Cry out to all you programmers out there

[Morglum007]

Well, lets clarify why many times a 1:1 copy isn't possible, and nearly 1:! too.

AUDIO CDs:

Well, thats the only thing can be copied perfectly today with compatible hardware. With compatible hardware i mean normal users drives, not replication machines (...) All that copy-prots are more or less based on those so called DRM Technology ( Digital Rights Management), and consists in a various session compilation, with cda audio tracks on second ( or latest) one. A car CD or a HI-FI will read CD as is, without reading TOC ( Table of Contents), so always will be reproducing original and clear AUDIO (first session). In the other hand, a PC drive will always read such TOC, and so then, will reproduce "fake" or low quality sound files in latest session, as it reads on its TOC). Aditionally, TOC may be corrupted ( CDS : Cactus Data Shield) in addition to previous thing.
Anyway, good positioning drives, with a lot of circuitry will always make a 1:1 copy with correct program. Plextor drives are known to be the better drives to get perfect AUDIO copies, no matter if CD is protected or not.

DVDs (for video purposes):

DVDs are today easily copied bypassing prots like ARCCOS or CSS (Content Scrambling System), with AnyDVD, DVDDecrypter or Smartripper. Anyway, 1:1 copy isn't possible, cause CSS key is in the PreGAP section of the disc. Such part isn't writable in blank DVDs, so u cannot write it even if u have extracted such key. ARCCOS system can be replicated 1:1, but main VOB video structures may get crashed, and therefore, it is better to try bypass it, not to copy it. Furthermore, it will last a lot of time, and isn't time available.

DATA disc:

Well, here u get the final stage of copyprots, where always everything is possible. Lets consider main factors: u have a drive and a lot of instruction can be sent to ur drive to check whatever u think. There is standard ways of accesing data on CDs, but if u follow it, then drives can copy it. The way drives are prepared to accomplish with standart, is the advertising they get of compatibility and user friendly drives, so then, standart ways cannot be the way a copy-prot will check a CD. Any drive could fake such in a burn, so then, they must access in a "non contemplated way". This is the way most copy prots work.
Safedisc:

Long ago based on unreadable sector, and now on such so called "weak sectors" is the nearest protection that can be copied 1:!. Time ago CloneCD/Alcohol 120% could replicate such sector by adding strange patterns, and emulating what Safedisc should check, but now, "weak" patterns are scrambled in a way the better EFM drive will not replicate. Now it is not a question of can or can't write weak sector ( not all the drives can afford it (only toshiba SD-r5002 and few Asus can burn almost every weal sector), and a DVD drive usually will NOT), it is a question of weak sequence. Cause this still is a mistery, then it can't be copied at all. The nearest u can get is by emulating. PreGAP checks have been added too, ands thats NOT "burnable" in blank discs.

SECUROM/Starforce/ProtectCD/Tages:

The advancest copy-prot systems available today. Based not in CD data, but in how data is in CD. This is not a question of pits or lands, thats for example, what should be on sector 234567, that isn't the same on original disc or burned ones (Tages), or how many time last drive reading from there to there ( no real data needed), that will obviosly be different on master disc or blank ones (SecuROM).
Even more, u can try to read how many sector are per disc spin, or per round (ProtectCD/Starforce).
Thats something conventional programs are not used to deal with. Special programs like Alcohol can emulate in a way, but thats all. If there isn't a way to burn such "data" onto disc, then think about. It can be done, of course, but game per game and with high hardware/windows knowledge, and most users haven't such idea. Creating such CD, in fact, will be an engineering project,and a unstable thing for most PCs, so think again about.
We have COPIERS at home, not REPLICATORS. It is not the same

I could extend myself a lot more, but i don't want to do so.

CdSTeam

[Grumpy]

@Morglum
G'day
Nice. I must say the 1:1 etc, was very well explained.

[bjornmmcc]

Nice description Morglum. My knowledge is now larger.

Are there then such things as replication machines? And if so and someone used one of those would you never have to worry about copy protection?

[doomerdgr8]

Morglum007, your explaination... it brought tears to my eyes...

I'm really proud of you! It makes perfect sense...

[Morglum007]

@bjormmcc:

Partially yes, but to obtain a good copy u will need to modify physical properties of master disc to required ones. Thats unavailable for most users. U should know what u are doing.
In the other way, will u have a machine as large as ur bed in ur room? (and thats the "mini-model") Will u convert ur room in a "dust-controlled" one sleeping with a nose mask?.
Another question: will u release 100 copies of a disc to "test" in ur copy is ok??

.........

CdSTeam