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It is clear that the existing CD format is coming under pressure from both online downloads and other formats such as DVD.

Perhaps one of the biggest problems with both regular audio CDs and DVDs is that they're physically just too damned big.

Of course if you recall the original laser-disks then you'll probably think that DVDs/CDs are quite small -- but their large size still makes it impossible to produce a truly pocket-sized "Discman" device.

MP3 players using solid-state memory or tiny hard drives are one way of getting around the awkward size of a regular audio CD -- but these devices are both expensive and also rely on the ability to rip tracks from commercially pressed CDs.

Now that an increasing number of recording companies are shipping "Enhanced Discs" rather than CD Audio disks, the job of ripping the audio tracks is sometimes no longer a trivial operation.

The pitch related to these disks is that they contain "extra value" in the form of some really crappy quality music vids (in QT format -- ugh!) but the reality is that it seems to be little more than an excuse for including various forms of copy protection.

Readers Say (updated irregularly) Copy protection... - sensei CDs, DVDs... - john Of course CD's are... - Grant Have Your Say

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked if I could create an MP3 compilation disk from their little pile of store-bought disks. While this is (strictly speaking) a breach of the NZ copyright law, I knew that the person concerned was honest and upright, and that this was just a case of format-shifting and not actual piracy, so I agreed.

After all, the significantly reduced size of an MP3 file means you can fit the contents of eight or more regular audio CDs onto a single CDR and gives you the functionality of a multi-disk CD changer even if your player only holds one disk.

Oh, but what a nightmare!

Several of the disks were in "Enhanced Disc" format and when placed in a CDROM drive, they repeatedly tried to convince me to play some unwanted multi-media extravaganza -- until I remembered to hold down the shift key while the CD's contents table was being read.

Looking at the CD's directory showed only the "extras", there was no sign of the .cda or wave files containing the music. I guess I could have done some homework and either found a suitable piece of software or broken out the old black marker pen -- but I couldn't be bothered.

I advised the guy not to bother buying any album that was shipped on an "Enhanced Disc" if he wanted to rip the tracks to MP3 for his car player, or to be even assured the original would play on his DVD or car stereo.

At this stage, if I were keen and predisposed towards such activities (which I'm not) I'd probably have gone out to the Net and just found copies of the tracks involved that someone else had already ripped to MP3 format.

Faced with this inability to simply shift the format of legally purchased music into something more convenient than a large and cumbersome audio CD, I can see why an increasing number of people are choosing to simply avoid all the hassle by just downloading what they want from the Net rather than purchasing a legal copy.

How stupid is that?

This was my first encounter with copy-protected audio CDs. I don't normally rip CDs or copy them so perhaps I didn't fully appreciate the sheer annoyance that such disks represent to honest folk who don't want to pirate music but just want the convenience of being able to format-shift.

If this is really the way the industry is going, I don't think I'll be buying any more CDs. I'll just stick to "timeshifting" my music from radio or TV.

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