Yesterday in Tech News

    Although they’re a day old, a couple tech stories have caught my eye. The first, from this C|net article, is that the latest copy-protection implemented by BMG on its new CDs can be defeated by simply holding the Shift key down when loading the disc into a CD-ROM drive. These discs include WMA-encoded files (along with the uncompressed CD audio), which BMG provides in an effort to satisfy home-users but also limit file-sharing. However, pressing the Shift key breaks Windows’s Auto-Run feature, and allows a user full access to the full disc.
    • The second story comes from The Digital Bits, who report a repeat of the jagged interlacing problems seen on the new Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life DVD (first discussed here). This time the problem can be found on the DVDs for the Spielberg mini-series Taken, screwing up more of my DVD-buying plans. Reportedly, the interlacing problems are not as bad; and interestingly, the same production house, Deluxe Digital, was used for both releases. I’m no expert, but I would suggest they need some better mastering software.
    • In further DVD news: the much-anticipated (by me) second season box set of Cheers was finally announced. It will be released January 6.