Slashdot Mirror

Then perhaps I have been misinformed... in which case I feel like a total ass.

"DAEMON Tools is frequently updated when Macrovision for instance brings out an update of their SafeDisc 2 protection blacklisting this program." -- http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/52/2

Far Cry actually uses Safedisc 3.something, so I'm guessing that my friend was using an older version of Daemon Tools that was on the current blacklist. I was unaware that Daemon Tools had been updating their software to get around these "blacklists." Nevertheless, I still stand by my decision not to purchase the game on principle.

Download the new Sysprep: Windows XP Service Pack 2 Deployment Tools. See these instructions in the Readme.txt file, which has the usual sloppy, uncaring Microsoft writing and editing:

* You cannot run Update.exe within an I386 directory to update a Windows XP installation to Windows XP SP2. You must run Update.exe against the entire contents of a Windows CD. If the entire contents of a Windows CD is not present in your installation share, Update.exe fails to complete the installation process.

1. Download Windows XP Service Pack 2.

2. At the command prompt, go to the folder where you downloaded the XPSP2.EXE file, and then type this command:

xpsp2.exe -x

3. When prompted, type the path from which you want the service pack to be expanded. For example, type:

C:\XPSP2

4. Create a temporary directory on your system and copy the entire Windows XP product CD to this directory. For example, type:

MD C:\INTSP2 XCopy CDROM Drive Letter:\*.* C:\INTSP2 /e

[Probably should be:]

MD C:\INTSP2

XCopy [CDROM Drive Letter]:\*.* C:\INTSP2 /e

5. After the previous step is completed, change to the directory that contains the Windows XP SP2 files. For example, type:

CD C:\xpsp2\update

6. To update the Windows XP files to include SP2, type:

update.exe -s c:\INTSP2

This procedure results in an I386 directory updated to Windows XP SP2.

Alternatively, see How to slipstream SP2 into your XP CD.

Download the new Sysprep: Windows XP Service Pack 2 Deployment Tools. See these instructions in the Readme.txt file, which has the usual sloppy, uncaring Microsoft writing and editing:

* You cannot run Update.exe within an I386 directory to update a Windows XP installation to Windows XP SP2. You must run Update.exe against the entire contents of a Windows CD. If the entire contents of a Windows CD is not present in your installation share, Update.exe fails to complete the installation process.

1. Download Windows XP Service Pack 2.

2. At the command prompt, go to the folder where you downloaded the XPSP2.EXE file, and then type this command:

xpsp2.exe -x

3. When prompted, type the path from which you want the service pack to be expanded. For example, type:

C:\XPSP2

4. Create a temporary directory on your system and copy the entire Windows XP product CD to this directory. For example, type:

MD C:\INTSP2 XCopy CDROM Drive Letter:\*.* C:\INTSP2 /e

[Probably should be:]

MD C:\INTSP2

XCopy [CDROM Drive Letter]:\*.* C:\INTSP2 /e

5. After the previous step is completed, change to the directory that contains the Windows XP SP2 files. For example, type:

CD C:\xpsp2\update

6. To update the Windows XP files to include SP2, type:

update.exe -s c:\INTSP2

This procedure results in an I386 directory updated to Windows XP SP2.

Alternatively, see How to slipstream SP2 into your XP CD.

Thanks to a wonderful new coating from TDK, Blu-Ray discs are quite resistant to scratches.

Kinda strengthens your point, since a member of the music industry (Apple Records) can make sure that Apple Computers is severely limited with what it can do regarding music.

but this stupid @$$ program would have me pirating movies in an instant.

Damn, you're tough, BrightBlade! All it took to turn me against DVD was region codes, Sony controlling all the content, and the fact that I couldn't get Sid and Nancy on VHS anymore. The only thing the DVD itself has ever been good for is copying, imo, and that's all it will ever be good for, since China will have players available for their competing standard and all the Sony-controlled content is just more Hollywood-produced US propaganda, anyway ...

P2P and writable EVD (or some similar) devices are the future of video. Bet on it. Hollywood, DVD, RIAA, MPAA, and thier friends in Redmond are all over but the crying, at this point.

These products and others like them piss me off.

Ditto. Don't get mad, get even.

Of course, the point I'm trying to make is that I can permanently own the right to watch the movie as many times as I want for less money than seeing it once in the theater.

Besides, if I'm going to rent a movie, I'm only going to spend $1. I'm fortunate enough to live in the Denver area, this system is NICE!

> The average write speed on this drive barely qualifies it as a 12x drive.
> Claiming this is a 16x drive is silly.

No, it is not silly. It's just creative marketing which, incidently, was in common use since CD readers reached 8X speeds.

This particular drive uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) technology. That means that the disk spins at a constant speed, just like your old LP record players.
The circumference of an inner track is smaller than that of an outer track and yet thay take the same time to complete a revolution. That means that the linear speed thatthe laser reads/writes is lower on the inner tracks than on the outer. The speed increases from the inside to the outside but since CD and DVD disks are written from the inside out, you may not reach the max speed at all if the disk is not full.

Ignoring the "dips" (write quality adjustment attempts), the speed graph should be close to linear.

Most other drives use eithr Z-CLV or P-CAV to achieve higher average speeds.
See here, here or here for an explanation of the terms and here for a comparison.

> The average write speed on this drive barely qualifies it as a 12x drive.
> Claiming this is a 16x drive is silly.

No, it is not silly. It's just creative marketing which, incidently, was in common use since CD readers reached 8X speeds.

This particular drive uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) technology. That means that the disk spins at a constant speed, just like your old LP record players.
The circumference of an inner track is smaller than that of an outer track and yet thay take the same time to complete a revolution. That means that the linear speed thatthe laser reads/writes is lower on the inner tracks than on the outer. The speed increases from the inside to the outside but since CD and DVD disks are written from the inside out, you may not reach the max speed at all if the disk is not full.

Ignoring the "dips" (write quality adjustment attempts), the speed graph should be close to linear.

Most other drives use eithr Z-CLV or P-CAV to achieve higher average speeds.
See here, here or here for an explanation of the terms and here for a comparison.

>> 1. Embraces and promotes the downloading channel (a la iTunes, et al).

I believe they already are! Remember the price hikes the RIAA wanted to impose? (I believe their goal was $2.99 per single (popular singles). If that's not 'embracing' the downloading channel, I don't know what is. (granted, this certainly wouldn't promote the downloading channel when the price per song is significantly higher than purchasing a CD...)

What you meant to say was that they plan on giving the respective record industries .80 Euro. As usual, the artists will get their couple eurocents.

I really don't know what the proper name for the euro cent is, my friends and I just called them eurocents, eurodimes, etc.

This is a little old. IIRC, Pioneer displayed the same technology with an updated firmware and really didn't have to change the hardware, either. One notice can be found here.

Lordy

Ease up on their servers ;)

Shows all the pictures as well as text

cdfreaks

Text from site as follows:

Recently we have been given the opportunity to take a look at one of the first S-ATA drives that is under development. The drive we received was a test model and will probably never ever reach the market. It was still intresting to see this new development and we took the opportunity to make some early tests. From our tests it seems that current available S-ATA controllers are not yet ready to be used with optical storage drives and we expect that this will improve when more S-ATA chipsets will be released. S-ATA will be the follow up of the current ATAPI/IDE drives that have dominated the hard disk and optical storage market for years. The technology brings easier to attach and smaller cables, no more master/slave settings, theoretically more speed and hot swappability, meaning you can replace the drive will the computer is on. The coming time we will probably see more releases of S-ATA drives but expectations are that large OEM orders from the likes of Dell and HP will speed up the process of the development in the end of 2004. Market expectations are that the entire market will be S-ATA in 2007, according to our sources. Check out here our first look

"In the US, a new CD is now $17.99, sometimes even $18.99 or $21.99."

You may be shopping at the wrong stores. According to NPD Musicwatch (and they know what they're doing; I've used them to track other industries) the average price of a new release is down to $13.42. That's the average price, the higher prices are offset by the new releases which are often $11.99 or $10.99.

" I was at Borders the other day wanting to buy a new album (that I couldn't download!) and was blown away that they wanted $19.99 for ONE CD. Screw that, I'll search harder and find it online somewhere..."

Borders does not offer competitive prices. They tend to favor selection and convenience over price. Try Amazon (selection/price but not convenience) or Best Buy (price/convenience but not selection).

Given prices where I live, I don't use iTMS to buy entire albums; it's roughly the same price to get it into the store and I get the album art and all that. iTMS is ideal for single tracks, however.

Copied from here:

I was just reading about the DVD player included with the ATI Radeon All In Wonder series. It says that screen captures and other things I might want to do will not function if the DVD is copy protected. Here is the quote from the ATI document -

Recording from a Source Encoded with Analog Copy Protection

The ATI ALL-IN-WONDER? products detect analog copy protection on the input source and will refuse to capture video from such sources. The record button automatically becomes disabled. Further, TV-ON-DEMAND is not possible with an analog copy protected source.

Since for all practical purposes there are only two video-card manufacturers and both of them enforce Macrovision DRM, I have no other choice than avoid buying DVDs, at least the legit ones. So it's DivX or DVD-R from P2P or a pirated DVD.

P.S. I wish there was a digital freedom fighters group with a PayPal account.

Why would Apple switch away from Pioneer, who has already demonstrated that their current drives can do dual-layer burning, with only an updated firmware. (translated link to actual article is here)

"Current Pioneers are great, better than the 2500 and almost as cheap."

sure about that?
"Amazing write quality and the (Nec ND-2500A is the) first DVD-Writer to support 8x DVD-R and 4x DVD-RW, at a low cost". Due to the low price we do also hand out our "Best Value" award.
"The drive is currently availiable on the market at the price of around 100. At such a low price, with the performance we saw and 8x dual DVD recording, we feel that the NEC ND-2500A is a very good purchase, being better than other, more expensive recorders."

"(The Pioneer DVR-107D is) A fast DVD-Writer that needs a lot of firmware improvements".
"Pioneer DVR-107D is available in the market for 150-200. The price is reasonable for an 8x dual DVD burner, although competition is very tough in the market."

"So, you settled for the 2500?"

considering it's one of the best drives on the planet at any price I'm not sure if "settled" is the right word...

"Then upgrade to a dual-layer from Pioneer when they are released and eventually hit the $150 mark."

Wanna wait to see what media sells for first? $1 each for DVD-+R media is killing me already, I'm used to 10 cents or free with rebate CD-Rs. Once dual-layer media is $1 or less AND it's actually compatible with something besides itself then I'll save my pennies for dual-layer, otherwise why buy the drive when I won't buy the media and I can't find anything to play it? I'm already upset enough with a 8x DVD burner that I can't find reasonably priced 8x media for, but I calm myself knowing I wouldn't have saved much going with a 4x burner.

"Current Pioneers are great, better than the 2500 and almost as cheap."

sure about that?
"Amazing write quality and the (Nec ND-2500A is the) first DVD-Writer to support 8x DVD-R and 4x DVD-RW, at a low cost". Due to the low price we do also hand out our "Best Value" award.
"The drive is currently availiable on the market at the price of around 100. At such a low price, with the performance we saw and 8x dual DVD recording, we feel that the NEC ND-2500A is a very good purchase, being better than other, more expensive recorders."

"(The Pioneer DVR-107D is) A fast DVD-Writer that needs a lot of firmware improvements".
"Pioneer DVR-107D is available in the market for 150-200. The price is reasonable for an 8x dual DVD burner, although competition is very tough in the market."

"So, you settled for the 2500?"

considering it's one of the best drives on the planet at any price I'm not sure if "settled" is the right word...

"Then upgrade to a dual-layer from Pioneer when they are released and eventually hit the $150 mark."

Wanna wait to see what media sells for first? $1 each for DVD-+R media is killing me already, I'm used to 10 cents or free with rebate CD-Rs. Once dual-layer media is $1 or less AND it's actually compatible with something besides itself then I'll save my pennies for dual-layer, otherwise why buy the drive when I won't buy the media and I can't find anything to play it? I'm already upset enough with a 8x DVD burner that I can't find reasonably priced 8x media for, but I calm myself knowing I wouldn't have saved much going with a 4x burner.

> The $20 engraving, which actually is about what you'd pay at your local mall, is where they make some margins back

Wow. I try not to be harsh on /. anymore, so I'll try to be nice. You're incorrect. The engraving is free. Try it yourself. Big margin there, eh!

> ...the iTunes store, are where the money comes from.

Once again, you're wrong.

Next time consult the Internet before posting. You'd think that'd be easy enough seeing as how you're already on the Internet to post.

Oh, but I agree with you that accessories are profitable.

Kazaa usage drops 40%

RIAA sues pants off people. People stop file sharing, start buying. File sharing does increase CD sales.

SmartRipper has an option under settings for file splitting. Set it to max file size and then make sure the max file size is larger than that movie. This will get you a single VOB file. Any DVD playing software should be able to read these (I use powerDVD and it can play ripped VOB's perfectly)

The Chinese have developed their own format for HDTV capable DVD's, and if high licencing costs is needed for the competition they could easily succeed worldwide. (Despite what major corporations claim they do actually need customers able to view their media)

Indeed, you can just be trigger-happy and take multiple shots and just use the best of what comes out.

and will be put on to some CDRs (or even DVD-Rs) when I've taken enough of them.

"I have never used DVD X Copy but it would seem to me that this injunction would harm users who wanted to burn copies of their home-made movies. With DVD based camcorders slowly replacing tape camcorders, this would hinder usage of such technologies."

A ton of companies make software for mastering your own DVDs with your own content. Here are a bunch. They range from simple to quite elaborate, and you can buy kits which include both the hardware for digitizing your content as well as mastering it to a CD. In short, DVD X Copy is not the software to use if you want to make your own DVD from home movies on tape.

DVD X Copy is/was targeted at an entirely different customer: those that want to copy material that's already on a DVD.

"In the Sony Betamax case, the Supreme Court ruled that as long as there is a legitimate use for a technology, it cannot be banned because someone may use it for illegitimate uses."

The phrase is "substantial non-infringing use." Since DVD X Copy has tools for circumventing anti-copying measures, many people of of the opinion that it is used primarily infringement.

"I don't know much about how X Copy works but if it does a straight copy without actually bypassing CSS, how does the software violate DMCA?"

DVD X Copy has tools for circumventing the techniques that DVD producers use to prevent copying. That's the issue -- you can't copy most commercial DVDs using an operating system's built-in tools.

Maybe you're thinking of the once popular Russian made "Emergency Boot CD"? I can't find a working website for it anymore (unofficial site here.)

I still have a copy of the CD. It was quite a useful CD, especially since it had some tools/programs that were obviously not supposed to be on there, like Symantec tools ;-)

Here is the article I was looking at. It was a quick search as I said. It could be invalid, but it supports the claims made on /.

You can get income and still be in the hole. Profit happens when you make more than you sped. Apple is making money, but maybe be spending more than they make, which equals a loss.

Care to backup that information of Apple losing money on the iPod and or the iTunes service?

This claim comes directly from a Jobs quote... From The Register, a quote of him saying: "We would like to break even/make a little bit of money but it's not a money maker".

For a more detailed breakdown, CDFreaks claims the recording industry gets a raw 65% cut (of which, despite a total lack of promotional or manufacturing costs, the artists only get 10% of that, so 6.5%). That leaves Apple with roughly 35 cents per song... Does the bandwidth, staff, and long-term equipment amortization cost that much per song? I doubt it, but we can safely say Apple doesn't really make killing at it.

Now, answer these questions:

q: When will dvd-r do Dual Layer?
a: dvd+r camp: we start selling in Q1 of 2004
a: dvd-r camp: uhm, we will have it eventually

No, actually, this is what happens when you go through a standards process (the DVD Forum) rather than rolling your own (what HP, Sony, etc are doing with the +R/RW formats). Pioneer has submitted a dual layer specification to the DVD Forum, Pioneer is awaiting approval of the format rather than just releasing something into the market without any approval. The DVD Forum, IIRC, was the same group that approved the DVD Video standards we use today.

q: What speed will dvd-r burning be possible at?
a: dvd+r camp: is going to be at around 2.4x
a: dvd-r camp: once we know something we will say

q: Will Dual Layer be backwards compatibile with
the readers out there?
a: dvd+r camp: Yes (you mention problems)
a: dvd-r camp: once we know something we will say

Both questions have the same answer as the above-- Pioneer can't commit to speeds and backwards compatibility questions until their specification is approved. You know, cart before the horse kind of thing. I'm betting than the -R/RW format won't be more than 6 months behind the +R/RW format in reaching dual layer however.

q: will it be possible to upgrade single layer
burners to dual layers burners?
a: dvd+r camp: technically potentially yes. wait
and see.
a: dvd-r camp: once we know something we will say

LOL, so they "potentially yes", and that's some negative against the -R camp that's still going through the standards process? Now, if I was a company trying to maximize sales, would *I* poison the marketplace by telling people that in as little as 3-6 months their shiny new DVD burner will be obsolete because I'll be releasing a new dual layer burner (that can also burn single layer media)? No. I'd put out the carrot and hope the donkey bites by saying that we MIGHT be able to support dual layer media via a firmware upgrade.

Now the thing is, if they're so close to having a drive released, why can't they answer definitely and promise their customers that an upgrade will be available?

oh yeah, I provided links for you doubters, yet
all you could do is insult me cuz I posted as AC.

Oh gee, I guess I better provide some URL's too--

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/8135
Here's an article discussing Pioneer's dual layer DVD aspirations. Quoting the Pioneer press release: "The new dual-layer recording technology, adopting the dye-recording-film layer method, has realized a 9.34% jitter with a 17.3% reflection rate on the first layer (L0) of a disc, and an 8.08% jitter with a 19.5% reflection rate for the second layer (L1). This shows almost the same performance as that for dual-layer DVD-ROM discs. It means that DVD-R discs supporting this technology can be played back on most existing DVD players, and DVD recorders supporting this technology will be developed easily". As you can see, they're serious about compatibility.

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/8742
Here it's rumored that Sony's first dual layer DVD+R drive may be available by April of 2004, and that the first dual layer drives could begin appearing by Q2 2004. No firm dates are given.

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/11/23/148208 &mode=thread&tid=137
Here's a /. article from November 23rd, 2003 stating that Plextor claims to have the first commercial 8x DVD+R drive. I don't know how it is you claim to have seen one in October 2003, let alone e

Now, answer these questions:

q: When will dvd-r do Dual Layer?
a: dvd+r camp: we start selling in Q1 of 2004
a: dvd-r camp: uhm, we will have it eventually

No, actually, this is what happens when you go through a standards process (the DVD Forum) rather than rolling your own (what HP, Sony, etc are doing with the +R/RW formats). Pioneer has submitted a dual layer specification to the DVD Forum, Pioneer is awaiting approval of the format rather than just releasing something into the market without any approval. The DVD Forum, IIRC, was the same group that approved the DVD Video standards we use today.

q: What speed will dvd-r burning be possible at?
a: dvd+r camp: is going to be at around 2.4x
a: dvd-r camp: once we know something we will say

q: Will Dual Layer be backwards compatibile with
the readers out there?
a: dvd+r camp: Yes (you mention problems)
a: dvd-r camp: once we know something we will say

Both questions have the same answer as the above-- Pioneer can't commit to speeds and backwards compatibility questions until their specification is approved. You know, cart before the horse kind of thing. I'm betting than the -R/RW format won't be more than 6 months behind the +R/RW format in reaching dual layer however.

q: will it be possible to upgrade single layer
burners to dual layers burners?
a: dvd+r camp: technically potentially yes. wait
and see.
a: dvd-r camp: once we know something we will say

LOL, so they "potentially yes", and that's some negative against the -R camp that's still going through the standards process? Now, if I was a company trying to maximize sales, would *I* poison the marketplace by telling people that in as little as 3-6 months their shiny new DVD burner will be obsolete because I'll be releasing a new dual layer burner (that can also burn single layer media)? No. I'd put out the carrot and hope the donkey bites by saying that we MIGHT be able to support dual layer media via a firmware upgrade.

Now the thing is, if they're so close to having a drive released, why can't they answer definitely and promise their customers that an upgrade will be available?

oh yeah, I provided links for you doubters, yet
all you could do is insult me cuz I posted as AC.

Oh gee, I guess I better provide some URL's too--

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/8135
Here's an article discussing Pioneer's dual layer DVD aspirations. Quoting the Pioneer press release: "The new dual-layer recording technology, adopting the dye-recording-film layer method, has realized a 9.34% jitter with a 17.3% reflection rate on the first layer (L0) of a disc, and an 8.08% jitter with a 19.5% reflection rate for the second layer (L1). This shows almost the same performance as that for dual-layer DVD-ROM discs. It means that DVD-R discs supporting this technology can be played back on most existing DVD players, and DVD recorders supporting this technology will be developed easily". As you can see, they're serious about compatibility.

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/8742
Here it's rumored that Sony's first dual layer DVD+R drive may be available by April of 2004, and that the first dual layer drives could begin appearing by Q2 2004. No firm dates are given.

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/11/23/148208 &mode=thread&tid=137
Here's a /. article from November 23rd, 2003 stating that Plextor claims to have the first commercial 8x DVD+R drive. I don't know how it is you claim to have seen one in October 2003, let alone e

"During my study of rewritable DVD formats it seemed very clear to me that DVD-R(W) standard was not as well designed as DVD+R(W) (or even DVD-RAM). And although some serious efforts have been put in the latest revisions of the - format to fix some of the original problems (at the cost of a much increased complexity), it still remains technically inferior to +, due to some intrinsic weaknesses (e.g. pre-pits). This is not very surprising, as Sony and Philips have a much longer experience at defining standards than Pioneer (and several key patents), and they also had the advantage to publish their standards after their competitors."

...will not read +R media. I've tried it on 4 different Samsung-having Xboxes, it's a no-go.

The Samsung drives WILL read DVD-R and DVD-RW without a problem. +R is more compatible, my ass!

A quick Google search reveals the Playstation 2 also favors DVD-R over +R

Maybe it's a conspiracy by the video game system maufacturers... Damn Dell.

here are some links for you doubters of the
dvd+r superiority:

http://www.dvdrw.com/press/duallayer.htm
http://news.designtechnica.com/article1883.html
Phillips shows Dual Layer is possible
and quite nicely backward compatibility
with dvd+r readers.

http://www.dvdrw.com/press/16x_dvdplusr.htm
Phillips is able to burn at 16 speed
a dvd+r media... We already have 8x +r
burners... Where is -R? oh, you like to wait?

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/8742
Sony to release dual layer burner in April

http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/129
Another article about Dual Layer and
dvd-r and dvd+r... Sure, dvd-r team announced
dual layer media, but so far, only announced.
Phillips and Sony and Verbatim are delivering.

here are some links for you doubters of the
dvd+r superiority:

http://www.dvdrw.com/press/duallayer.htm
http://news.designtechnica.com/article1883.html
Phillips shows Dual Layer is possible
and quite nicely backward compatibility
with dvd+r readers.

http://www.dvdrw.com/press/16x_dvdplusr.htm
Phillips is able to burn at 16 speed
a dvd+r media... We already have 8x +r
burners... Where is -R? oh, you like to wait?

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/8742
Sony to release dual layer burner in April

http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/129
Another article about Dual Layer and
dvd-r and dvd+r... Sure, dvd-r team announced
dual layer media, but so far, only announced.
Phillips and Sony and Verbatim are delivering.

>>so STFU about not liking HDTV.
You can always count on the 12-year olds for the insightful comments. *sigh*

No where in my post did I say that I don't like TV. And, contrary to your suggestion, I have seen HDTV, it is impressive, and I am looking forward(in a strange sort of way) to the day that my 61" screen kicks it so that I can upgrade.

What I do not like is the fact that upgrading to HDTV is being made mandatory. Why incur the added expense for something as non-essential as a television? Why not allow market forces to dictate the adoption of HDTV? Why must it be legistlated? Again, where is the benefit to the consumer by discontinuing the use of the analog frequencies and requiring people to upgrade their televisions?

The manufacturers gain by the added revenue relized from forcing people to replace all of their TVs. The broadcasters gain by raising their advertising rates disproportionately to cover the added cost, as well as adding DVD-style restrictions on use. The government gains by reselling the analog frequencies at a much higher cost. The consumer gains, how? By being able to watch "The Bachelor" in a higher quality?

It might be beyond your comprehension to understand the term "corporate welfare" but you would probably cut down on your trolling dramatically if you did a little reading. At risk of being accused of invoking the Ayn Rand version of Godwin's Law ( as well as giving you something to *shudder* think about), you might want to check out Atlas Shrugged.

Do yourself a favor: stop watching TV and read a book.

As we are seeing, a new niche in the mp3 player market is being created. Creative just released a compact 4GB micro-drive MuVo2 MP3 player, here , and we have already seen a "pocket-sized" 1.5 GB player released by Rio, here. Apple is just bringing out the competition now. They will be tough to compete with.

I bought a LiteOn LTR-24102B (24x10x40x CDRW) a couple years back because at the time it was one of the few CDR drives which worked correctly with CloneCD. At the time, Plextor and most others didn't write correct EFM information but most LiteOns did.

Here is a compatability chart for LiteOn drives.
Here is a compatibility chart for Plextor drives.

I think the biggest deal with floppies is that you just drag and drop files on to them (and I never had quite that much joy with packet-writing CD software.)

DVD-RAM apparently is just as good - so, assuming you get a DVD writer that supports the format (like the LG superwriter models), then these may be the true end for floppies.

My advice: get a DVD writer with DVD-RAM support. The LG model is available in the UK for 75UKP ($129, but DVD writers are cheaper in the US anyway), and can write DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW too.

For your convenience: a review

My local Best Buys are so wonderfully kind to never stock anything, so I had to pay $10 more for my 411S at Circuit City. Still a real bargain.

Not only does it do 40x CD-R, it also does DVD+RW at 4x, which is faster than most of the other writers out there (they usually only handle 2x for +RW). This review is what convinced me to finally go out and buy it. The 411S, with the original firmware, had serious issues recognizing the cheaper - media. The new firmware, "FS0F", mostly fixes this. - is more difficult to write properly, so the drive does slow down and produces not-perfect (but still few to no errors) output on some cheap - media, and other - media isn't supported. OTOH, it loves + media of all sorts, and doesn't give a crap about how cheap your CD-R/RW media is.

LiteOn is not some off brand. For a long time, they've been an OEM supplier for Dell. Indeed, my first LiteOn drive was a CD-ROM in a Dell, and it has been and still is rock solid. They've since made quite the name for themselves with their excellent CD-RW drives--among the first to support buffer-underrun protection technology, among the first to do DAO-RAW96, and among the first to correctly deal with the EMF encoding of regular bit patterns. They certainly don't have the brand recognition of Plextor, or even of any of the large electronics manufacturers, but their products are as good as Plextor, and better than the others.

>>There is ONLY a levy on MUSIC CD's in canada.
>>Buy a data CD-R and it doesn't have the levy.
>>And no, there is no actual difference between
>>the 2 types of CD-R, just how much you pay.

Incorrect, the tax is on all blank CD media with exemptions for some businesses as shown in the article.

well, there is this:
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news2.php?ID=7514

and this:
http://www.peerguardian.net/

Ethics:
iTunes - Apple takes it's (big) cut and then the Artist's (frequently RIAA affiliated) label takes most of the rest.
Magnatune - The artist gets 50%!!!
Again, no contest. Instead of feeling guilty about fueling a powermad monster when you buy music you can feel good about supporting the people who actually made it!

Actually, according to Steve Jobs, Apple doesn't make any profit from the iTMS. Their cut of the proceeds barely covers their costs, apparently, while the RIAA takes the lion's share (leaving the artist with a pittance, of course).

(This info came from Jobs' recent financial results conference call (of which the iTMS data can be found in this CD Freaks new item (with a link to the original story from The Register.))

Other than that, I mostly agree with the points that you raised in your post.

D.

Can i borrow your daughter to do my file swapping ? ;)

Don't let those pesky consumers ruin the fun...

What you reap is what you sow.

How isn't the distribution system horribly out-of-date? The very concept of taking data, sticking it onto physical discs, putting those discs inside plastic wrappers, moving those discs via trucks, holding them inside stores, requiring the consumer to transport themselves several kilometres to buy the disc, then transport it home, simply so the customer can play music? That system makes sense for physical goods; not for pure data.

Indeed, how right you are! Hardly anyone uses those antiquated means of data delivery anymore!

There's nothing wrong with their delivery methods -- it's cost : benefit ratio for the consumer is losing balance.

I hope this doesn't have the "Digital Audio" logo on it, which would incorrectly imply that this is in fact an Audio CD. Such discs violate Philips' RedBook (Audio CD) format

If you buy a CD and discover some sort of idiotic copy protection on it, return it to your vendor as DEFECTIVE. If the product claims to be an Audio CD and has copy protection in the form of encryption, unreadable tracks, etc. it is violating the specification and is defective.

Either that, or false advertising. Either way it's grounds for making a complaint and getting your money back (I have done this at Future Shop, had to see the Manager).

Sadly it isn't that easy, the answer is "it depends." High speed drives with high speed media are designed to burn at high speeds... burning a 48x CD in a 48x drive at 2x is probably not going to give you good results - the sweet spot might be 40x, or 32x, or who knows what... probably not top speed, but probably not lowest speed either.

You can see some tests here.

You want something like a Medical CD-R, although they are a bit expensive, they are designed to last 100 years. $30 for 10...

If you don't want "medical grade" but just want "pretty good CD-Rs" you need to know who made the discs, not just who the box says (like Fuji). I have heard good things about Taiyo Yuden (TY) discs and have had good success with them in the past. That link is to the "high speed" comaprisons (48x & higher) - lower speed comparisons here and here is a FAQ from CDFreaks. Check out the FAQ for links to tools to test your discs for errors, or check who made your discs.

In the end you just have to test with your own drive to see what burns best for you, and if archiving is your goal you might want something like those medical CD-Rs.

You want something like a Medical CD-R, although they are a bit expensive, they are designed to last 100 years. $30 for 10...

If you don't want "medical grade" but just want "pretty good CD-Rs" you need to know who made the discs, not just who the box says (like Fuji). I have heard good things about Taiyo Yuden (TY) discs and have had good success with them in the past. That link is to the "high speed" comaprisons (48x & higher) - lower speed comparisons here and here is a FAQ from CDFreaks. Check out the FAQ for links to tools to test your discs for errors, or check who made your discs.

In the end you just have to test with your own drive to see what burns best for you, and if archiving is your goal you might want something like those medical CD-Rs.