Corrupt CD updates, Jun-2004

Here are a few bits and bobs on the corrupt CD front:

- "No Roots" by Faithless is a recent example of a relatively rare
  'corrupt-enhanced' disc, combining audio data corruption with
  enhanced video content.

  One UK user wrote (with some corrections):

  > Subject: Faithless tried to reboot my computer?!
  >
  > I've just send an email to BMG to complain because Faithless' new
  > cd installed "Aplayer" without asking and then told me to reboot
  > my computer.  How can they just "use" my computer's hard disk
  > without asking and try to reboot my computer while I'm busy doing
  > something else?  I've emailed and told them that I consider their
  > software to be a virus and asked for removal instructions from
  > them.


- "Contraband" by Velvet Revolver has created a bit of a stir, being
  corrupt in both the UK and US (reaching the top of the charts in the
  US), and using the MediaMax CD3 corrupt format, the one that
  installs a trojan Windows driver to stop normal CD-player software
  from working.  Halderman (of Felten's group) has updated his
  research paper slightly:

    http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~jhalderm/cd3/

  The Register have covered this, and I've E-mailed them with some of
  the newer details that they may have missed.  One UK user tested the
  disc and found problems extracting on Linux as well, which suggests
  that SunComm have modified the original CD3 format to include some
  Cactus-style audio data corruption as well to confuse machines where
  the trojan Windows driver can't be installed.  However, there are
  still some drives which see right through it.


- Universal are apparently dropping all use of 'copy-control' in
  Germany, at least until better formats can be developed:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3828575.stm

  I'm hoping that we will hear more of the background to this decision
  sooner or later.


- There have also been a few people mentioning recently that they can
  clearly hear the difference between corrupt and uncorrupted
  releases, for example by comparing tracks from albums versus
  singles, or album tracks versus tracks from magazine cover disc
  samplers.  Hopefully this is the beginning of a trend, with more
  people becoming aware of what is being done to their music in the
  name of 'copy-control'.


More details on recent releases here:

  http://ukcdr.org/issues/cd/bad/


That's all for now.

Jim

-- 
 Jim Peters                  (_)/=\~/_(_)                 [email protected]
                          (_)  /=\  ~/_  (_)
 Uazú                  (_)    /=\    ~/_    (_)                http://
 Brighton, UK       (_) ____ /=\ ____ ~/_ ____ (_)            uazu.net

 Design/view/compare digital filters with Fiview:   http://uazu.net/FI