They now need a DeCSS for Music CDs

[TheLoneGunman]

The major music labels are putting a new copy protection on their music CDs:

http://news.independent.co.uk/digital/news/story.jsp?story=90646

I suppose this is similar to the DVD encryption schemes.

If CDs were so overpriced (why are they more than cassettes when they are clearly cheaper to produce?) then perhaps I would pay the money.

I would be happy to kick the artist back $0.50 (what they would make from a CD anyway) and then just grab the music from a file sharing site.

[coleslaw]

I think this is the encryption that places small pieces of static embedded within each track. Regular CD players are designed to filter out this static because they could be caused by small scratches, etc. However, when a digital copy is attempted, this filtering is not applied, so the static is carried over as well. This is intended to deter people from simply ripping their CDs into MP3 format and then sharing them online. However, I don't see anything stopping people from recording their CDs via an analog means. Simply take a pass-through cable from the analog output into a recorder and voila, digital media.

[TheLoneGunman]

So if someone did a "disk image" copy (like they used to do on copy protected diskettes) then everything would copy fine and you would still have the static screened on the copy.

Choice #2 is to simply have a pattern filter recognize the filler static when ripping the CD and simply ignore it (similar to tearing the embedded stuff out of a photo--descreening it)

[coleslaw]

The emedded protection is to prevent people from simply ripping CDs to a digital format rather than making copies of the CD (to another CD). You would easily be able to do a bit-for-bit copy and maintain the ability to play the copied CD in a normal player.