[thelist] You can play a song but you can't download it

Stephen Rider evolt_org at striderweb.com
Sat Mar 5 18:28:13 CST 2005


On Mar 4, 2005, at 8:10 PM, Ken Schaefer wrote:

> : > However there is nothing to stop analogue attacks - you can 
> always... hold a tape recorder up to the computer speakers and make a 
> copy that way.
> :
> : Actually you can use any software that can record sound (like
> : soundforge), select the proper input device and record the stream
> : without losing any quality whatsoever. then you edit it, split them
> : into tracks if you want, and save them as wavs or mp3.

> Isn't this an analogue attack?

No, it isn't, because it never leaves digital form.  You're basically 
capturing it somewhere between the software and the computer's 
audio-out, and copying that signal.  That is a far cry from putting a 
tape recorder up to the computer speaker (which at the very least is 
limited by the playback quality of the speakers).  I've seen versions 
of this type of software that pretend to be a physical audio-out, so 
the DRM player software plays the music straight into the recording 
software - giving you a completely pristine copy of the "out" signal 
that no analogue method can match.

In short, if the computer is capable of playing it as sound, then 
somewhere therein it exists as unencrypted digital information that can 
be copied.

And with respect, this has gotten far enough off-topic (and for long 
enough) that this is the last I will say onlist.  :-)

Regards,
Steve



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