> Christopher Gwyn
> > I'd like for things
> > like home CD burners to not be useless and for songs to be digitizable
> > into portable MP3 players
> <gasp> Clearly the thoughts of a vicious copyright pirate.
> (Home CD burners will remain useful and songs will remain
> digitizable with this encryption scheme. All you have to do is take
> the audio-output from the CD player and run it into the audio-input
> of the CD burner or MP3 player. There are significant legal problems
> with attempting to use technological means to prevent this. Those
> legal barriers are not yet under assault....)
I might be reading this wrong but if I know anything it's Electronics. It's
been a few years since I tried this so it might not 'count' anymore.* Have
you ever tried to record a VHS from BlockedBuster? (ie running one VCR into
another) Gee why is the recorded copy so bad? A long time ago the VCR makers
started putting in chip filters which would 'sense' a signal from certain
VHS tapes. The chip filter would unsync the video sync so your recorded copy
would 'suck'.
They might not have it on older CD's but you can bet your bippy that the
RIAA people are working with CD-R makers (stand alone units, not in
computers) to make bad copies when you try to copy your CD. YOUR CD the one
YOU bought. Don't just think that by using your audio in/out that you can
get past these features.
<paranoid mode> Now think about this, you already know that when a
commercial comes on TV the sound is noticeable LOUDER. I record everything
before I watch it so I can fast forward past commercials, my remote has a
button labeled skip which fast forwards for one minute. This would be highly
unlikely, but imagine advertisers talking with VCR makers and broadcasters
and saying 'We want a signal that will disable the fast forward when our
commercial is playing.' A consumer has no 'right' to fast forward past
commercials. If all of those companies agreed to this who could you turn to?
Coke might have a commercial, in print media, saying 'You can fast forward
past our commercials, those BASTARDS over at Pepsi make you watch theirs'
VCR makers might market certain models, 'This unit costs 2X then other
units, but the fast forward chip is removed!' </paranoid mode>
It's way too early to be awake, back to bed.
Kevin Tarr
* I worked in video/audio store repairing equipment so we would try
anything. We could also defeat the above recording problems.
