[dvd-discuss] More Copy Protection

[John Schulien <jms(at)uic.edu>]

All of these various schemes will not prevent
MP3s from being made from CDs, for a simple 
reason.  Standalone CD players are readily 
available with digital outputs. So, no matter 
how much they mess with the table of contents, 
or the error correction, in order to induce 
malfunctions when the disc is placed in a 
CDROM drive, it will still be possible to 
simply play the disc back on a CD player with 
an SPDIF digital output, and connect the digital 
output to the digital input of an appropriately 
equipped computer.  Computer digital input cards 
are not required to inspect the SCMS bits, and 
none of them do.

Here's the business problem that the industry
needs to face before they leap headlong into
CD copy protection.  

Lots of people, mostly college age and younger,
are in the habit of purchasing CDs, for the
purposes of ripping them, converting them to
MP3s, and:

1) listening to them on portable walkman-like players
2) making big whopping MP3 compilation CDRs.  

I just purchased a new DVD player (my first!), 
and so I did some market research on what features
are available on what decks.  I found, to my
surprise, that most of the new DVD players 
on the market, including the big brands readily
available at Circuit City and the like, are now
able to play CDRs filled with MP3s.  A friend 
of mine does this with his music collection, and 
he fits around 150 songs per CDR.  He loves it --
he can carry the equivalent of hundreds of CDs
in a single, small Case Logic case.  Meanwhile,
his expensive originals sit safely in a closet.

If he can no longer rip store-purchased CDs to 
make MP3s, and is forced to go elsewhere to 
obtain MP3s, which is what he really wants, 
then what is his motivation to purchase CDs?