[MPlayer-users] .wma audio fails to play - an example

[Raphael Clifford]

GS HUNT wrote:

>[Automatic answer: RTFM (read DOCS, FAQ), also read DOCS/bugreports.html]
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>>Thanks for the info.
>>
>>Just for the record my suggestion was pretty much the opposite of what
>>you refer to.  The idea is to be able to play drm protected audio (that
>>you have paid for) in linux *without* contacting Microsoft the whole
>>time and feeding the beast.  The problem is Windows media player/Windows
>>and it's privacy breaches.  If we could do the the whole thing in linux
>>we could have control over what gets sent to whom and when.  Sadly, we
>>can't do it technically but if we could it would be good I think.
>>
>>Does anyone know where one get the specs for this encrypted .wma codec
>>if they are available?
>>
>>Raphael
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>Heh!  We'd all like those specs ! (Sorry I don't know... and if I did .. 
>they'd be obsolete by the time I posted them)
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>I'd like to be able to play music payed for too in Linux...but that is exactly 
>what Micro$oft doesn't want.. I know you don't consider yourself feeding the 
>beast but consider the following.
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>If someone develops a codec that plays these files freely..they'll just come 
>up with another way to protect them. (The developers of Mplayer will be 
>facing an ongoing battle for years to keep up.) (Let's just not support this.  
>I'll only buy music if it comes as a simple non-encrypted mp3 or ogg file)
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>There is pressure to in the United States to criminalize any software or 
>hardware devices that do not support Digital Rights Management, and those 
>which can reverse-engineer the DRM protocols. By coming up with codecs to do 
>just that could put more fuel on the fire to get this idea made law. 
>Ultimately, if this law was passed it could mean that using Linux would be 
>illegal, and giving micro$oft an unparalell monopoly.
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>I think the way to encode these DRM files is not to support them at all.. and 
>to encourage others to do the same. Eventually with luck they will just go 
>away.
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>Gary
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Hi,

I understand your point and don't think it is a bad one politically.  
For this to work you really need a number of things
1) An active campaign to
a) Encourage people not to buy DRM protected audio/video
b) Explain why they shouldn't
c) Write to those who sell DRM stuff explaining what is going on and 
where you will be buying products from instead

You also have a particular problem in the US I know. For this you need 
an active political movement that will write to politicians explaining 
what your views are and that you will not vote for them  if they support 
criminalising reasonable behaviour and go against the tenets of freedom 
of action and choice that Americans are always talking about.  I know 
this is difficult in a country where the political and media classes are 
united but you can only try :)

I think we could start with www.buymusic.com except that you can't even 
go to their website with IE!  To get into the website on linux simply 
disable javascript.  Then go to 
http://www.buymusic.com/support/email.aspx and get writing!

My interest in the previous posts was technical. I want to know what the 
technical obstacles are that we would need to overcome to play these 
.wma files. I suppose I'm just very interested in encryption :)


Cheers,
Raphael