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Overcoming TrPROTECT issues for MDLP players

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CBits Tech

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Is there a way to overcome the TrPROTECT error blocking me from erasing tracks on my portable players? I read here that some older players can ignore the protect flag, but I prefer to use newer players (MDLP). I'm using SonicStage v4.3 (link below) on Window 7. I was wondering if there's some sort of setting or easy hack to flip the Protect bit when creating/burning the disc, or some other workaround. Thanks in advance.

 on Windows 7

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On 3/3/2019 at 1:47 AM, sfbp said:

Get either:

a. a deck which predates NetMD (most decks) or

b. a busted MD player that doesn't work (because OW head is open circuit). This will erase everything on your first attempt to write.

Thanks, but I want to do the erasing when I'm out and about traveling light; I can use Sonicstage to erase them if I'm at home. 

In particular, I'm looking for a way to set the TrPROTECT flag to allow erasing when I burn the disc, or just after burning the disc with Sonicstage, so I can erase anything when I'm out-and-about with my MDLP player and travelling light. Extensive searching (here and Google) draws a blank.

Thanks.

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No, there isn't a sensible way round it and, In my opinion, one of the biggest problems with LP modes and one of the reasons I usually stick with SP. More to the point WHY? What on earth were Sony thinking? I can fully understand why they wanted to prevent people from making endless digital copies of music but preventing you from erasing a track? Never figured out the thinking behind that.

It's almost as though they were deliberately making things as awkward as possible.

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<flame on>

Honestly I don't see the problem. If you take the view that you prefer SP (and it's well documented in these pages that SP is actually an inferior codec possibly backed up by very expensive hardware and some tweaks) then any SP-only recording device will allow you to delete these pesky tracks.

At the time, they didn't want people yelling at them because after deleting them there was no way to correct checkout counts. Their idea was "check it back in, and all will be well". The whole number-of-copies thing is arguable - Amazon does it, Apple does it (I assume) and the law provides for it under the term "fair usage". If you recall, Sony's history was that they faced the first ever trillion dollar lawsuit for inventing the VCR - MPAA were as mad as hornets, and that likely almost cost Sony their existence.

As for the other ways that they made it hard or impossible to clone digital music, who can blame them when half of their business was supporting real artists and recording contracts? And all of this is now relaxed with a. the MZ-RH1 and b. the File Conversion Tool and c. VLC.

So complaining about trackprotect seems to me to be an Aunt Sally (or Straw Man if you prefer) to be set up in order to rubbish Sony. I feel I must be blunt here.

There's one more (odd) reason to be grateful for Sony's "protection". In many other industries, people will sell copies of things that are only 90% functional (low rate MP3 recordings come instantly to mind). If you can actually decode the sound from an MD, it's very likely to be un-tampered-with. In the long term this builds perceived brand reliability.

<flame off>

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One of the multiple reasons that didn't help MD to succeed. Pre-NetMD decks do the trick; don't know about pre-NetMD portables or non-Sony portables. AFAIK, users cannot set the TrPROTECT flag. You'd need access to SS source code just to begin with.  If you find a workaround or hack...that would be a first! Good luck.

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