Macrovision To Offer FairPlay-Compliant CDs?

[shamino]

I hope that it doesn't include AAC files that are already encoded, but rather encodes them how you want while attaching DRM to the result file.

This shouldn't affect songs you've already ripped.

What they're doing is releasing a multi-session CD, with a copy-protected audio session and a data session containing DRM'ed tracks.

Windows systems, due to their peculiar design, can only access the last session of a CD, so they see these as data discs and not as audio CDs. Using proper software, you can get around this Windows restriction and access the audio session (which is what plays when you put the disc in an audio player.) If you have a ripper that uses error correction, it will rip just fine, even without DRM.

On Macs, it's even simpler. These dual-session discs show up in the Finder with two disk icons. One for the audio session and one for the data session. The point of this news article is that they're going to put FirPlay-DRM files in the data session in addition to whatever they're providing now (probably WMA). But it should still be no big deal to rip from the audio session using iTunes, although you may have to turn on error correction to do it.

Discussions about the bit-rate of the bundled data files are irrelevant unless they manage to make a disc that iTunes can't rip. But I would be very surprised if they could make such a disc without making it unplayable on the majority of audio CD players.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

I for one'll never buy a DRM CD. If a non-corrupted disc isn't an option, I'll either buy the songs off Allofmp3.com or, as a last resort, copy them off a friend.

I can imagine Gates and Ballmer crippling Windows Longhorn so it can't rip protected CDs, but Apple will never do that, and neither will Linux, so I doubt any of this DRM will amount to anything anyway.

 

[jared_kipe]

I have run across a few cds that couldn't be copied, will this make it copyable or will it make it so there are cds with .m4p files on it? And if it were indeed .m4p then how would it keep those files from being transfered to another computer?

 

[johnnyjibbs]

I have run across a few cds that couldn't be copied, will this make it copyable or will it make it so there are cds with .m4p files on it? And if it were indeed .m4p then how would it keep those files from being transfered to another computer?

This would theoretically make the iTunes "import" function not work. When you inserted the CD it would still mount but you'd get some software (Windows/Mac/Linux versions all included on CD) that would allow you to rip it but only in m4p so it is protected (or protected WMA on Windows machines). The AIFF versions on the CD (so that it would work in a normal CD player) would be contained on a separate portion of the CD which would not be accessible on computers so you couldn't just copy the AIFF files manually.

However, currently Mac OS X mounts the audio CD (with the AIFF files) as well as the software part and they haven't found a way to hide the audio part from Mac OS X. Same with Linux. Let's just pray that Apple isn't pressured into an update to Mac OS X that would stop it from mounting.

 

[hob]

Let's just pray that Apple isn't pressured into an update to Mac OS X that would stop it from mounting.

I would die if that happened. Or just stop buying CD's - if I can't rip CD's that I've bought legally, I don't want 'em! Time to load up the 'ol filesharing...