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http://www.macnn.com/articles/05/10/27/copy.protection.removal/

Software strips iTunes, Yahoo copy-protection

updated 05:30 pm EDT, Thu October 27, 2005

 

Copy-protection removal


United Virtualities Group has released , adding that it's no different from a knife manufacturer that can't control whether its product is used for murder, according to a report from Associated Press. HotRecorder for Media is currently only available for Microsoft Windows systems, and is priced at $20.

HotRecorder for Media automatically detects all the audio files included in the iTunes or Yahoo Music libraries, awaiting file selection for conversion into .wav or .mp3 formats. The conversion software does not require special sound configuration or quality regulation to get the best sound quality, the process is handled automatically.


by MacNN Staff

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  1. jumbojet

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2002

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    10/27, 06:09pm | report spam | Reply |

    Big deal

    This program isn't any different from audiohijack or any other audio "grabbers" out there.

  1. athleticsfan

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2005

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    10/27, 06:33pm | report spam | Reply |

    Am I wrong or...

    ...is their claim of perfect audio conversion more than a bit misleading? You're starting off with an already compressed 128 bit AAC file which, if I were to ever want to use such a product, I would want to end up with a file of the same size and quality -- basically just creating a duplicate file, just without the DRM. Not unreasonable, right? In order for that to happen, you would need to record the file to a lossless format, either WAV or AIFF, so then my 4MB file has just ballooned to a 40MB file just to maintain the same audio quality. If you re-record the song in the same file type and bit rate, you'll end up with a degraded file because it needs to be compressed again... Like I said, misleading.

  1. Abe49

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 2005

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    10/27, 07:00pm | report spam | Reply |

    Huh?

    You make it sound like something that is uncompressed can't be compressed again.

    If I take a text file that is zipped, unzip it, then compress it (say with rar), I'll get a different format, without losing any information.

    Same applies to what you've said.

  1. ElDiabloConQueso

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Feb 2002

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    10/27, 07:10pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: Huh?

    Abe, you are sadly mistaken. Zipping a file uses LOSSLESS compression -- the uncompressed file is identical to the file before it was compressed.

    MP3/AAC/Ogg/etc. are LOSSY compressions -- you cannot compress a file into one of those formats, then uncompress it again and get an identical file. It's like a JPEG image: save the same JPEG image over and over again and the picture quality degrades every time.

    The only known lossless conversion is with Jhymn, which actually strips the DRM from the file, leaving the actual bits that comprise the song untouched.

    If you convert an MP3 into a WAV file, then compress it back into MP3 again, you are MOST DEFINITELY losing quality.

  1. Doug Brown

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 2000

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    10/27, 07:15pm | report spam | Reply |

    Lossless vs. Lossy

    ZIP and RAR are lossless compression formats. AAC is a lossy compression. When you take something that has been compressed with lossy compression, then take it back out to a lossless compression, and then re-run the lossy compression algorithm on it, you're going to lose more quality. That's how I understand it works, anyway. In the end, I guess it depends on how the lossy compression works. Regardless, just one time probably won't have a -huge- effect though.

  1. Jordan

    Dedicated MacNNer

    Joined: Jun 2001

    0
    10/27, 07:27pm | report spam | Reply |

    It's still piracy

    The whole knife and murder analogy just doesn't hold water. There can be no other use for this software other than to illegally remove copyright protection. A knife has a variety of other uses the majority of which are not illegal.

    iTunes has provided a very affordable alternative to piracy. Idiots creating software like this is going to make the already paranoid record companies retreat further into the dark ages.

    I really wish talented people like this would put their efforts into challenging legal projects.

  1. jpellino

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 1999

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    10/27, 07:40pm | report spam | Reply |

    the usual suspects

    This company is infamous.

    http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=22380

    they're once again invoking the Eddie Haskell defense.

    Well, with Jack Campbell out of the biz, we need *someone* to lower expectations.

  1. athleticsfan

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2005

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    10/27, 11:39pm | report spam | Reply |

    RE: It's still piracy

    Technically, the act of removing the DRM is NOT piracy. It's in violation of the licensing agreement with Apple yes, but that's it.

  1. TheBum

    Mac Enthusiast

    Joined: Sep 2001

    0
    10/27, 11:57pm | report spam | Reply |

    May not be true

    "Technically, the act of removing the DRM is NOT piracy. It's in violation of the licensing agreement with Apple yes, but that's it."

    This may not be true in the US with the advent of the DMCA, which prohibits encryption cracking even on media for which you have a license. Now, whether an end user is liable when using a program written by another person is a question for the courts. HotCorder and others apps like it (Audio Hijack, et. al.) probably do not violate the DMCA since they work with the data after it has been decrypted.

  1. legacyb4

    Mac Elite

    Joined: May 2001

    0
    10/28, 12:40am | report spam | Reply |

    Recording

    Makes you wonder how many people out there are studious enough to record piped audio through their computer systems. After all, are they breaking the law recording a playing stream?

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