The next generation copy protections
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| Posted by | Jan Willem |
| Posted on | 22/08/02 21:06 |
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The next generation copy protections are not widely used yet, but they are gaining ground and there are reasons to believe that they will once become mainstream. These new protections make the current widely available copy protections child play, and are much more sopisthicated. They are based on recognizing the physical parameters/structure of a CD-R. Don't fear, altough these protection are better then anything we have seen before, making a backup seems still to be possible. It just requires some more hassle. First we should explain how these new protections seem to work.
As we all know the CDs you buy in a store are made in factory. In the factory they make a so called glass master. This is, you could say, the first CD that is duplicated (mother CD). But the CDs in a manufacturing plant are pressed. If you use a CD-R you are using a laser to write little holes in the surface of the CD (puts and lands). As you can see there is a big difference in the technology used. And till now it really didn't matter as the data on both CDs (bought, orburned) was, in the end, the same. And because the data was the same the software was not able to determine wether you were using a CD-R or the orginal CD.
The physical structure of the CD-R and the original CD is however not the same. Only CDs that are pressed from the same glassmaster have the same physical structure and that is where these new protections are based on. These protections try to look how the CD is manufactured and are this way able to determine wheter it's a backup or the original. A pit might have the slightest aberration and if you are able to recognize this error by software you can detect the user is using a backup. Also the ordering of the data might differ from the orignal. What physical differences are exactly measured is something we here still don't know.
No backups anymore?:
This is the principe were protections with names as Tagé¨s, CDCops, VOB ProtectCD 5 and Star-Force seems to be based on. You might now think, there is no way how CD-RW drives are able to write this data on a CD-R ! This is the end of making backups ! Well for the first one you are probably true. It is not likely that there will be CD-RW drives on the market that write precisely enough to media so protections like this are not able do detect if the user is using a backup or original. But it's not the end of making backups, it will just work on a different way.
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Posted by SirDavidGuy on Thursday 22 August 2002 23:50
[QUOTE]This is the principe were protections with names as Tagès, CDCops, VOB ProtectCD 5 and Star-Force seems to be based on[/QUOTE]
Ah, but we've figured out Tages now, and it will now be a short time before it's copied.
CD-Cops and Starforce have at least a theoretical work-around, using the Tages trick.
Ah, but we've figured out Tages now, and it will now be a short time before it's copied.
CD-Cops and Starforce have at least a theoretical work-around, using the Tages trick.
Look guys and girls, many of you would probably disagree with me. But but making the games and music etc un-copyable i think wont make a difference to profits. Because were i come from (NSW Australia)games are like about AUS$90 to AUS$80. And if the games are un-copyable we just dont buy them. So in fact they might loose profits.
I would like to here what you guys have to say about this?
Thanx Ogre
I would like to here what you guys have to say about this?
Thanx Ogre
Posted by amanvell on Saturday 24 August 2002 08:07
Re. Ogre's comments.
If I see a game I really want, that I know is good and will be a worthwhile purchase, then I will buy it (assuming I can afford it). Unfortunetely, most games that are released are IMO not worth me shelling out $AU90 for, so I grab a copy of them. If I couldn't get a copy, then I wouldn't go buy it as I don't think it is worth it. Perhaps if more games were actually worth their prices more people would buy them (how many people have felt screwed after shelling out money for something that turns out to be crap?)
If I see a game I really want, that I know is good and will be a worthwhile purchase, then I will buy it (assuming I can afford it). Unfortunetely, most games that are released are IMO not worth me shelling out $AU90 for, so I grab a copy of them. If I couldn't get a copy, then I wouldn't go buy it as I don't think it is worth it. Perhaps if more games were actually worth their prices more people would buy them (how many people have felt screwed after shelling out money for something that turns out to be crap?)
Posted by nEXusJ on Saturday 24 August 2002 18:23
(how many people have felt screwed after shelling out money for something that turns out to be crap?)
Me for one. I got a backup of Medal of Honor: Allied Assualt and it was a great game....until it ended. It was way too short for my tastes. i am glad I didn't buy it for $60 CAD.
(I can't believe how short it was............)
Posted by john107 on Friday 27 September 2002 11:40
this article was well constructed. The main thing to remember here is ANY protection ever invented can be broken with enough effort. We should not forget the people who spend god knows how long breaking this stuff.And I go along with the theory that only if software is a reasonable price and quality it can control piracy.
Posted by simsluvr02 on Thursday 21 August 2008 22:58
hi.. i have the sims 2 double deluxe... n i cannot play it because it says conflict with emulation software detected.. n i have no idea what emulation software is and how to find it on my computer so i can play the game..i no this is the wrong section 2 ask. but it was the only way i culd comment srry lol.. so will someone plz!! help me!
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