Digital Rights Management on CD's This Christmas?

McDrewbie asks: "Has anyone discovered that the new CD's found under the tree or in their stocking don't play on their brand new CD player? My father got a Brookstone Wafer-thin CD system and several new CD's. Most play fine, however several ones from Sony (with CDextra software on them) and from Columbia, either don't play or play with some crackling and popping, yet play fine on our older CD player. Did these companies decide to quietly unleash DRM on the public this holiday season? Or is this just a problem with the new player (separate from it not being DRM capable)? What are other Slashdot readers experiencing today?"

Comments

Re:DRM for a present

[Raul654]

I think you need to be donkey punched, followed by the life altering experience of waking up in a strange room covered in dog jizz

DRM? More like bad pressing

[Lucius Sour]

I'm just a part time nerd. My line of work is making records. Most of the time my blood, sweat and tears (it comes to that much of the time) gets mangled by bad pressing. CDs are virually worthless. On a long pressing run (on E. John or yet another Bleatles greatest hits) the unit cost is negligible. It has often been felt that long playing-time CDs (greatest-blah-album-ever type things) sound poor but the wisdom is that digits-is-digits. Until Studio Sound actually tested this assertion. Bugger me if it wasn't true. Something to do with narrow track widths, thin allyplate and jitter. Time was that we, the producers, used to get a test pressing, to make sure that the inevitable transition to consumer formats hadn't sucked all the life from our babies. After all, as Producers it's our job to give the company a saleable product. Not anymore.They just press 'em, ship 'em and stack 'em. I've heard such abortions (of recordings I bust my guts over) coming from pressing plants that any cack you hear is possibly just bad pressing. Then again, The Enemy (the bastard cokehead record execs) may just be trying a technological stay of their inevitable execution. Chop away. We who actually make the records can't wait for the day when all OUR profits aren't snorted. Happy New Year to all fellow techs (and good luck getting that cabbie job to record company executives.)

I bet the Japanese are laughing at us..

[Anonvmous Coward]

"Those sirry Americans think they'll sell more products if they make them defective!"

hmm DRM goofs

[linuxislandsucks]

Since the problem described is obviously not DRM lets review what DRM is:

Digital Rigths Management..

What is the only True Successfull Working DRM system?

Give Up?

Its known under these abbrievations:

RMS, FSF, GPL, Apache, JBoss, and etc..

Its OpenSource!

God help us if RIAA starts buying up OpenSource non profits!

Now please can some post something that they actually ran through a logic rational rather than blindly repeat FUD..its damn anoying and remidns me of the darkness in Redmond..

Re:DRM = Customer screwing..

[Nethead]

Thank you for the totally unhelpful reply. I'm surprised that you didn't post that anonymously.

I don't write anon posts, at least about video games. The idea of posting anon is to protect a person with unpopular political views from being fucked with by the state or within a work enviroment. I don't abuse the right to hide behind snide remarks about video games that simulate illegal activities. I just find it very funny that you bought something from a company that produces a product that promotes theft, and then you cry foul when they want to charge a bit more than you think is fair to replace the product that you damaged. And don't get your panties in a bunch over their use of copy protection methods. You could have found out if the game was protected before you bought it, and then decided if it was a wise investment at the time.

I see no reason the game producer even had to offer you a replacement of their product at a reduced price. You bought it, you broke it, you should have to buy a new one. Just because you don't like the offer they made you, in good faith at that, doesn't mean that "there should be a law." They really owe you nothing. They are in the business to make a profit. To one-off send you a replacement disk, one that has to be pulled from stock, packaged and mailed to you will cost the about $25 in labor. They didn't set the company up to replace items, the produce, publish and distribute. Anything outside of that is a hassle and costs money. They were offering you a favor and you trashed them on slashdot.

I suspect that you may have been playing GTA too long and really believe that it represents a valid and acceptable world view. Just so you are clear on it, Theft is wrong. The world doesn't owe you anything. You knew, or could have known the rules going in when you did business with them. Don't bitch now because you want to change the agreement you have with the company. Again, if you don't like the rules, don't buy from them. I hope this helps you, but I don't think you will feel that it does.

This clue stick brought to you by the word: Smack!