SecuROM is a well known CD-Copy Protection made by Sony DADC which identifies if a CD is "authentic" through a special authentication mechanism. In that process, they save a fingerprint which assign an unique number in each CD-ROM title.

UnSecurom is able to remove the CD-Copy Protection from any SecuROM protected game! The original CD or a DAO RAW backup with SUBCODES to is needed to remove the protection..

UnSecurom is compatible with Win95/98/ME but currently NOT with WinNT/2000!

Clony is a similar tool as CD Protection Detection/Detective which is able to detect what kind of CD Protection is being used on your CD's! It currently supports SafeDisc, SafeDisc v2, SecuROM, DiscGuard, CD-Cops, LaserLock, Cactus Data Shield, Lock Blocks, ProtectCD, PSX/Lybcrypt, CD-Check, Dummy Files, Oversize & Illegal TOC protection.

• Added option DUMMYFILES for CDs with damaged dummyfiles (e.g. MB Truck Racing)
• Improved compatibility for non-MMC drives
• Greatly improved jitter correction, some bugfixes of bugs introduces in 1.09
• Made code more compatible with non-MMC drives.
• Fixed some bugs relating to Plextor drives.

• More accurate information (e.g. no dye for CR-RW etc.)
• Program now always exits when buggy ASPI layer present.

[Jan 11, 2001]:  Due to persistent non-compliance, a Notice of Termination has been issued to Ritek Corporation ("Ritek") in relation to its CD-R Disc License Agreement. Henceforth, all CD-R discs manufactured and/or sold by Ritek are unlicensed products. We hereby categorically reserve all rights against Ritek and/or any person/entity supplied with infringing goods from Ritek.

The Retail package contains: PlexWriter 16/10/40A, 1x CD-R, 1x CD-R/W disk, WinOnCD + DirectCD, Plextor Utility software (PlexTools), manual in 16 languages, E-IDE (ATAPI) cable & audio cable.

It will be available this February for EUR 295.

• 16x Write, 10x ReWrite &  7X-40X read (CAV) 
• ATAPI Interface (PIO Mode-4)
• 2MB Memory Buffer
• BURN-Proof Technology (Buffer Under Run Proof)
• Access Time 140 ms
• Capable of reading and writing CD-TEXT information
• MultiRead Compatible
• Supports SPDIF (Digital Audio Output)

Plextor PX-W1610A
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• Upgrade a Ricoh 7063A [6x Write] to a 7083A [8x Write]
• Upgrade an Iomega 12x10x32 to Plextor 12x10x32A
• Upgrade a Creative Labs 12x10x32E to Plextor 12x10x32A
• Upgrade a TDK VeloCD 12x10x32 to Plextor 12x10x32A

• Added 1 new manufacturer:
  • Moser Baer India Ltd.

• 4x/8x Write [CD-R], 4x ReWrite [CD-RW] & 1x/2x Write [DVD-R]
• 4.7GB storage capacity on a single sided DVD disc
• Read Support for DVD-ROM & DVD-Video (single & dual layers), DVD-R, CD-ROM Mode1, CD-ROM XA Mode2 (form 1, form 2), PhotoCD (single & multiple sessions), CD-DA, CD-R & CD-RW
• Memory Buffer: 2MB(Write) 512KB (Read)
• Interface: IDE/ATAPI
• Audio Out: Head Phones Output/Head Phone Volume 
• Dimensions: 148 mm x 42.3 mm x 207.5 mm (W x H x D) 

The CD side of the disc will include "The Reckoning" by Godhead and a live version of the song from the Blair Witch Webfest, among other songs from the film. Also one of the disc's DVD-ROM special features, "The Secret of Esrever," allows computer users to play the sequence backward to reveal clues to discovering ghost-like images hidden within the feature film. More in their Press-Release.

• Compatible: DVD, VCD, CD-R, CD-RW & ViMedia
• Audio Standards: Dolby Digital, DTS, MP3 & ViAudio
• Upgradeable through software downloads

• Hitachi to hit market with first DVD-RAM camcorder
  Hitachi announced at the CES, that it will have a DVD-RAM camcorder on retail shelves by the end of January. The DZ-MV100A will be the first camcorder on the market that records images onto a digital versatile disc...
• Apple's DVD-burning out of consumers' reach
  Although Mac fans are applauding Apple's new DVD- and CD-burning software, some will be dismayed to learn that they don't have the hardware required to take full advantage of the programs...
• Apple Brings DVD Authoring to the Desktop with iDVD and DVD Studio Pro
  Apple introduced iDVD, a revolutionary new application that lets consumers quickly and easily create professional looking DVDs for playback on consumer DVD players and DVD Studio Pro(TM), the first full-featured DVD authoring tool available for less than $1,000...
• Stomp Introduces Click 'N Burn Macintosh Premium CD Recording Software
  Consumer and professional Macintosh users can finally unleash the full potential of their CD burners with the new Click' N Burn Macintosh CD Recording software from Stomp...
• US District Court Again Awards Sanctions Against Prassi Software USA Inc.
  Adaptec and Roxio announced that the US District Court for the Northern District of California has again awarded monetary sanctions against Prassi Software USA Inc. ("Prassi") in the ongoing lawsuit between Adaptec and Prassi concerning Prassi's copyright infringement...
• Pioneer Provides the First Ever Combination DVD/CD Recordable Drive
  Pioneer announced that the Pioneer DVR-103 recordable DVD/CD drive is integrated in select new Power Mac G4 systems...
• LaCie Highlights U&I DVD-RAM Content Storage at Macworld
  At Macworld this week, LaCie introduced its newly enhanced 4.7/9.4GB DVD-RAM drive...
• Free NTI DriveBackup! with Alera Technologies CD Recording Media
  NewTech Infosystems has granted Alera Technologies, developer and manufacturer of Advanced Optical Recording Solutions, Marketing Rights for NTI DriveBackup...
• Roxio Unveils Toast 5 Titanium
  Roxio announced Toast 5 Titanium, CD recording software for Macintosh. The new Toast boasts a totally new user interface specifically designed for use on Mac OS X...
• Ulead Systems Releases VideoStudio 5.0 With DVD Authoring
• Ulead announced the release of Ulead VideoStudio 5.0, the latest version of their consumer video editor...
• Stream Machine and National Semiconductor Partner to Combine DVD Play with Affordable, High-Quality MPEG Recording
  Stream Machine announced the Duo Reference Design, a complete full-duplex audio and video platform that combines the MPEG2 video and audio recording technology of Stream Machine with the DVD decoding of National Semiconductor's Mediamatics DVD-on-a-chip technology...
• Kenwood Shows World's First In-Dash DVD/CD Receiver With Motorized LCD Video Touch Panel
  Kenwood introduced the world's first Dual-Zone, in-dash DVD/CD player/receiver that includes a retractable wide screen high-resolution LCD video display with touch panel control...
• Oak and Stream Machine to Co-Develop Platform for Super Video CD Recorder
  Oak and Stream Machine announced plans to jointly develop a platform for recordable optical storage products for Video Compact Disc (VCD) and Super VCD (SVCD) applications in Asia...
• Oak Technology Chipset Selected for SAMBA MP3 and Compressed Audio CD Recorder And Rewriter
  Oak  announced that the new SAMBA MP3 and compressed audio player/recorder, jointly developed by Infinite Data Storage Ltd. and UnitedBox Pte. Ltd., obtains its recording capability from one of Oak's highly integrated optical storage controller chipsets...
• New mp3 Digital Audio Codec Announced by Thomson Multimedia Will Improve Sound Quality at Lower Bit Rates
  A new mp3 coding-decoding (codec) format that will provide improved sound at lower bit rates is now under development for implementation in mid 2001...
• Kenwood Introduces Two In-Dash MP3/CD Receivers for 2001
  Kenwood announced two new in-dash CD/MP3 receivers at the CES. Demonstrating the first car audio receivers that play CD, CD-R CD-RW discs & MP3-encoded audio files...

• Added 1 new manufacturer:
  • Moser Baer India Ltd.

In short, making a backup, using CloneCD, of a SafeDisc v2 protected CD will result in the backup having more bad sectors than the original CD. These errors are generated by the CD-Writer itself as some readable tracks of the original CD use a data pattern which overloads the EFM encoder of the CD-Writer, causing the errors.

CD-Writers based on Philips hardware (Philips, Fujitsu/Siemens, Acer, etc are NOT affected by this at all. With such a CD-Writer it is possible to make a working backup of a SafeDisc v2 protected CD which runs on any CD-ROM! Most of the other CD-Writers will not write these sectors correctly. Some writers (Plextor) can at least read the copy they've made, so the copy will run in the CD-Writer, but not in an ordinary CD-ROM.

It should be possible to adapt CloneCD to handle these sectors correctly but Oliver will not build this feature into CloneCD:

"...It is called CloneCD, not PatchCD. In opposite to the belief of some people, CloneCD does not cheat or modify data in any way. I like to keep it this way..."

Detailed information can be found in the full message from Oliver: The New CD Copy Protection...

DVD+RW Video media [see picture on the right] will be available in 1, 2, 3 & 4 hours per disc, depending on quality setting. Initially there will be no dual-sided disc, so the maximum recording time will be 4 hours.

Discs recorded on a DVD+RW Recorder will not only be playable on PC DVD+RW drives, but on all DVD-ROM drives & Consumer DVD players as well! The DVD+RW Recorder will automatically create DVD-Video compatible menus & playlists containing the recorded data on a disc.

Consumer DVD+RW Video Recorders from Philips & Thomson/RCA and the HP DVD+RW drive for the PC, will be available in Q3 2001. No pricing is available as of yet!

The combination of a TiVo box, to record your favorite series and a DVD Video Recorder, to save your favorite movies would surely be the ultimate video experience!

Thanks to Jorg Kennis from International CD-I Association for sending some of the DVD+RW info & Philips media picture!

Philips DVD Recorder
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Philips DVD+RW 240 mins
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• Philips hard hit by CD patent expiry
  Philips will suffer a heavy financial blow when CD patents expire this summer in most of Asia and Europe. The patents' expiry will cost Europe's biggest electronics company 100-200 million guilders ($43-86 million) in profit per year...
• Pioneer Announces Availability of the First Ever Combination DVD/CD Recordable
  Pioneer announced that Compaq has selected the Pioneer DVR-103 recordable DVD/CD drive to be included with the Presario 7000 PC featuring MyMovieSTUDIO video editing software...
• NTI DriveBackup! Introduced by NewTech Infosystems
  NTI has introduced NTI DriveBackup!, the newest member of its Backup NOW! family of CD-R/RW backup and disaster recovery software solutions...
• AOpen uses JustLink Buffer Under-run Prevention Technology for CD-R/RW Drives
  AOpen announced a new invention called JustLink technology. This new technology will allow optical drives such as CD-R/RW systems to write at faster speeds with fewer write errors and make the process of storing data on CDs hassle-free for computer users...
• BMG and Partners Deliver InterTrust Portable Device Support for On-line Music Distribution System
  BMG and their technology partners today announced portable device support for InterTrust DRM-based portable devices. Tracks purchased through BMG retailers may now be transferred to music portable devices that support InterTrust's DRM technology known as Rights/PD...
• Why Napster Is Good for You
  A long time ago, radio was considered a threat to the music industry. The logic then was that once people had radios -- and could hear music for free -- they'd stop buying records. Obviously, this turned out not to be the case. Eventually, the record business became so obsessed with radio airplay that it started paying stations to play its music for free...
• New technology could help squelch digital music piracy
  A group of technology companies is creating a set of industry standards that could help put digital piracy protections directly into disk drives as soon as this summer...

• System Icons
• Correct time indication (Previously all 'Modified' times were AM)
• Correct time of extracted files.
• From-To Extraction (choose the start and end position yourself, great for 'engineering jobs')
• Rock Ridge Support (Rock Ridge is an extension to ISO and was used a lot on Sun, Amiga and other computers)
• Track/Image Extraction enhancements (choose how to replace an erronous block etc. ... )
• Several Modifications and Implementations to get ready for future functionality (edc/ecc generation, better object oriented code (more improvements still to come in later version).
• Work around a few more Iso-mastering bugs of some write applications. (Damn these guys make mistakes ... especially in the part that IsoBuster uses but Microsoft doesn't (Big Endian)).