Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not represented as fact
At last,
the contents of Aardvark's "million-dollar ideas" notebook
are revealed for all to see!
|
|
When the first few copy-protected audio CDs were released, many of those
who found the disks unplayable on their PCs were outraged and complained that
they should not be allowed to carry the "Compact Disk" name and logo.
The logo and name are supposed to indicate that the disk complies with the
standards which have been laid down for such media -- and it does indeed
appear that at least some of the anti-copying schemes currently in use do
violate those standards.
Now Philips, the Dutch electronics company which oversees just who can and
can't use the name and logo, have also come to the same conclusion and has
voiced its concerns in
a story
carried by Reuters and several other newswires.
Need Cutting-Edge Copy?
As NZ's longest-running online commentator, I'm looking for
extra syndication opportunities for this daily publication -- or I'm happy
to write casual or regular material specifically to order for print or
Net-based publications. If you're
interested, drop me a line
|
|
Philips says that it objects to recording companies calling their disks a
"Compact Disk" because when you buy one, "you're not buying a compact disc,
but something different."
Of course it could be argued that Philips are not only bitching because
they are a guardian of the standards -- but also because
they make a range
of consumer and semi-professional audio systems that include CD copiers.
If those systems are suddenly rendered far less functional then it's not going to be
good for the company's bottom line right?
So, it would appear that (as I have predicted previously) the audio "Compact
Disk" is about to die a rather strange death.
Look for the recording companies to create their own "new" standard for
audio disks -- a standard that includes provision for copy protection.
Perhaps we should run a sweepstake as to what they call this new standard -- but
if Philips have their way, the recording you buy tomorrow won't carry the same
logo or the name it did yesterday.
One of the funniest things about this whole fiasco is that the recording industry
seems not to have noticed that many of the more technically aware people out there
have moved way beyond plain old CDs anyway.
Today, even the Warehouse sells "mini CDRs" which hold 300MB of data (that's
enough for about 60 MP3 tracks) and are just 80mm in diameter.
Given that the original CD format has been around for some 20 years, and given
the very low cost of media, surely it's about time a radically new format
was produced.
With the current state of technology, it should be possible to store an
entire album in digital form on a 50mm disk that would be ideal for the very
popular "walkman" type machines as well as in-home systems.
We'd all benefit from improved fidelity, portability and flexibility -- and
the recording industry would get the chance to build in their copy-control
systems.
As with any transition between formats, it would probably be necessary to
publish music in both the old and new formats -- but conversion to the
updated standard could be encouraged by shipping both disks in the same
packaging. When you bought a CD, you'd also get a copy of the album
in the new format at no extra charge. This way, you'd be more inclined
to update your equipment to the new format because you'd already have a copy
of your collection in that format.
Of course the whole idea of actually providing a customer with two copies
of an album for the price of one is likely to be totally abhorrent to the
recording industry -- and the "invest a little to recoup a lot" strategy
will probably fail to pass their scrutiny because of the word "invest."
So, rather than take a proactive approach so as to move things forward,
it would appear very much that the recording companies may be about to take
a giant step sideways -- leaving us with excessively bulky disks that use
a comparatively low sampling rate and have a growing number of other problems.
Is it any wonder that people are ripping tracks from these archaic disks and
storing them in far more useful formats?
It's Still Free -- So Pay Up!
Every month, Aardvark scores over half a million hits, at least 150K page views and
delivers more than 6GB of data to visitors.
All this traffic has meant that I've had to shift the site to a new server
to ensure that your daily dose is always fresh and delivered to your
browser with minimal delays.
I also invest over 300 hours per year writing the daily column and compiling
the day's news index -- all for your illumination and entertainment.
If you haven't sent any money to help offset the costs of running this
ad-free, 100% Kiwi, always fresh, often controversial site then you can give
yourself the warm-fuzzies this Christmas by doing so now.
Just drop by, click on the Aardvark, and
hand over your loot.
Add Aardvark To Your Own Website!
Got a moment? Want a little extra fresh content for your own website or
page?
Just add a
couple of lines of JavaScript
to your pages and you can get
a free summary of Aardvark's daily commentary -- automatically updated
each and every week-day.
Aardvark also makes a summary of this daily column available via XML using
the RSS format. More details can be found
here.
Contact me if you decide to use either of these feeds and
have any problems.
Did you tell someone else about Aardvark today? If not then do it
now!
|
|
There are 2 new Vacancies (14 January 2002) In The Job Centre
There are 14 Domain Names for sale
|