog copy protection signal in response to the detection of the copy protection portions.

A method of copy-protecting a video signal formed of a stream of digital data bits, the method using a serial copy protection bit detector, comprising:

• setting a first serial copy protection bit to a predetermined value, the first serial copy protection bit occurring at a predesignated location in the stream;
• determining the value of the first serial copy protection bit upon receipt of the video signal at the serial copy protection bit detector;
• setting a second serial copy protection bit to a predetermined value upon determination that the value of the first serial copy protection bit is the predetermined value, wherein the second serial copy protection bit is in a location in the stream associated with the first serial copy protection bit;
• detecting the second serial copy protection bit;
• and
• upon detection of the second serial copy protection bit, inhibiting recording of the video signal.

A digital video recorder comprising:

• a digital video recording mechanism;
• an input terminal for receiving a digital video signal;
• a first signal detector for detecting copy protection information present in the digital video signal;
• means for inhibiting recording of the digital video signal in response to detection of the copy protection information;
• a second signal detector for detecting serial copy protection information present in the digital video signal;
• and
• a signal generator for generating a digital copy protection signal in response to the detected serial copy protection information and inserting the generated digital copy protection signal into the digital signal.

An apparatus for playing back video material recorded on a recording medium, comprising:

• a mechanism for playing the recording medium and providing an analog video playback signal;
• a detector for detecting a copy protection flag in the played back signal;
• and
• a signal generator for generating an anti-copy signal in response to the detected copy protection flag and modifying the analog video playback signal with the generated signal.

A method of copy protecting recorded video material, comprising:

• providing a flag at a predetermined location in a recorded video signal to be copy protected;
• playing back the recorded video material as an analog video signal;
• detecting the flag in the played back analog video signal;
• and
• upon detecting the flag, modifying the played back analog video signal with a copy protection process.

A method of copy protecting analog video material to be recorded comprising:

• providing a flag at a predetermined location in the analog video signal to be recorded;
• receiving the analog video signal;
• recording the analog video signal;
• detecting the flag in the recorded video signal upon playing back of the recorded video signal;
• and
• in response to detection of the flag, modifying the video signal with an analog copy protection process.