British company C-Dilla plans to stop people playing music CDs on their home
computers so that they won’t be able to copy them, and in WO 00/74053 it reveals
how. All CDs start with a lead-in track, which contains an electronic “table of
contents” (TOC) listing the music, and a lead-out track at the end. CD-ROM
drives in computers only play what’s listed in the TOC, but normal CD players
usually go on playing until the disc ends. If deliberate errors are put in the
TOC, for example the lead-out is listed as coming immediately after the lead-in,
normal players…
Technology
Off the record
By Barry Fox
30 June 2001
