[Free-sklyarov-uk] Sony robotic dog advert

[Jim Peters]

Andy Buckley wrote:
> If this is for the Sony net-MD players (I've not seen the adverts)
> then it's more complicated than simply being able to upload any
> (say) MP3s you feel like to the player -- AFAIK only CDs/certified
> MP3s are useable and that has to be done via a supplied
> (Windows/Mac?) software app which is apparently a fairly horrible
> piece of junk. It's a shame; I'd get one if it wasn't for the
> inflexibility of the system...

I really need to find the advert in print somewhere, I think.  


> Anyway, AFAIK the only reason for existing MP3 players not to filter
> digital watermarking is DMCA liability (as opposed to a
> technological ) -- presumably if Sony feel like filtering their own
> CD watermarks then they're free to do so. I'm not sure how the Sony
> software is meant to deal with watermarking from other music
> publishers though -- I was under the impression that they used a
> different scheme.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we've seen any
watermarking yet 'in the wild'.  The last I heard about it was the
Professor Felten situation.

I personally don't think watermarking is going to be reliable -- I
think you will get false positives (i.e. rejection of unprotected
audio which accidentally triggers the watermark-detector) and other
problems.  I also think it will be audible if you listen carefully
enough.

The problems with false positives have already come up with the
MacroVision video protection system -- I remember reading somewhere
(probably a link posted here) about someone having problems getting
camcorder-recorded video into his PC because his video card 'detected'
the MacroVision signal at every break between one recording and the
next (record/stop/record).  False positives were making a simple job
very difficult.

>From what you're saying about the NetMD it sounds like all the worst
aspects of 'copy-protection' rolled into one.  It gets in your way all
the time, locks you down to 'approved' sources, and so on, and so on.

(By the way, the current bunch of corrupt CDs are not 'watermarked' as
far as I know.  This is purely CD format corruption and perhaps also
intentional audio data stream errors (e.g. Cactus).  I would be very
interested to hear if there are any watermarks actually already in
use.)

Jim

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