Macrovision on Anime DVDs

This is simply a brief listing of anime DVD titles that have Macrovision encoded on them.

Please note that I am in not encouraging the creation or distribution of unauthorized copies. I do have some information on the bottom of this page about it. More specific detail and information concerning Macrovision is outside the scope of this page. For more information, the reader is encouraged to search the Internet for more information.

This list is primarily focussed on Region 1 Anime DVDs although I do welcome reports from other regions, please specify the region if you are reporting on one outside of "R1".

As I cannot get or test every anime DVD release available, I am asking your support if you find a new one. If you find an encoded disc, please double check this list and report it if it is missing.


The List


Title Vendor
Akira, Special Edition - two disc set, both discs Pioneer
Akira, Standard Edition - one disc set Pioneer
Blood: The Last Vampire Manga Ent.
Blue Gender vol 1 Funimation
Boogiepop Phantom vols. 1-3, #4 is NOT affected TRSI
Cardcaptor Sakura, starting with volume 7 Pioneer Ent.
Castle of Cagliostro Manga Ent.
Ceres, Celestial Legend, vol. 2 (unconfirmed) Viz Video
DragonBall Z Funimation[3][4]
Gatekeepers volumes 1+ Pioneer
Ghost in the Shell Manga Ent.
Hand Maid May, all volumes Pioneer
His and Hers Circumstances, volume 2[5] TRSI
Kimagure Orange Road TV AnimEigo[1][2]
Macross II Manga Ent.
My My Mai CPM (US Manga Corps.)
NieA_7 volume 1 & 2 Pioneer
Patlabor Movies 1 & 2 Manga Ent.
Perfect Blue Manga Ent.
Pet Shop of Horrors Urban Vision
Princess Mononoke Miramax
Project A-Ko Collector's Edition (confirmations please?) CPM (US Manga Corps.)
Ranma Digital Dojo Box Viz
Sailor Moon 'S' TV volume 5 Pioneer
Star Blazers Voyager
Tekkaman Blade II Urban Vision
Vampire Hunter D Urban Vision
Wanderers: El Hazard TV series, volume 1 Pioneer

All or nearly all Manga Entertainment DVDs have Macrovision encoded onto them, presently with the known exception of both volumes of Macross Plus, but it might have been enabled on later pressings. It appears that all Urban Vision and non-Pioneer Funimation DVDs have it.

Pioneer started using it on almost new releases starting with Akira.

AnimEigo says that they will avoid using Macrovision whenever they can. The exceptions are when their licensor requires it, so far KOR TV is all that is known.

Bandai and ADV so far have NOT used it anywhere that I have found.


[1] AnimEigo says the licensor requires it. The status of the OVAs is unknown, those are so far unreleased on DVD.
[2] ADV's Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning does not have Macrovision
[3] "All the Funimation DBZ discs are Macro'd. That is the Trunks and Bardock specials and all the TV eps Ginyu and up. I'd imagine the 4th movie is as well." - Sapphire
[4] The Pioneer affiliated DBZ releases are not affected.
[5] Shawne Kleckner of TRSI says it is not their policy to use Macrovision, and that this was a mistake.

Thanks to "Mother", "Neko Tsukumi", "Auld Dragon", "StarCreator", "lgelfand" and "Sapphire" of the Anime on DVD Glitch disc forum, and "bluedrivemonster" and "Tarkin Greyshadow" for privately sent email input. Chris Beveridge noted on his main Anime on DVD site that Tekkaman Blade II was affected. No slight is intended if I leave you off, this list is big enough that I might forget someone.


More details:
What is Macrovision?
Macrovision is designed to be a video copy protection system. It inserts very specific noises into the picture signal designed to make a VCR record a bad picture - but often with little effect noticed by most people on most TVs, but systems with a VCR in the signal chain or high resolution systems in particular may show some picture degradation. The degradation that might appear on systems that don't have a VCR in the signal path might be a slow fade and overbright cycle, faint horizontal color stripes visible, the upper most edge of the picture might appear skewed to one direction. Sometimes this skew is unstable. Also, some displays might have a hard time synching to the signal. When fed a progressive (480p) signal with Macrovision, My NEC video projector occasionally drops a frame, flickers and has excessive skew of the top edge of the picture. A 480p signal without Macrovision looks fine. There are a lot of people that are relegated to TVs that only have the coaxial or twin-lead antenna connectors, and they need to use VCRs to modulate the DVD video to an antenna signal, and obviously Macrovision affects a sizable share of these setups - whether or not they are recording. Small stand-alone modulators don't do well as these give a very poor picture versus a VCR. Some high-end displays get a little confused and visibly show poorer picture quality than a picture without it. Worst of all, the effect is often more noticable with animation than it is with "live action" video.

There are two primary forms this signal - one makes the picture slowly cycle through too dark to too bright and back again, as it confuses a circuit called an AGC by spamming it with cyclical noise in a particular part of the signal that it uses to correct the picture brightness. The other makes a lot of funny color stripes on the screen when tape copies are attempted. I am not very familiar with details of the technique. Both versions have varying effect on different display systems. The quickest and most sure fire test for Macrovision is simply trying to make a VHS recording of the video. If the picture is messed up in a manner consistent with the above description then the video is probably "Macrovisioned".

NOTE: I am in not encouraging the creation or distribution of unauthorized copies. For one, courts have repeatedly allowed individuals to make a copy for personal use only, for backup or to convert formats. Also, a good number of legitimate video setups are affected to some degree or another, and its effect can be noticed even (or particularly) on high end equipment, and even good and properly connected displays can show subtle effects due to the Macrovision process. Bypassing this copy protection is simple enough for those that are properly informed, but often it takes a little time and money.


All names and images are property of their owner, and only used as a reference. Layout ©2000-2002 Jeff DeMaagd.
Updated: 2002 Dec 6