Microsoft Introduces Its Own CD Copy-Inhibition Scheme

M.C. Hampster writes "MSNBC is carrying a Reuters story about Microsoft's new CD protection technology. At the heart of the technology is the laying of songs "onto a copy-controlled CD in multiple layers, one that would permit normal playback on a stereo and a PC.""

Comments

This doesn't need breaking

[pla]

Although the article skimped on any sort of technical details (beyond describing it as some sort of multi-layered CD), you won't *need* to crack the protection on such CDs.

They should rip just fine in any machine that doesn't support Palladium. You don't need to circumvent the DRM, just don't use it at all.

With whatever the next format of DVDs uses, we may lose the ability to play on untrusted devices, since they don't care about backward compatibility. With audio CDs, however, not making something backward compatible guarrantees it as DOA (look at DVD audio or SACDs... Or more to the point, try to find one to actually purchase).

People don't care about quality, above a certain point. People don't care about physical form, as long as they can carry one in their pocket. People care about *convenience*. Want to know why *I* first switched from tapes to CDs? One reason, and one reason only - The ability to (nearly) instantly seek any track. And I *do* care about the improvement in quality, very much so, but in the reverse situation (if tapes could seek tracks and CDs only played in-order), I would never have switched.

So, any attempt to copy protect an audio CD will fail, as long as they try to maintaining backward compatibility. And if they abandon backward compatibility, plain ol' market pressures will doom such an effort to a rapid demise.


Oh, as an aside, I just checked MS's site, and they don't seem to have any better info than what the article mentioned. Guess we'll just have to wait on this one, or hope another Slashdotter digs up and links to something juicy...

A theory as to what they are trying to say

[Chris Canfield]

It sounds like what Microsoft has done with its "layering" scheme is to have non-redbook audio which can't be seen by computers, and equivalent WMA data files that are restricted to refuse copying. Thus playback on older CD players and Windows PC's would be preserved, but CDROM based players and car players would still be SOL. (The article never mentions the viability of Car-based playback). Because this would rely upon existing microsoft technology, it would tend to preserve their hegemony without a significant expenditure of cash. Note that it says Microsoft has invested 500 million in DRM technology, which (after taking into account creative marketing accountants) would be reasonable to cover their existing WMA software, servers, playback devices, marketing, Palladium, etc.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned such a scheme doesn't do anything for newer CD player playback, Car CD playback, or Linux playback, or Mac playback, and (of course) still doesn't allow you to consolidate your music collection onto one computer or bring it with you on a Rio (solid state music being essential for certain activities, such as jogging or mountain biking).

So, in essence, Microsoft has offered a solution that would increase the reliance upon Microsoft products, and would increase the cost of transitioning away from them. TBNT.

(Hmmm... now where did that old single-speed CD ROM without error checking go?)

- C

Re:Woefully short on details...

[Karamchand]

Haha! Microsoft will upgrade you - didn't you grant them access to your machine by clicking the "I Agree" button at your last EULA session?