A loophole for evading digital rights compliance (see DRM) for music titles. When audio is sent to the speakers, it can be recorded with a microphone and recorder. The electronic signals from the amplifier can also be extracted before reaching the speakers and recorded, and no copy protection scheme can prevent someone from doing that as long as the signals are analog, which they often are. However, the source of the music is most likely digital, and the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversions add distortion. The better the equipment, the less distortion, but nothing sounds as good as a direct digital copy. Nevertheless, the analog hole circumvents the audio copy protection built into the digital medium.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
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