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I missed last week's question. I can't believe that there was only one passing reference to Henry Kloss!

This is absolute BS!!! I'm not into vinyl, but I might change my ways if this becomes widespread. There's enough digital garbage in Redbook CD's as it is.

Tell ya what, give me old fshioned LP's and keep the watermarked CD's for the masses!

what are they thinking? That's crazy!

I don't want distortion.

With the acceleration of the digital age, conservative factions of the entertainment industries are more determined to control every 'bit' they engineer or buy the rights to. Good luck! Just check out what Technology Review contributing writer Simson Garfinkel's writes about DVD recording, encryption and copywriting in his July/August 2001 article titled, "The DVD Rebellion." Clearly, code is as liquid as the ideas that flow from our mind. And the gates of Hollywood don't stand a material chance at blocking the sharing of information

music ha always been free!

This issue should not phase those who are truly dedicated to sonic perfection. I pay for every CD that I own, and I believe that others should do this also.

I would prefer to make digital copies, but absent that possibility, a digital-to-analog-to-digital copy will do, if both the DAC and the ADC converters are good.

I just read somewhere that the record companies are suffering from low sales this year. I doubt any of it has to do with copy protection. It probably has more to do with the record companies having no clue how to find, nurture, and help the real talent that IS out there. They just keep looking for that quick fix pop star to sell to millions of bored teenagers. I don't like copy protection. It doesn't really solve anything. It just shows the record companies continuing the role of Greedy Bastard that they've perfected over the last 10 years. I don't buy much new music anymore. I can wait for it to hit the used shelves at $8 a CD.

I'm appalled, but not terribly surprised, that the recording industry would stoop to selling adulterated product as a means of slowing pirates down. A boycott of the guilty parties would be a worthwhile idea if only we audiophiles were numerous enough to have much effect on the bottom line. Unfortunately, this is not the case. There is something we can do to oppose this action, though. Once Stereophile or another reputable source identifies releases that use this new Macrovision encoding, we can buy these CDs and exchange them, five to ten times each, as defective. Since the Macrovison system involves deliberately placing uncorrectable errors on encoded discs, the products are defective by definition, so returning them as such creates no moral dilemma. If enough of us take this action, the recording companies will see a dramatic increase in defective discs and may conclude that the costs of using this copy-protection system outweigh its benefits.

Regular cd's are for convenience anyway, right? So will we hear it in the car over the road, tires, motor, air conditioner/heater, or any other noise inherrent to regular cd use? On the other hand, do any of the "music thieves" or their customers even know what it's like to hear quality playback? Have they ever seen the inside of a "real" audio shop? I suspect that the best they've experienced is Circuit City. My suggestion is to make "audiophile cd's" without it, market through high end shops and by the time the theives catch on something better may have come along. After all, we are talking about digital technology.

This reminds me of when home video took off in the early 70's and stores were renting VHS tapes and some would not play properly on home VCR's. We don't like it but what can we do? That industry tells us what the deal is and we have no choice.

screw Em!!

I don't worry! As long as it's not affecting the sound qaulity of what the compact disc provides.

Those jack-ass record executives just don't get it do they? If the copy protection turns out to be audible on high end systems (which it probably will be), I will not hesitate to go back to vinyl full time and I will boycott ANY label that allows audible degradation from copy protection. Be warned record labels and execs, you are treading on very serious ground here. The wrong move could end up biting you in the ass very hard. Stop being so bloody greedy and get a grip.

If there is no sonic degradation I guess i do not care but my sense is that with a medium that is not perfect this sort of technology probably does not help

im not a cd lover by all means but this is just wrong ... well at least vinyl doesnt have to put up with this shite

Just let us know who is doing it and with which CDs. We'll take care of the rest.

If history has taught us anything, it is that record labels swear that their copy protection is inaudible, but it does not stand up to listening tests.

Intentionally adding ANY kind of distortion to music, other than for artistic merit by the artists, is WRONG.

It will be cracked so why care Safeaudio audio protection destroyed. Charley Pride album cracked Fingerprint technology cracked Tell me something new

Copy protection schemes appear to alter the music. I say a pox on them for doing it.

It's like infringing on our rights to musical enjoyment!!

Don't care because there is one audiophile per 100,000 people. So the recording industry sells to the 100,000, not the One. And the One is the one who cares. The other 100,000 don't notice the difference (they don't know there is a difference anyway). The One thinks he does, but he can't either.

If we only know who do it...

This is an insidious result of the paranoia that the recording industry, and in fact the entire computer software industry, feels concening copyright infringement. Apparently the 99.9% of the law abiding citizens of the world are being held accountable for the dubious practices of the other 0.1%. Instead of investing the money destroying or altering the musical data recorded onto digital media the industry should concentrate on finding and prosecuting those who really infringe the copyrights. If the 99.9% of the people who are not violating copyrights were to boycott then maybe the industry would listen to our concerns about the inherent injustice in changing the artists' works that they represent and market just to thwart the real theives. Of course, their attitude may well be that we are all potential copyright infringers and thus guilty before we have even committed a crime. I believe, if my civics is correct, that there is something in the US Constitution which prohibits such guilt before the fact (at least for US citizens).

I think this whole affair says a lot about the record companies

Will I get a discount for inferior quality? Items with this "feature" should be clearly marked.

I think that you should be able to have backups and to store all your songs for easier access on a computer!