A new version of this popular music converter is now available.

Significant changes: Auxiliary Input and File Selector included as standard. Higher quality mp3 decoder, Lame 3.96.1 encoder. Wave IEEE 32 bit support, dbpoweramp can supply column information in Windows Explorer (much more refined than Windows standard audio columns) , Unicode tagging transfers, Power Pack trial included as standard and mp3 encoder License on power pack trial. Smart install Codecs and New DSP effects (Graphic Equalizer, dithering down bit depth).

Plus many other features and fixes.

http://www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc.htm

Regards,
Madrigal

complete list of changes:
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/Version-Changes-DMC.htm

Over at cdfreaks there are reports that dbPoweramp is able to rip just about any intentionally defective/noncompliant (copy protected) CD.

Can anyone please verify this statement?
I'm very interested...

If only it would support CUE sheet generation...

Because ripping copy protected CD's is hardware dependant, you really have to test it out on your drive. Not hard since it is at least a free trial, although the lamedll interface will time out eventually. At least my experience is dbPoweramp uninstals cleanly and does not make a mess should you decide not to keep it. The developer, Spoon, is a regular around here.

I thought he left because because he had an argument with either the moderators or administrators (or both).

You know what's exactly new?
Because I found nothing in the news document about the improvement of reading copy protected CD's...
Can you provide a link, please?

BTW: There's no way to install your own LAME compile in dBPowerAmp? I really don't understand this weird restriction beacuse LAME is a free encoder...
Can anyone clear it up for me?

[quote=k.eight.a,Dec 6 2004, 05:02 PM]
[quote=eagleray,Dec 6 2004, 01:13 PM]
BTW: There's no way to install your own LAME compile in dBPowerAmp? I really don't understand this weird restriction beacuse LAME is a free encoder...
Can anyone clear it up for me?
[/quote]

You could try the generic CLI interface. Take a look at how the vorbis one is set up .

the where something going on in this direction... however: his profile shows he is still lurking around, and is still posting from time to time AFAIK.
it's most likely because of this.
but I think Spoon himself could answer your question more precisely.

I did not mean to imply that version 11 had any new ability to rip copy protected CD's. The comments that I have seen on it at cdfreaks were not version specific. Remember, if you don't have the right drive, you are out of luck no matter what you use to rip.

I believe it is possible to insert a custom lame compile if you use the lame command line encoder module.

As far as the encoder timing out, I believe that Fraunhaufer's position is that all MP3 encoders infringe on its patents and must be licensed. You may notice that many applications that support lame.dll do not come packaged with it, probably to avoid falling into the situation that dbPoweramp has. It is unfortunate because this program had been free.

Right! Please can you provide a link to that discussion?

I think everyuser of dBPowerAmp hope so...

Well, what about CDex? I think there are also others...
I think that the best way would be not to include LAME in the program and let the user to add whatever he/she wants... Not this (for me) weird way...

You are thinking of copyright, ie if I took some of FhG code and made an mp3 encoder using that code, I am in violation of copyright.

Patents are different, they have Patented the algorithms of mp3, so even if you cleanroom an mp3 encoder (ie someone who has never seen any mp3 reference code) you are still violating their patent method. Just think if IBM had of patented the IBM bios methods you would all have $10,000 IBM pcs sat on your desk and would still have an ISA bus...

Incidently the two main (from my understanding) mp3 German Patents expire in about 2 years time, Europe 1 year after that - USA is a silly 7 or so years (they had old patent rules of 17 years from a Patent Grant, not the initial time the Patent was applied for, so really in the US the mp3 patent will be 30 years!!). Thompson claim to have 14 patents on mp3, but the others look as though they could be worked around - ie they know by not looking at anyones code, if you make mp3 files you are breaking the first main 2.

//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copy Protected CDs - you need a program that knows what to do and a drive that can read outside of the false first session - or a good old marker pen and wipe over that 2nd session (all methods are explained fully in dBpowerAMPs help file, including that virus type program that autoruns on some cds).

I don't think you're violating any copyright and/or patent if you build an "MP3 enabled" product and leave to the end user the burden of installing its own MP3 DLL and/or executable.

If it were like this... every PC builder should pay a fee to Thompson because an MP3 encoder can run on it.

Sergio

A while back there was a big discussion about dBpowerAMP (non GPL) being enabled to work with FAAD (GPL, or some such, downloaded seperately from dBpowerAMP), the discussion was that dBpowerAMP breaks GPL because of it, there was a 50:50 split in peoples opinions.

The same logic could be applied to Mp3 Patents, any product that is mp3 enabled could be breaking the patent (also the laws in the US suggest that any site hosting / promoting a patent infringing application is also liable), not something I want to test a 50:50 in court against mega-bucks.

Obviously the above does not apply to command line compressors (I am guessing as long as the host program does not come with predefined CLI strings).

FYI, this discussion is here.

If the program you distribute doesn't do anything covered by the patent you *should* be ok.. but even an hour or 2 of lawyer time to cover yourself is a lot if there is no money coming in to cover it.

The sad part is that the license fee is low enough that most people would wish they could just send that very few dollars in to cover all their MP3 use on a computer rather than deal with all the disconnect of products missing components. Too bad Thompson is sticking you with minimums.

As an end user I feel rather shafted when I thnk how many times I have paid the license fees (built into the price of various hardware & software) which I SHOULD have been able to just pay once for my own use.

Wow! I got through that, of which I very much apreciated the interpretation of this matter made by Otto42. It was a taugh reading and even more was the reading of the German court order about GPL

Anyway I think we are facing a different problem here. The problem is not dynamically linking to a GPL library. LAME is LGPL for encoding, GPL for decoding as it uses mpglib.

So, according to the the LAME license, dBpowerAMP *CAN* be built to dynamically link to lame_enc.dll for encoding.

I must admit that I don't know if dBPowerAMP uses LAME (mpglib) for decoding too. If this is the case... it's another story.

The problem was if Thompson can sue Spoon for building an MP3 enabled application without distributing a single bit of MP3 code.

I'm not a lawyer, but IMHO the answer is NO!

Sergio

Edit: wording.

2 spoon: Thanx for explanation, but I already know about that...
The problem (for me) lies in the point where no-one know how to go further, is it right?

the question for SPOON is, would the LAME encoder stop encoding, or would dbpa stop calling the encoder? I think the (modified) LAME encoder should stop. That way, i, as a legall owner of an MP3 license, could just replace the DLL with a normal one.

dBpowerAMPs Lame DLL wrapper stops working, replacing Lame_enc.dll has no effect. The CLI stuff will always work.

so sad ... looks like i would need to keep using 10.1 then