Copy-protected CDs - Technical discussion


You may know that the major music labels are currently "experimenting" with copy-protection technology for CDs as a means to prevent copying via computers. While I'm not the least bit interested in making MP3 copies of music, especially the pop drivel that constitutes much of the copy-protected list so far, I would like to know if anyone has knowingly listened to any copy-protected CDs on a home system and heard anything strange.

A list of copy-protected CDs is here:
http://fatchucks.com/corruptcds/corrupt.html
(note that at least one CD of likely interest to the Audiogon crowd, Diana Krall's "The Look of Love," is on this list.)

I'm wondering about the reference to "high-end" stereo equipment. Maybe some high-end equipment is sufficiently computerized to

The "official" news story is here:
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-6604222.html

Especially troubling is the statement, "Rather than blocking copying altogether, the technology introduces some digital distortion into a file. Macrovision says this is all but inaudible when a CD is played through an ordinary CD player, but when a song is copied into digital format on a PC's hard drive, the distortion shows up as annoying "clicks and pops" in the music."

I'm primarily wondering two things:
1. Does anyone think you've heard any audible (as in, "all but inaudible") watermarking of CDs? Any experience returning one of these things as defective?
2. Does anyone care to hazard a guess as to what about certain high-end CD players might be sufficiently computerized as to respond to the copy-protection scheme? Or could it be that copy protection is in fact inaudible on a JVC boom box but quite audible when played on a system with high enough resolution?

And I'd be especially interested if any digital designers, tweakers, or manufacturer's folks (I know you're out there on these forums) are reading this and have any additional info. or input.

Please try to keep this thread to an observable/technical discussion - what have you heard and what do you think the technical issues are? I am about to post a "philosophical" follow-up thread. We can all bash the RIAA and its biggest members there.
powerste
I experienced clicks, pops and an occassional (faint) white noise when I burned a Mozart CD. I tried a few different approaches and found when I extract the cd's music files onto the hard drive and burned the cd from the hard drive instead of the actual cd, the pops and cracks and other bits of white noise distortion were eliminated. At the time, I assumed the problem was caused by the technique I was using to burn cd's. It never occurred to me that it may be some form of copy-protection. I know other folks who simply insert the cd into the computer's cd player and burn the copy directly from the cd. I found this process produced an audible inferior copy. I burn my cd's for use in my car's cd player. If my car is ever broken into, I won't lose my original cd's, just the burned copies.
Rosta - congratulations you're alrady found a way around this load of hooey! It's that simple eh?