general

what is dv?

dv means "digital video". digital video distinguishes in almost every way from analog video:

- you can copy dv without any losses and therefore you avoid the loss of quality that arises in many analog video recorder, like for example vhs.

- dv has signal technical tv-quality and is therefore above other video formats like vhs, s-vhs, video8 or hi8.

- dv signals do not only include video signals but also two or four audio tracks, time code, data code and device control functions. with only one 4-pin cabel connection you can record ata in both directions.

what does dv-in mean?

dv-in means "digital video in". digital video recorders and cameras, like digital editing computers, need this input to be able to record digital video. as dv-recorders and dv editing computers in general have such an input, many dv-camcorders in europe do not have a dv-in. the reason for this you can read in the history part. technically many european cameras can record a dv-signal, but the dv-in has been deactivated. now these cameras only have a dv-out and can give out dv-signals, for example to a dv-video recorder or a computer with a firewire editing place or a dv editing card. in the computer you can edit a film, but you are unable to record this one on a dv-cassette in the camera. to enable this you need a dv-in solution. only with a very expensive dv-video recorder you can record the film without quality losses. another alternative is to burn a video-cd or a dvd, but this brings quality losses, is slow and even more expensive. the film cannot be recorded to an ordinary analog video recorder, then the connections needed are missing in most editing cards. also here the recording will be analog and bring losses.
now most european dv-camcorders can be activated. (you recognize these models because they have an "e" or an "eg" after their name, for example trv10e or ds11eg). at this the barrier put by the manufacturer is cancelled. the dv-camera can in the activated state record digital video over the dv-connection. the legal background to dv-in activations you can read about in the legal part.

how does the camera get activated?

a camera can be dv-in activated in different ways. we offer all of them:

- dv-in software
windows 95/98 can with the help of a connection cable (mostly serial or parallel connected to the cameras directing box, not the dv-connection) activate the camera. the software does automatically recognize what camera it is about and activates it with a mouse click. except this, the software can also deactivate the camera again and also control the camera, for example to put the camera in a recording state by hand, because such a button is missing on the camera (with exceptions for sharp, jvc and thomson). activation with software is the most used method to activate camcorders.

- dv-in widgets
a little box with a cable connects to the camera via the directing box. a pc is not needed, because the activation happens by pushing a button. widgets can also cancel the activation and start the recording by pushing the button.

- dv-in service
we do also offer dv-in activations as service. however, this means that the camera has to be sent to us, or you can visit us personally. if you choose to send the camera, then please do only add the power supply and the adapter, if needed. it should be well wrapped up and insured.

history

how come that camcorders without a dv-in exist at all?

in europe most sold dv and d8-camcorders do not have a dv-in. in usa, japan or asia the same models have a dv-in. this comes from the fact that cameras with dv-in imported to the european union have to pay duty to a higher custom than cameras without dv-in. such a camera is not seen as only a video camera, but also as a video recorder, which has a 9,7% higher custom than a video camera. to save these almost 10 % in custom, the manufacturers deactivates the dv-in on many cameras and therefore also the possibility to record digital video signals.
the european customs union is meant to protect european manufacturers from imported goods. the paradox in this case is, that no cameras are manufactured within the eu. there are european firms (grundig, metz, thomson) that sell cameras, these though, are equally built as japanese models (from panasonic, jvc) and they have been manufactured outside the eu and therefore have to pay duty to the same custom as other brands.

the director of a big japanese firm is heard to have said to this theme; "the europeans ought to buy dv-recorders", and this is just what you had to do earlier, if you wanted to work with films in full dv-quality. if you had edit your film on the pc, you could only transfer it via a dv-cable to a dv-recorder, if you wanted to give it out. these recorders are of course very good devices, but with a price of 2000.- to 5000.- eur very expensive and not that necessary for many hobby filmmakers. -in the end, not because of a protecting custom for firms that does not even exist.
in the end of the day, the consumer is the one that has to bear the disadvantages.

how did dv-in activations start?

even in the early days there were some people who were interested in the deactivation of the dv-in. (see technical) they looked at european and asian models and tried to figure out the differences that could make an activation possible. some of the camcorder manufacturers' service centres were even able to do this. the real start was made by a tinkerer who could activate the sony camcorders pc7e and vx1000e. for these there were corresponding remote controller on the open market. a company in munich was the first to offer a dv-in service for about 300,-eur. an israeli student had at the same time cracked the code for the vx1000e and put it out on the internet to the public, for free.
the legal position at that time was more than unsure. therefore many firms did not dare to manufacture or sell dv-in activations. now, the legal part is quite clear though.

legal

what is the legal background to the dv-in activations?

it is not illegal to activate the camera by yourself. (for example with help of a corresponding software) you are allowed to do what you want with your own camera. when the owner of the camera turns to a reseller, does the reseller activate the camera after instructions from the customer. also here there should be no problems.

it is more problematic when the reseller do sell dv-in camcorders, if these were not activated by the manufacturer. the reseller ought in this case to inform the customer that the camera did not have a dv-in to begin with. if the customer accepts this, the camera has, so to say, been activated by instructions from the customer. in general, the trading, as the manufacturing, of dv-in activations is legal. you can compare this with the manufacturing and trading of radar scannings (in germany) or export products, whereby these products are forbidden within the eu, in contrast to dv-in activations.

the attitude of the german/european customs

the german/euopean customs is only interested in the state the camera is in when it arrives to germany/europe. (we have a written statement of this from the german customs). although the manufacturers have to contribute to the difficulties of activating the camera. they cannot make it easy for the customer, by for example putting a switch on the camera. they have to make the deactivation as effective as possible. this is also made, and the deactivation of new models get more and more complicated and many camcorders which are sold 2002 cannot be longer dv-in activated.

the attitude of the manufacturers

to start with, the manufacturers do give out more and more dv-camcorders with dv-in. some models are sold with dv-in (z.b. canon mv20i/30i/200i/300i, panasonic dx 110eg, ds 150eg, ds 990 eg, sony trv 900e…) and without dv-in (canon mv20/30/200/300, panasonic dx100e, ds 15eg, ds99eg, sony trv890e…), the price difference is between 10-20%.

the manufacturers' attitude to dv-in activations is divided. on one hand it is a selling argument for a dv-camcorder that it can be activated. models that cannot be activated are sold in a much lower number, than cameras that can.
on the other hand, the manufacturers are not allowed to promote or force the activations (by for example handing out the dv-in information), because they might have to pay millions additionally in unpaid duty to the customs. (see above) therefore the manufacturers do not mix in the debate or declare their own point of view. but, they do the living harder for customers who want to activate their cameras. if a camera is handed in to a manufacturer's service centre for repair, cleaning or adjustment, the dv-in will in most cases be deactivated again. the activation is then gone and the customer might have to buy a new dv-in licence. because of this, there are dv-in activations that can also undo the activation. the manufacturer cannot see on the camera that an activation has been made and thereafter undone. this is important , when many manufacturers do not repair the camera within the guarantee period. legally seen are the manufacturers in their full right to refuse a guarantee repair. the customer has interfered with the camera, and the loss of the guarantee follows. nevertheless, some manufacturers do understand the situation and are reasonable. a dv-in activation has never been the reason for a defect camera. what the manufacturers have overseen, by the way, is the totally unproblematic general dv-in activation in connection with a deactivation of the dv-in recording function. in that case, the camcorder is still a video camera to the customs, and not a video recorder. by doing this you can convert the camera's dv-signal to an analog signal and then record this with a normal video recorder, for example a s-vhs or vhs recorder. this possibility would be enough for many users and it would not lead to any extra work or costs for the manufacturers.

the attitude to dv-in solutions of the manufactures has changed in october 2002. now the manufactures sony, panasonic and sharp (and later also jvc) start to ask the dv-in resellers and manufactures, to stop the selling and producing of dv-in solutions. this is irritating, because at this moment, dv-in solutions have been 5 years at the market and now can be bought in many big stores, electronic outlets, photo and digital video shops - and no camcorder manufacture has ever criticised this. now, for the first time, it is not sure, that dv-in solutions are completely legal.
the question is now, why the manufactures have done this now (newer camcorders are hardware blocked anyway and cannot be dv-in enabled) and why they think, that enabling dv-in at a camcorder could be illegal. we still think, that dv-in solutions don't concern rights of the camcorder manufactors. we now would like to give the manufactors the chance, to show us, why they now think, that dv-in solutions concern their rights.
the problem why things changed, is that the (german) custom changed its attitude to camcorder, which can be dv-in enabled. in july 2001 the custom brought out a paper, in which it defines camcorders without dv-in, which can be enabled "by software", as recorders. this is a big change in the point of view, but the custom now argues, that it was like this before, because they did not change a custom law, but made a simple explanation of the old law from 1987. and now the eu commission has to decide what is right and what is wrong.

this would also be a good moment to think about the the question, why digital camcorders in the hole world always have dv-in and out - but not in the eu? Is there a sense more than simple money earning from people who are buying a camcorder?

anyway: as long as the situation is not clear, we will stop selling and developing dv-in solutions. we hope you understand.

if you want to gibe us some feed-back, we would be pleased to get an e-mail from you. we are also looking forward to get reactions about this new situations from you.

what other institutions are concerned?

- the ce (the ce-sign, controller of radio interference from electronic devices) is the most concerned institution. with a dv-in activation, the camera gets modified and looses the ce-sign. this means that you are not allowed to operate the camera outside your own private sphere.

there is nothing to compare with legally. if the camera is used only to film in the camera mode, which is usually done outside the private sphere, there is technically no difference between an activated and deactivated camera. if the dv-in is used at home afterwards to record the film from the pc, there are no problems whatsoever. theoretically you could deactivate the camera before leaving the private sphere, then the camera should qualify for the ce-sign again.

technically there is, by the way, no difference if a camera has been dv-in activated or not, this does not change the radio interference. therefore the loss of the permission to operate the camera in public is discussable. if operating the camera without the ce-sign is against the law when used in public, is difficult to prove. it is totally clear that a dv-in modification does not mean any safety risks at all.

technical

how does the dv-in activation work?

every camcorder has one sort of a operating system. it excesses different parts of the memory. the memory gets programmed and keeps saved data, also when the power supply or battery, or even the little lithium battery for the clock is disconnected. the parameters for colour, camcorder menus, frame chips, viewfinder etc, are saved here. on the european models, the pal-camcorders, a modification is made by the manufacturer within the memory for the dv-in and sometimes also for the dv-in recording. depending on how well the data are hidden, it is easier or more difficult to activate the dv-in. the easiest activation is the one camcorder that is sold in asia with dv-in and in europe without, and is identical but for one parameter in the memory. if you change just this one parameter , it will be enough for an activation. also other functions can get changed, you can for example get a bigger digital zoom and more functions in the menu. by more complicated activations it is difficult to find just one parameter, and usually more parameters in the memory have to be changed. on top of this, some manufacturers do build in one or two check summer. these are checking the cross sum of the register and interrupts the camcorder if a change is discovered. it is then impossible to work with the camcorder, and it has to be handed in for service. therefore, you should not try to crack the codes by yourself, or try different things out with the camcorder. it is better to use a proper dv-in activation, which recognises the camcorder and changes the parameters automatically.

how do the parameters get changed?

to be able to change the parameter in the memory, you have to get connected to the camcorder. you do this either with a service remote controller, as service centres use as well, software, hidden camcorder menus or other dv-in solutions. the principle by service remote controller, software and dv-in solutions are always the same. the device that sends out the signals (for example the pc) is connected to the camcorder with a special cable which also contains electronic. usually you use the camcorder's control box:

-by sony and canon: lanc/control-l (or ir/infrared)
-by panasonic, grundig, metz: still picture connection/dsp
-by jvc, thomson: pc-box or jip
-by sharp: ir/ infrared.
-by samsung, medion: hardware change

the camcorders need different voltage, therefore a cable has to be connected to the serial (for panasonic, grundig, metz and jvc) or to the parallel (sony, canon) connection on the pc. also the cables are different for every mentioned model.
some camcorders (grundig dlc1, metz cc34, sony pc7e, canon mv20) do not have a control box and do therefore need an adapter.
one model (metz cd34) have the control box hidden, it is in the battery compartment behind a plastic cover.

when the connection to the camcorder has been made, must for the different cameras the right serial protocol be applied, so that a communication between the pc and the camcorder can be made. now the pc can read/write the camera's memory and it can also control the camera functions like play, stop, record.

how does the dv-in recording get started?

the control of the camcorder is an important function, because all dv-camcorders without dv-in (but for jvc and thomson) do not have a dv-in record button. the widget has the advantage that a pc is not necessary to start the recording. this is useful when you are on your way and want to record from one camera to an other, and particularly by the d8cameras, where you can use it to record analog, for example to use the camera as a video recorder. for sony dv/d8 camcorders you can use an universal remote controller in sony vtr2 mode, we do offer this remote controller.

if you connect the camcorder to a digital editing card (ieee1394, firewire, ilink, editing cards as exsys ex-6500, dv-editing cards as canopus dv raptor/ezdv, pinnacle dv500 or studiodv, fast dv.now etc.) can this control the camcorder completely, also the recording function. in this case you only need one single activation and no other extra record controls.

what extra functions can be activated?

because sony d8 systems are compatible upwards to video8 and hi8, there is also an analog-digital converter in d8 camcorders. this becomes active after an dv-in activation also by the analog exit. this means, by all d8 camcorders in general, the analog exit does get activated. this means that old video recordings also from vhs-cassettes can get digitalised and can be digital edited. however, this does only work by d8 camcorders. not one single dv camcorder can get analog-in activated.

there are further interesting possibilities that you can get by changing particular parameters in the camcorder's memory. functions as white balance, a wider digital zoom or other remote controls can be activated. the dv-in software lremote does for example by all d8 camcorders one extra option in the menu that makes the direct conversion from analog to digital signals possible. this means you can for example record directly from a vhs-recorder into the pc, without having to first record it onto a cassette.

you can find some further functions on our code site, which is by construction at the moment. those functions are optional and we do recommend that only well trained computer users try to convert their camcorders. we do not take any responsibility for damages on the camcorder or for the loss of any guarantees.

which camcorders cannot be activated?

the number of camcorders that can get dv-in activated grows weekly. however, there are some dv-camcorders that cannot be activated in general:

camcorders without dv-boxes:
- jvc gr-dv1, gr-dvj70, gr-dvm1, gr-dvx
- panasonic nv-dx1
- sharp dc1

just as:
- canon mv500, mv530, mv550, mv5
- sony pc10e (only by a very complicated hardware intervention, which is no longer possible because, the needed electronic parts are not availlible anymore)
- jvc gr-dv3, gr-dvm5, gr-dvl9000, gr-dvp5, gr-dvl155/160/365/765/865, gr-vf1 and gr-dvx400
- panasonic nv-ds27eg (nv-ds27eg: only up the serial number "i", from "j" on, it is not possible), nvds88eg (if bought in 2002)
- sony vx1000e with serial number from 44000, and vx9000e with serial number 16000 to 60000 (we cannot take any responsibility for wrong information)
- sony trv238e, trv239e, trv738e, trv739e

which camcorders already have dv-in?

the following camcorders don't need to be dv-in enabled:

- canon:
mv3i, mv3imc, mv20i, mv30i, mv200i, mv300i, mv4i, mv400i, mv430i, mv450i (mv450i: also analogue-in), mv500i (mv500i: also analogue-in), mv530i (mv530i: also analogue-in), mv550i (mv550i: also analogue-in), mv5i
xm1, xm2
xl1, xl1s

- grundig:
dlc2000

- jvc:
gr-dv2000 (also analogue-in), gr-dv3000 (also analogue-in)
gr-dvl107, gr-dvl109, gr-dvl157, gr-dvl167, gr-dvl307, gr-dvl309, gr-dvl357, gr-dvl367, gr-dvl557, gr-dvl567, gr-dvl767, gr-dvl867, gr-dvl9600, gr-dvl9800 (dvl9800: also analog-in),
gr-dvx10 (also analogue-in), gr-dvx88 (dvx88: also analogue-in), gr-dvx407, gr-dvx507, gr-dvx707
gr-vp3, gr-vp7

- panasonic:
ag-dvc15e,
nv-ds28eg, nv-ds38eg (also analogue-in), nv-ds89eg, nv-ds150eg, nv-ds990eg,
nv-dx110eg,
nv-mx7eg (also analogue-in), nv-mx8eg (also analogue-in), nv-mx300eg (also analogue-in)
nv-ez35eg

- samsung:
vp-d50, vp-d65, vp-d75i, vp-d77i, vp-d130i, vp-d190i

- sharp:
vl-me100s

- sony dv:
pc100e (also analogue-in), pc110e (also analogue-in),
pd100ap (also analogue-in), pd150ap (also analogue-in),
trv20e (also analogue-in), trv30e (also analogue-in), trv900e (also analogue-in),
vx2000e (also analogue-in)

- sony d8 (dv/analogue-in):
trv330e, trv620e, trv720e, trv730e, trv820e, trv828e, trv830e

- thomson:
vmd5, vmd9, vmd6gr, vmd20, vmd22, vmd130, vmd140, vmd160, vmd170

which camcorders can be dv-in activated?

- canon: (we don't offer any dv-in solutions for canon camcorders right now - more info):
mv1* (mv1: has to be activated with a special programme before every recording), mv3, mv3mc, mv10, mv20 (mv20: adapter needed), mv30, mv100*, mv200, mv300, mv4, mv400, mv425, mv430, mv450

*the dv-in recording does only work with canopus editing cards (ezdv, dv raptor, dv rex)

- grundig: (we don't offer any dv-in solutions for grundig camcorders right now - more info):
dlc1 (dlc1: adapter needed, we suggest the dv-in service), dlc10, dlc20, dcl1000, dlc1500, dlc1505

- jvc: (we don't offer any dv-in solutions for jvc camcorders right now - more info):
gr-dvl20, gr-dvl30, gr-dvl40, gr-dvl100, gr-dvl108, gr-dvl140*, gr-dvl150*, gr-dvl200, gr-dvl300, gr-dvl308, gr-dvl355*, gr-dvl450*, gr-dvl555*, gr-dvl9200, gr-dvl9500, gr-dvl9700
gr-dvx4, gr-dvx7, gr-dvx8, gr-dvx9, gr-dvx44*, gr-dvx77*
gr-dvp1* (gr-dvp1: only via dv-in service)
gr-dv1800
professionall camcorder gy-dv500 (gy-dv500: only via dv-in service)

*important note: *important note: these camcorders can only be dv-in enabled if they were bought before autumn 2001, since from that time and onwards, jvc has blocked the dv-in function via hardware. we are working on this problem. if you have such a camcorder, we suggest you to send us your camcorder and we will try to do a dv-in service. There is a chance that this will work, because the blockage is definitely there in the year 2002. if you have bought a dv-in software or widget and it does not work, you can always use our money back guarantee.

- medion: (only via dv-in service, (we don't offer any dv-in solutions for medion camcorder right now - more info): )
md 9021
md 9035

note: medion camcorders cannot record the dv-in signal back to tape when using a firewire card and a windows me. please use windows 98se, 2000 or xp to work with this camcorders and dv-in.

- metz: (we don't offer any dv-in solutions for metz camcorder right now - more info):
cc34 (cc34: adapter needed, we suggest the dv-in service)
cd34 (cd34: a plastic cover in the battery compartment has to be removed),
ce34
cf34 (cf34: only via dv-in service)
cg34 (cg34: only via dv-in service)

- panasonic (we don't offer any dv-in solutions for panasonic camcorder right now - more info):
nv-da1eg,
nv-ds1eg, nv-ds5eg, nv-ds8eg, nv-ds11eg, nv-ds12eg, nv-ds15eg, nv-ds25eg, nv-ds27eg (nv-ds27eg: in the last weeks, more and more ds27eg came up, which could not get dv-in enabled), nv-ds33eg, nv-ds35eg, nv-ds37eg, nv-ds55eg, nv-ds77eg, nv-ds88eg (nv-ds88eg: only if bought before 2002), nv-ds99eg,
nv-dx100eg,
nv-mx1eg, nv-mx5eg,
nv-ex1eg, nv-ex3eg,
nv-ez10eg, nv-ez30eg

- samsung: (only via dv-in service, we don't offer any dv-in solutions for samsung camcorder right now - more info):
vp-d55, vp-d60, vp-d70, vp-d73

note: samsung camcorders cannot record the dv-in signal back to tape when using a firewire card and a windows me. please use windows 98se, 2000 or xp to work with this camcorders and dv-in.

- sharp (we don't offer any dv-in solutions for panasonic camcorder right now - more info):
vl-dc3s, vl-dc3a,
vl-me10s, vl-me10a
vl-pd1s, vl-pd1a, vl-pd3s, vl-pd3a, vl-pd5s, vl-pd5a, vl-pd6s, vl-pd6a
vl-rd1s, vl-rd1a
vl-sd20s, vl-sd20a
vl-wd250s,vl-wd250a, vl-wd450s, vl-wd450a, vl-wd650s, vlwd650a

- sony dv (we don't offer any dv-in solutions for panasonic camcorder right now - more info):
dsr-200p,
pc1e, pc2e, pc3e, pc4e, pc5e, pc6e, pc7e (pc7e: adapter needed, we suggest the dv-in service),
sc100e,
trv5e, trv6e, trv7e, trv8e, trv9e, trv10e, trv11e, trv15, trv17, trv890e,
vx700e, vx1000e (vx1000e: only serial numbers under 44000, over enabling dv-in is not possible), vx9000e (vx9000e: only serial numbers under 16000 and over 60000, between dv-in enabling is not possible)

- sony d8 (dv/analogue-in, we don't offer any dv-in solutions for panasonic camcorder right now - more info):
tr7000e, tr7100e, tr8000e, tr8100e,
trv110e, trv120e, trv125e, trv130 (trv130: not analogue-in, only via dv-in service), trv210e, trv220e, trv230e, trv310e, trv320e, trv325e, trv410e, trv420e, trv430, trv510e, trv520e, trv530e, trv725e

- thomson: (we don't offer any dv-in solutions for thomson camcorder right now - more info):
vmd2, vmd3, vmd8, vmd10, vmd120

the camcorders names are registered trademarks of canon, grundig, jvc, medion, metz, panasonic, samsung, sony, sharp and thomson.

the most important in short

dv-in activation is - so far we can say - not critical legally, it is made by a mouse click per software or widget and can be reversed. the recording per dv-in is started with a button click and you do not get any disadvantages with an activation, because the dv-out does also work afterwards.

you are not allowed to copy this text in parts or completly, but feel free to place a link to www.dv-in.com on your website.

last updated: 07.11.2002 © michael lehmann-horn, magic multi media, www.dv-in.com
no garanties for the here written informations