[mythtv-users] CD Copy protection?

[Jo Shields]

Jim Reith wrote:

> At 10:19 AM 8/5/2005, you wrote:
>
>> James Oltman <cnlibmyth at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > if it can be read, it can be cracked.
>> >
>>
>> There are two issues:  1) technical, 2) philosophical (the priciple 
>> of the
>> idea).
>
>
> i don't see a philosophical issue if you own the CD and are ripping it 
> for
> personal use. If they infringe on your personal use, that's a problem.
>
> And I find the technical description of only allowing it to be ripped a
> fixed number of times silly. If it's a read only media, how  can they
> enforce that. Just go to another untainted machine (I'm assuming the rip
> count is a cookie somewhere)
>

There isn't valid red-book CD Audio on the disc. What is stored there 
may or may not work with standards-compliant CD players, though 
generally not anything that moves such as a car or, portable player.

The rip restrictions rely on a unique ID written to some sectors of the 
disc. When you try to rip with Windows Media Player (other rippers are 
liable to choke on the non-CD data), your ID is verified against a 
database, to see whether you have permission to rip. If not, tough luck. 
If so, you rip to protected WMA files which include your ID number, and 
perform lookups against Microsoft's databases per-play.

Results: If your computer's ID number changes (e.g. you reformat 
Windows), all your music is rendered useless, unless the per-disc 
restrictions allow you to re-acquire a license to your files. If your 
disk crashes, you need to re-rip your music, ticking down your counter.

Again, in many cases (especially with Linux, or by employing a 
felt-tipped pen) you can bypass the copy protection mechanisms. Should 
you need to? Should you encourage their use by buying the technology and 
calling it good?

--Jo Shields