🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi,

	I just heard from some people that got back from the
Chicago CES, some of the details of the proposed new standard to be
employed for production of source material (compact disc records)
and digital audio tape (DAT) machines.

	From my understanding, what will possibly be done is to
master CDs with a narrow band notch set for 3800 Hz as the material
is mixed down into final form for the consumer's copy.  DAT
machines are to be equipped with a so-called spoiler chip that will
monitor three narrow bands of 3800-, 3800, and 3800+ Hz.  The idea
is that if the chip detects energy in the two outer bands and none
in the middle band, that it will shut down the recorder, as
"obviously" a pirating event would be under way.

The question for the net is, just how wide is the missing mateial
notch going to be.  Supposedly, people that have heard trial
recordings of the processed material claim that it is very
noticable on things like classical and jazz recordings that feature
solo instrument passages more than rock does.  Apparently, some
notes are curiously dull sounding on piano passages due to the
action of the notch filter.  Vocals are also apparently affected.

The record companies are currently lobbying the US congress to
enact legislation that would make the use of the spoiler chip
mandatory on DAT machines sold in the US.  Columbia Records
announced that it is going to start processing all its releases in
the next few months to have to 3800 Hz notch.  Other record
companies have not officailly announced any plans.

Marantz plans to begin importing in September of '87, a DAT machine
that *will not* have a spoiler circuit.  They are operating under
the assumption that the legislature won't be able to do anything
before then any way.

The whole DAT spoiler seems silly to me.  The wost thing is that
people who do not pirate the material are punished by having to
listen to recordings of reduced quality.  It would be possible for
pirates to go about their business by summing low level hiss with a
spectrum centered at 3800 Hz.  I suppose that a correlation could
be done to see if the amplitude of the 3800 component related to
the sidebands, thus preventing hiss injection from spoiling the
spoiler, but that sort of DSP would probably be too expensive for
consumer equipment.

There is something you can do.  The recording rights coalition has
a phone number, 800-282-TAPE, that you can call to get information
about where you can complain about the proposed spoiler
legislation.

Bill Mayhew
Division of Basic Medical Sciences
Northeastern Ohio Universities' College of Medicine
Rootstown, OH  44272  USA    phone:  216-325-2511
(wtm@neoucom.UUCP   ...!cbatt!neoucom!wtm)