Over the years l've read mention of these mysterious "high end" DVD players that allow you to skip over the anti-piracy warnings and anything else annoying at will.
But l've never seen one of these DVD players nor do l know anyone who has one.
My first dvd player (here in the UK) in the 90s was a Samsung (I forget what model) and it played any region out of the box, and bypassed Macrovision. For a limited time it was the only way I could lend films to my parents to watch on vhs that they couldn't get hold of.
I don't think it was a 'high end' player. In fact often I seem to remember folks praising the cheapest supermarket players as having this 'facility'.
I seem to recall there being "HD" DVD's or supposedly they produced better picture quality. Oh wait, I think it was some kinda HD VHS player.
There were definitely "HD" DVDs, which for about two years (2006-08) waged the great HD format war with Blu-ray for HD supremacy. The studios and equipment manufacturers lined up in one camp or the other. But when hold-out Warner Bros. finally came down on the side of Blu-ray, their market muscle was such that the fate of HD DVD was sealed. Hail and farewell, HD DVD.
You are also correct that there was both a Super VHS (non-HD , but with more scan lines than regular VHS) and a Digital VHS (with more scan lines than DVD) that beat both HD DVD and Blu-ray to market. But once the first HD disc appeared, the fate of HD tape was also sealed.
My first dvd player (here in the UK) in the 90s was a Samsung (I forget what model) and it played any region out of the box, and bypassed Macrovision. For a limited time it was the only way I could lend films to my parents to watch on vhs that they couldn't get hold of.
I don't think it was a 'high end' player. In fact often I seem to remember folks praising the cheapest supermarket players as having this 'facility'.
