Page 1 of Hail To The Thief Playback Problems

Has anyone else bought the new Radiohead album. It only plays through the television connection and not through the stereo digital link. Any ideas or am I just being very stupid? This is trying to playback through marantz dvd4100ose

This item was edited on Thursday, 19th June 2003, 08:00

Some versions of HTTT have `copy protection` on them, which prevents them from being `ripped` on a PC or (in some cases) played through a digital connection. This could be the problem in your case - especially if normal CDs play fine.

Look carefully at the packaging. A protected disc won`t have a `compact disc digital audio` logo on it, as strictly speaking it isn`t really a CD. There should also be some reference to copy protection - probably in very small print on the back of the box.

This kind of protection is becoming a real problem - see ukcdr.org/issues/cd/bad/ for the hall of shame. It causes compatibility problems, it spoils sound quality and can even damage equipment. Like just about every copy protection method introduced over the years, it doesn`t deter genuine pirates, but it does spoil the enjoyment of legitimate buyers (like yourself) who want to enjoy their music in the way that they see fit.

Your best bet is to get a refund or try to get it exchanged for a non-protected version. In some cases, Asian and certain European versions (as bought from CD-WOW or Play for example) are protected, whereas the UK versions are not. Also, American versions are generally unprotected, as consumers tend to stick up for their rights on that side of the pond - maybe we should follow their example ;-)

Mike

Cheers for the info. I contacted cdwow and they have offered a refund so no problem there. However I asked why they don`t display a warning about this problem and they replied that the suppliers will not let them display a warning, and have threatened to stop supply if they do. They are currently in negotiations so beware. It was also mentioned that EMI seemed to be one of the main culprits.

This digital copy right protection is all very high tech.. but it can be overcome. When an audio CD is recorded, it goes through a process called finalising. You`ll probably alreayd know this if you copy data/audio cd`s on a PC. Well the `final` process simply writes a table of contents (red book I believe) to the CD.. but this new copy system adds the jiggy jiggy to the table to stop you copying. To bypass this, take out a black marker pen and circle a line around the outer edges of the disc. This will in effect prevent the PC from completely reading the table. I know it sounds crazy and I haven`t done it myself, but a colleague of mine had done this and assured me it works. Surf the web, perhaps this solution is already out there.

Bizarrely, my HTTF disc says it is copy protected but i`ve had no problems drunning off a couple for mates to see if they like it or not (seeing as i won`t let my special edition softcover out of my sight).

Using a BTC CDRW drive and NERO software.

The black marker thing is true (I`ve seen it done!) but it only applies to the protection used by Sony (called Key2Audio). EMI uses a different type of protection.

The response from CDWOW is interesting... it looks like EMI are deliberately trying to keep people in the dark over this issue. People really need to be made more aware of it, before it`s too late to do anything about it.

Incidentally, I had a look at a copy of HTTT in HMV and there`s no mention of copy protection on the packaging, so maybe it isn`t used on the UK version.

Mike

This item was edited on Friday, 20th June 2003, 20:51

I got my version of HTTT from play.com think it`s from canada or usa and is copy protected and says it on the back of the cover, it will only playback on my P:C if it installs it`s own bit of software for playback

Mine from CD-Wow is copy protected too, had a bloody big sticker on the front of the case.

It`s the same protection as used on Turin Brakes` Ether Song which sent my mini disc deck haywire. The digital connection kept changing the volume level up and down constantly so the MD deck thought every change was a new track. I couldn`t record the album digitally so had to just use the analogue inputs which worked fine without any real noticeable drop in quality.

However, I`ve copied the whole Radiohead album to mp3 using Audiograbber so I don`t really see the point of the copy protection. And I copied Turin Brakes` album for the car as well with no problems at all.

All seems a bit of a waste of time really, especially if you`re relying on a digital output to play the CD.