Monday, April 14, 2003

copy-protected CDs designed to have a lower sound quality when played on a computer Copy-control CD complaint:Qld businessman complains to ACCC about EMI's copy-control discs, by SamVarghese, Sydney Morning Herald. The complaint by Tom Dullemond, who runs a small company in Gladstone that sells software for writers, is based on the fact that these discs, when played on Windows and Apple PCs, do not produce the high quality CD sound one might expect from what looks like a music CD. Dullemond, who has like many others had his email bounced when writing to EMI, said the discs stated (in tiny print) that they would only play on audio CD players and the Windows/Apple operating systems. Due to this, complaints from people who were unable to play these discs in PC CD-Roms or any CD-drive that strictly adheres to the redbook specs for CDs (audio-CD players can play copy-control discs because they are more error-prone; DVD drives or other high-precision CD drives will most likely not play the new discs) could not be followed up, Dullemond said. My complaint, however, stemmed from the fact (confirmed by EMI) that CC (copy-control) discs when played in Windows and Apple PCs do not play the high quality CD sound one might expect from what looks like a music CD. They play back a low bitrate compressed .WMV file in a proprietary software audio player, he said. Dullemond, who lodged his complaint in early March, said he received a call from the ACCC soon after. The ACCC lady who spoke to me conceded that not disclosing this information to consumers (I had to do some serious internet digging and EMI tooth-pulling to find this out) could be pursued by the ACCC. After all, a consumer is told the CD they buy can't be copied - they're not told that the CD plays back low quality sound on computer systems. The ACCC refused to confirm that any complaint had been lodged. [A blog doesn't need a clever name] 11:03:15 PM

© Copyright 2003 Morgan Wilson. Last update: 5/14/03; 12:26:32 AM.