DVD Jon unveils iTunes DRM dodge

 

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By Simon Aughton

Posted on 19 Feb 2008 at 10:59

New software can bypass iTunes' DRM to allow downloaded tracks to be played on devices other than iPods.

The doubleTwist application avoids the legal issues of stripping out DRM by employing a process that "fast forwards" through a file, recording the audio and converting it to the MP3 format.

The process is similar to burning a CD from iTunes and then reimporting the tracks, but much faster. One hundred tracks can be converted in around half an hour, according to Monique Farantzos, doubleTwists's co-founder and chief executive.

While conversion from one compressed format to another does result in some loss of audio quality, Farantzos says that this is small, around 5%.

But doubleTwist is much more than a means for evading DRM. The software enables a wide range of MP3 players, mobile phones and portable games consoles to be synced with iTunes. Video can also be transferred, though the software is not yet capable of bypassing the DRM on videos purchased from the iTunes Store.

While the software has been designed with iTunes in mind, it will in fact sync content from anywhere on the computer. It is designed, says Johansen, to be "a format agnostic solution that handles the complexity of file and device compatibility so consumers don't have to".

DoubleTwist's DRM dodging is certain to be controversial, but its creator, DVD Jon, is no stranger to controversy, having earned his nickname after defying Hollywood by publishing his technique for cracking the DRM on DVDs.

And he is courting even more with doubleTwist's Facebook application, which lets users share digital music files amongst their friends.

Twist me! allows users to share media directly from their profile pages and provides sync support for the Sony PSP, Nokia, LG, Sony Ericsson and Windows Mobile phones, and soon the iPhone.

Farantzos says that the multitude of media formats is both alienating and frustrating consumers.

"Our goal is to provide a simple and well integrated solution that the average consumer can use to eliminate the headaches associated with their expanding digital universe," she says, before explaining that digital media should be no different from email.

"When you receive an email, you can read it on your Blackberry, webmail, or Outlook. Email just works. With digital media such as video from a friend's cell phone or your own iTunes playlists, it's a jungle out there. It can be an hour-long exercise in futility to convert files to the correct format and transfer them to your Sony PSP or your phone."

DoubleTwist is available immediately for Windows XP and Vista, with a Mac version due later this year.