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View Full Version : audio CD won't play due to security settings...I think


Relztrah
05-20-2008, 10:04 AM
I recently purchased a new, sealed audio CD with a label on the front: This CD is protected against unauthorized duplication, etc. I put the CD in my computer and get the BMG Digital Content End User License Agreement. I fill in the radio button to accept the agreement and click continue. Then I get a screen

Adobe Flash Player has stopped a potentially unsafe operation. The following local application on your computer or network:

[blah, blah, blah]

is trying to communicate with this Internet-enabled location:

[blah, blah, blah]

To let this application communicate with the Internet, click Settings. You must restart the application after changing your settings.

Then I set the Adobe Flash player security settings to always accept. So far so good, right? But then I get to the next screen which shows the CD cover and a - button and a x button but neither of them do anything. I'm frozen at that point and don't hear any music nor is there a continue button or play button or anything to play the CD. I have to hit ctrl+alt+del and end the task to get out of that screen. I've rebooted the computer at different times in the process to see if the Adobe Flash settings are permanent, and they're not. I get the same series of screens every time.

If I just put the CD in the drive and try to play it using Windows Media Player I hear sounds, but it's totally garbled. I've never had an audio CD with security settings that launched a license agreement when you put it in, so maybe I'm just unfamiliar with the procedure.

mjc
05-20-2008, 11:49 AM
Welcome to Big Music, 2008...

"There is nothing wrong with your CD Player. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the music, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity..."

It looks like the combo of the BMG DRM/Copy portection, version of WMP, Flash and maybe even version of Windows itself just don't mix.

So, what version of Flash, WMP, Windows are you running?

Have you tried a different media player?

Relztrah
05-20-2008, 05:15 PM
Windows XP Pro w/ SP2
Adobe Flash 9,0,115,0
WMP 11

I took your advice and downloaded the most recent Flash player and WMP. Now I was able to copy all songs to my WMP library, but when I go to play them either from my WMP library or directly from the CD, I get:


You do not have the rights to play this file. Go to the content provider's Website to find out how to obtain the necessary play rights.

Address:
http://license.sunncomm2.com/licacqurl.asp

Web pages can contain...

Are you sure you want to open the web page?

I click OK and it takes me somewhere that has nothing to do with play rights. Hmmm. I wonder if they have these same songs on an eight-track tape.

awaj
05-20-2008, 05:24 PM
what CD are you trying to play?

mjc
05-20-2008, 05:38 PM
Try a Linux LiveCD with, I don't know...VLC.

But, I wouldn't be too hopeful...

I got a Styx CD for Christmas. It is a 'live' concert disk and has a bonus track, one that is computer only. Well, Linux won't even touch the ten 'normal' tracks without a great amount of fiddling, because the damn copy protection screws with the 'normal' layout. It doesn't 'see' the second session for the bonus track. Windows won't play it without WMP 11, which I have never updated to...in fact I prefer not to have anything at all to do with WMP and none of the other media players in Windows will do anything with the bonus track, either. I can't remember which company published the disk, but, I'm not willingly ever going to buy any more disks from that company...and 'Big Music' wonders why CD sales are falling through the floor?

Oh, yeah, I couldn't rip it, either...then I tried to make an ISO of it and that failed too...I've had better luck making back up copies of games CDs...made fewer 'coasters'.

PS: The site you are supposed to go to is a 'parking page'...either BMG canceled the site or it isn't up yet...or it is somehow hijacked...or it could be the wrong/misspelled URL...

Relztrah
05-21-2008, 11:35 AM
Well, after "sleeping on it" my computer decided to play the CD this moring! Maybe it just needed to reboot for all changes to take effect. Some dialog box about getting the digital signature appeared briefly, a mini-player (not WMP) launched on the same screen with the CD info (Grace by Jim Brickman, by the way--excellent music) and it started playing! So, although the license agreement and built-in anti-duplication software is a royal pain, I am finally enjoying the music.

mjc
05-21-2008, 02:48 PM
Well, my Styx Cd doesn't have its own built in player...so unless I 'upgrade' I guess I'm stuck.