I understand that copyrighted VHS tapes and DVDs cannot be recorded without a stabilizer, but is it because the tapes and dvds are protected or is it the machines themselves (VCRs and DVD Recorders) that are protected? If a VHS tape is copyright protected for example and not the DVD Recorder itself, why couldn't you just put a piece of tape over the square hole on the VHS tape to record onto DVD?
The tapes and dvds are protected not the machines. (except region protection of dvd players) If a vhs tape is protected, the protection is in the video signal to disturb recording.