- 2006.12.06
Sorry for my delay in getting this column published, but with a
shortened holiday week followed by a "phone lines down again" week, I
didn't get my contribution out until this week. Clearly I was wrong about Verizon finally resolving the
issues with my telephone line, as it took them another couple weeks
after my last post to truly settle things down again.
I think I can safely state that the 400th time may be the charm. The
lines are so clear now that the modem I presumed was dead on my
snow G3 iMac is now fully
operational again. Before, even the slightest hint of noisy lines would
cause the modem to drop connections with sweet abandon. Now I am
routinely connected with my Fastermac.net dialup services for hours at
a time. Things are so much nicer without the formerly consistent
flakiness (oxymoron alert).
Today's article is an introduction to a new series dealing with
digital audio and the Mac.
It's Not MP3
First, let me indulge a pet peeve of mine, which has become
particularly relevant the last couple months. Services listing
themselves as compatible with portable MP3 players should not
provide digital rights management (DRM) encumbered files that so very
clearly are not representative of anything even remotely resembling the
MP3 format. MP3 may be a format encumbered with patent considerations
when dealing with playback mechanisms (typically the end user isn't
concerned with such issues, but the creators of encoders and decoders
are), but even this realization doesn't equal audio encapsulated
with some proprietary mechanism for limiting who, what, and how the
media is used.
I do make concessions to the reality that the ubiquity of the MP3
format has caused casual users to confuse the term "MP3" with any
digital audio file. However, this doesn't excuse the behavior some
institutions have defaulted to, whether due to ignorance of the
distinctions between differing digital audio formats or by some deeply
held malice to confuse consumers.
Let's commence with a little background before I relate my tale on
how "normal people digital audio format confusion syndrome" becoming
institutionalized can be really frustrating to consumers.
Libraries
I am a big proponent of the various public library systems found
within my country of residence - the United States of America. I can
only hope all countries around the world have the same blessing to be
able to check out books for free (free in this case meaning tax money
supports these public institutions, not the "no cost at all" mythically
free).
Anyone off the street is free to come to the library and read the
various texts found within, but only registered patrons can take full
advantage of the additional library services. Generally, registration
means proving your residence is within the confines of the local city,
county, or possibly even state, and then filling out a form for a
library card. At least the Prince
George's County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) seems to operate
in this manner, and as my local branch falls under their jurisdiction,
I am most familiar with said system.
One of the thoughtful touches provided to registered library patrons
is the ability to access certain services over the Web. The PGCMLS has
a relatively easy to navigate website offering the ability to search
the catalog of available books, renew checked out items, and check out
digital audio books and ebooks.
Locked Out
The trouble begins from the moment a patron asks the librarians at a
local branch to explain the digital audio book process or if you
navigate to the PGCMLS homepage (as illustrated later in this article
with a reference to a scrolling banner on the homepage). In the former,
the librarians happily explain the basics of registering for an
account, downloading the needed software to playback the digital audio
books, and the methods required for synching to a portable player.
However, the needed software is not Mac compatible, and the "MP3
formatted" (in the words of the librarian) audio book is not
compatible with the iPod.
The moment I heard those words spill out about how the MP3 files
were not iPod compatible, I knew I had to make an attempt at
clarifying the whole process. I did my best to explain how the MP3
digital audio format had reached near universal support from almost
every operating system and portable digital audio player, and that the
iPod, among other features, was merely an MP3 storage and decoding
device (given the audience, I used simpler terms to explain this
process at the time).
Further, I was quite insistent as I suggested tthat he library's
Digital Locker must be using some format other than MP3 to
distribute the digital audio books.
All my effort was for naught, as the subtleties involved with the
differing digital audio formats never quite sank in with the present
library staff.
My first attempt having failed, I simply gave up with a thank you
and good evening to the librarians on duty.
The Technology
To be sure I was not speaking out of an orifice other than my mouth,
I went home and researched the technology behind the digital audio
books provided for checkout by the library. The company providing these
OverDrive Audio Book files to the libraries is OverDrive, Inc. with their
OverDrive Media Console software.
The technology is built top to bottom around Microsoft's approach to
"protecting" digital audio. Essentially, publishers send their audio
files using an open format, and OverDrive re-encodes the audio,
creating protected WMA files. The system requirements for the OverDrive
software are Windows Media Player 9 or higher, and thus it remains a
Windows only solution.
Armed with this confirmation, I made sure to allocate time for
talking to the librarians again on my next visit to my local library
branch. After speaking to two different librarians about the issue of
misleading information being shared with ill informed patrons as to the
proper compatibility for the digital audio downloads, I was again met
with confusion to my even more simplified explanation.
Quite simply, I implored with patience and persistence that MP3
files by nature do not have DRM "protection", so these files are
clearly DRM protected WMA files, as both the library's own webpage and
OverDrive's webpage explains.
From the Prince George's County Memorial Library System Help -
Basics - OverDrive Audio Books page:
What is an OverDrive Audio Book title?
An OverDrive Audio Book title is a digitally-protected
audio book that has been optimized for download. OverDrive Audio Book
titles are built using the Microsoft® Windows Media Audio format,
which greatly enhances the sound quality for desktop listening, play of
CD copies (when allowed by the publisher), and portable device use.
From the OverDrive Media Supplier FAQ page:
To what specification will my files be
encoded?
OverDrive Audio book titles are converted to
Windows® Media® Audio (.wma) files using the Windows Media
Series 9 FM quality stereo audio codec. The bit rate is 32kbps with a
stereo compression of 22 KHz.
OverDrive Music titles are converted to Windows®
Media® Audio (.wma) files using the Windows Media Series 9.1 codec.
The bit rate is 64kbps with a stereo compression of 44KHz.
Will my files be DRM (Digital Rights
Management)-protected?
Yes. OverDrive Media files are protected using the
Windows Media DRM digital rights management platform. Windows Media
Rights Manager, a component of this platform, uses an encryption
algorithm to encrypt your files and lock them with a "key". This
results in a packaged file that only the intended recipient should be
able to open.
Additionally, each Windows Media Player is made unique
by linking the Player to the host computer. This process reduces the
likelihood that a compromised player will be widely distributed on the
Internet, as a compromised player can be identified and disabled during
the licensing process.
The latter two quotes comes from the page explaining how to
contribute content to OverDrive and do not relate directly to how
consumers will actually receive the media which is the protected WMA
file as described in the quote from the library itself. Even still,
either bit of information seems clear enough - and certainly together
helps piece the entire picture together.
...effectively choking out a good 10% of the
market that does not run Windows - and 80% of the digital audio player
market that has chosen the iPod.
The library wants to or has been convinced by third parties selling
a solution that it needs to branch into digital downloads of audio
books, and OverDrive, Inc. is working to fulfill the needs of the
libraries while kowtowing to the demands of the content distributors to
protect the product from "piracy". Unfortunately, the content
distributors' rights are clearly being held in a higher regard, as this
system is effectively choking out a good 10% of the market that does
not run Windows - and 80% of the digital audio player market that has
chosen the iPod. And add to that the generic MP3 players that don't
support DRM.
I would think library's around the USA would have chosen to support
one of the two established market leaders in supplying DRM infected
digital audio books, Apple or Audible. Either of the two seems a better
choice for the lesser of the DRM evils, if for no better reason than
more widespread support for FairPlay protected Audible books or Audible's own .aa
format.
My irritant with this whole issue is twofold. I wish I could take
advantage of an occasional digital audio book download from my local
public library branch. Unfortunately, being in the Mac personal
computer minority and, even more striking, the inexplicably abandoned
iPod digital music player majority, I am excluded because of a very
closed proprietary ecosystem. Very eery indeed, as these comments are
usually directed at the iPod/iTunes/FairPlay combination and seldom
towards Microsoft's even more limited Windows DRM PlaysForSure and the
even more limited "why in the world would anyone willingly do this to
themselves" Zune DRM system. (More on the latter in my next
installment, where I make a lateral maneuver into the oddity which is
the Zune.)
While the OverDrive tagline is notable for good intentions,
"OverDrive - audio for everyone!", the phrase is not nearly so
praiseworthy when so many people start are left out by this
technological choice.
Confusion
My second irritant lies clearly with the misinformation being spread
by comically confused library personnel. As explained to me, the
librarians and other staff are merely relaying the information in the
same manner it was explained to them by some mysterious instructor. To
be fair, the librarians are normally very helpful and always friendly
(unless you break the cardinal library rule of no ruckus creation
allowed), but someone in the chain of command has gotten the
misconceived notion in their head about MP3 being an interchangeably
generic term for any digital audio format - so very wrong and quite
confusing to the public.
This issue is exacerbated by the unfortunate continuous parroting by
an otherwise helpful local staff and also the misleading scrolling
message from the PGCMLS's homepage, which reads, "Want to listen to a
good book on your MP3 player? Download one from E-Center."
Very nice, except for the one hiccup of the audio being distributed
in protected WMA format and not as an MP3 file that would work on any
MP3 player. Sigh
Enough kvetching for today, and believe me there is plenty more to
relate in the next installment when the Zune gets dragged deeper into
this mess. On a more positive note, I will provide commentary, tips,
and suggestions for avoiding the whole consumer hostile, multiple
incompatible DRM schemes debacle in the latter half of the next
installment. Hopefully, that same theme will carry over into the entire
third installment as I look into alternatives to the iPod and Zune.
Further Reading
On Low End Mac
Elsewhere
