2. pc-audio
  3. 1287610772

S.O.S. on Windows 7 Media Player 12

I am a complete Novice at trying to build a Music Serving System between my Computer and my Stereo System. It appears that I really blew it by purchasing Windows 7 with
Media Player 12. Everytime I play, Burn, Sync., Rip, or Burn a CD or DVD; Windows Media Player links up with WindowsMedia.com. All of my actions are monitored, observed, recorded, and controlled by WindowsMedia.com. WindowsMedia.com polices the use of my Media thru Digital Rights Management, and controls any Copyright access I have to my Media. It is like having a Policeman in my room, standing over my shoulder everytime I put a CD in my
DVD-Rom. I had no idea that trying to create a Music Server
with PC would mean someone eyeballing everything I do just as I listen to my Music. Can't believe that Bill Gates, and Microsoft, would support this invasion into my Privacy. Might have to abandon Music Serving all together, never had this problem with CD Player. Have no way of knowing who is watching everytime you Play, Burn, Sync., Rip, or Download a CD/DVD/MUSIC FILE. Don't need Microsoft, or anyone else in my bedroom with me based on utilizing their Media Player either. Can they also monitor everything I do? This would have been a real helpful piece of information prior to everyone trying to shove the whole Music Serving mess down everyones throat. With a CD Optical Disk, I at least knew that my Privacy was Protected. With a PC Music Server, my Privacy is up to the highest bidder. It gains a Man nothing to win Music, but at the same time lose it's Soul!
pettyofficer
pettyofficer OP
462 posts
 
Simple questions: Does Media Monkey, Foobar 2000, Roxio, or Nero utilize DRM (Digital Rights Management) with their Downloaded or Ripped Music Files? If so, what does this do to my CDs from 5-10 yrs. ago that I want to Rip to Hard Drive? Because these Disks have no Media Usage Rights stored on Disk, does Digital Rights Management block me from Ripping these Disks? WindowsMedia.com has already pulled up the wrong playlist on several of my CDs. Obviously, it will cross reference songs from different Albums by mistake. Obviously, it will also cross reference the Media Usage Rights by mistake in the same manner. I can be blocked from ripping a song that I have Media Usage Rights for by mistake. How do you correct this?
pettyofficer OP
462 posts
 
No Answer! Well then, I guess that you can't rip everything from your CD Collection to your Hard Drive after all. Well, that doesn't quite match the promotional
punditry that I have been reading for PC Music Serving! It
is so convenient, your Music at your fingertips, you won't
have to mess with piles of CD Jewel Boxes again, you can listen to your Music in any room in your House, and it is
s-o-o-o-o-o convenient! You will never go back to your CD
Player again! Uhh, don't throw away that CD Player just yet! Your wonderful PC Music Server might not play PROTECTED FILES from your CD Collection! That is the Truth of it, STOP glossing over it! The only thing that will play
these CDs IS your CD Player! Heaven help you if your PC Music Server mistakes several of your CDs as PROTECTED FILES when they aren't! Several Songs can be cross-referenced from various Albums, Songs that aren't PROTECTED
FILES can be mistaken as such! You are screwed without a CD
Player! No-one here can even suggest a solution to this problem. Maybe they are just hoping that everyone will overlook this, once they are suckered in to the so-called
convenience! I R-E-A-L-L-Y can't handle all of this Convenience! Everyone else's Convenience at my expense! And you guys SOLD this LEMON to the unsuspecting PUBLIC! You claim that you don't work for Microsoft or the Recording Industry, well you sure as hell are their best advocates! If I were you I would demand a paycheck, you have certainly earned it!
pettyofficer OP
462 posts
 
Thanks for selling the rest of us out! I am sure that there
is a Special, "Convenient" place in Hell for People like this. Don't spend the 30 pieces of Silver in one place!
pkubica
134 posts
 
WOW! So much negative vibes over a hobby. Calm down and don't jump just yet. Go back over your post the past few months and reread some of the good advise you received from many experienced Agon members, and sort out your concerns.

For one, I don't have a CD player in my system, only a Win 7 music server and I have no issues with it. For me, dbpoweramp does the ripping of CD's using their "accurate" setting. I have over 40,000 FLAC tracks and they all play just fine. I use J River Media Center as server software output through a Lynx sound card, AES cable into a Bryston DAC. I play digital files from 16/44.1 to 24/192 with superb results.

So if something isn't quite right for you, then change it. This is a hobby and not worth having a stroke over.

Paul
magfan
1,583 posts
 
I bailed on Gates/ Windows after XPpro. Went over to the dark side and MAC. Vista was / is a giant step backwards. Kind of like what they did with WindowsME after '98.

You seem pretty angry, so all I can add is that if you don't like Windows Media and all the crap, junk it out.
If you are trying to make a larger political point about privacy, usage and prying a-holes with computers, you won't get any argument out of me. Learn how to turn ports off, run a WIRED router and practice safe computing practices. If you are REALLY serious about privacy / security, you may want to build a firewall computer and run something like 'smoothwall'.

Now, my needs are simple and met by ITunes. For ITunes 10. and above, you need a 'free' account to access artwork.

I take a CD, and install in confuser. It automatically, per my settings, makes a ALAC copy to my big music folder. I copy that to my HOUSE playlist and make another MP3 copy for my 'pod.

The last link in the chain is sending the ALAC files to my Airport Express and than by either analogue or optical, to my stereo. My 'pod has a 'remote' app which allows me access to every tune on my confuser without leaving my seat.
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