Protected CDs - new twist from Sony

Sorry to post the whole thing, but I got this from a subscription service so I can't just post the link:


Sony Music develops CD copy-proof system



Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 09:04 JST
TOKYO — Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc said Wednesday it will release next January music compact disks (CDs) equipped with a new technology to prevent illegal copying and protect copyrights.

The CDs using the new technology are encoded to prevent illegal copying, but can be decoded and downloaded into personal computers if users obtain a key from the company over the Internet, it said.

Once the CDs are properly downloaded, users can listen to the music repeatedly on their personal computers but cannot copy them onto other CDs.

The company will provide the decoding key to users for free for the first downloading, but will charge about 200 yen per tune for the second and further downloading.

Sony Music will promote the technology to other music companies in the hope that it will become the industry standard, company officials said. Major music firm Avex Inc appear to be considering adopting it, the officials added.

Unlike Sony Music's new technology, the existing technology can allow no CDs to be downloaded into personal computers.

Sony Music will promote the technology to other music companies in the hope that it will become the industry standard, company officials said.

Just like they promoted all their other technologies, like Beta and MiniDiscs, by charging exorbitant licensing fees. That worked out well for those technologies.

And we'll see how long it'll last. I can see it now. A brute force ripper.

Ha, they'll promote this technology just like they promote the GD MagicGate Memory Stick. Do you know that there is a built in MagicGate Memory Stick drive on every piece of Sony equipment in production today? Yeah, no lie (well, except the PS2, that is).

I seen 'em on digicams (of course)
They claim they are usefull on their video cameras (as if a 16 meg stick was good for anything at all)
Hey, they found space for them in their indash MP3 CD player (um, why 16 meg when you have a 650 meg CD)

And, the thing that convinced me that MagicGate Memory Stick media drives are on every Sony product in existance:

I saw one in the bottom left corner of a big Sony Trinitron TV the other day. What, do they expect you to TiVO your shows onto a 16 meg stick! (kidding of course, i guess they expect you to display yout 640x480 pics from your mavica on there).

And what the HEdoublehockeysticks is "Magic Gate" anyway? Ok, "Smart Media" sounds dumb, "Secure Digital" sounds worse, and "MultiMedia Card" gives you little or no indication of what the device is. (this leaves "compact flash, which is superior, of course).

So, yes, this copy protex feature will never gain acceptance just like everything else but Sony will end up trying to integrate it into their VIAO laptops and old cassette walkmans. And the HaX0rs laugh as they write a crack for the auth key.

And what the HEdoublehockeysticks is "Magic Gate" anyway?

To be fair to Sony, MagicGate is only one type of memory stick. MagicGate is what Secure Digital is to MultiMedia Card (IIRC). You can write data to it, but not retrieve it unless using the same device that wrote it (or not at all.... can't remeber).

Well, they have them up to 128MB, first off. And MagicGate is some sort of copy protection technology. Not all memory sticks are MagicGate memory sticks.

Not all memory sticks are MagicGate memory sticks.

And not all things with the MagicGate are memory sticks...PlayStation 2 memory cards have MagicGate copy protection in them.

Unlike Sony Music's new technology, the existing technology can allow no CDs to be downloaded into personal computers.

But, can I then download it from my PC to my Empeg or Dog Walking MP3 player(It'll be an S10 when I can get one)?

I would presume so, because Sony must have to take in to account their own car MP3 player, MiniDiscs(where they are advertising kit to link to your PC) and that stick of chewing gum thing, which has taken up much of this thread.

If so, at the risk of provoking a torrent of abuse, I think it's not such a bad idea - but that's if, like me, most of what you want to do is rip your own CD's to use in your car.

Greetings!

That is, if it would work. What sounds really bad about this idea is that they look like they are using the digital rights model. If they are connecting to the internet and setting a cookie / registry key / other piece of data stored on your computer that decrypts on file playback, then that file would be useless in third party devices.

Of course the easy way around this is to unlock the CD once and re-record the file using Total Recorder or an equivalent.

Most likely, this is another variant on the 'corrupt-the-table-of-contents' hacks that other vendors do for protected CDs. A competent ripper (perhaps with the aid of the black-magic-marker-attack) should have no trouble getting at the raw, unencrypted CD bits, and working normally thereafter.

One of these days, the vendors will learn...