This MP3 Will Self-Destruct in 10 Days or After 5 Plays . . .

Question

This MP3 Will Self-Destruct in 10 Days or After 5 Plays . . .

Sorry if the dramatic subject threw some of you off!

Question: Is it possible to program a MP3 - via its metadata or otherwise - to perform the following:

~Told in the first person~

"I am a MP3"

"I was downloaded at 7:30pm EDT on July 19th, 2012"

If ONE of the following conditions is met I will either (1)shorten my playback length to 1 minute 10 sec, or (2)disappear from the user's playback device entirely:

First condition: I am played fully 5 times.

OR

Second condition: 30 days passes since the exact date and time of my being downloaded - even if I was played fully only once or twice.

Does such encoding exist? And how is it implemented?

iPod touch, Windows Vista, ipod touch itunes songs shortened

Posted on Jul 19, 2012 10:24 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Niel

Level 10

741,737 points

Jul 19, 2012 10:28 AM in response to iKLutzSupreme

No, it isn't. Some WMA files have time limits encoded in them, but MP3 doesn't support any form of DRM or playback restrictions.

(67988)

Reply

Answer 2

Jul 19, 2012 1:00 PM in response to Niel

So we need to find out what is causing some of my mp3 files to behave as indicated on top.

It is happening to mp3s from Amazon, iTunes, and to mp3s of files I create at home on Audacity, etc.

Reply

Answer 3

varjak paw

Level 10

182,668 points

Jul 19, 2012 1:31 PM in response to iKLutzSupreme

You might try running either or both of these utiltiies on the tracks and see what they report:

VBRfix

MP3 Validator

That might provide some clues.

Regards.

Reply

Answer 4

Jul 19, 2012 1:39 PM in response to iKLutzSupreme

iKLutzSupreme wrote:

So we need to find out what is causing some of my mp3 files to behave as indicated on top.

It is happening to mp3s from Amazon, iTunes, and to mp3s of files I create at home on Audacity, etc.

I think at least in the case of the iTunes Store you are imagining things. The iTunes Store only sells tracks in AAC format and has never used MP3. It used to be that iTunes Store tracks were protected but they never had a self-destruct feature and have been totally unprotected for several years now.

Reply

Answer 5

the fiend

Level 7

23,466 points

Jul 19, 2012 1:45 PM in response to iKLutzSupreme

Well, you got my attention, so your ploy worked!

You need to rule out the optional Stop Time as the cause of this problem. (I don't expect that this is the problem, but you need to confirm this.) Check at least two of the songs that end early; File/Get Info/Options>Stop Time: Is the tick-box checked (on) and if so, is the Stop Time the time when the song ends early?

If you've never looked at this option before, note the following:

- one of my songs (chosen at random) shows at total time in the Library of 4:06 (four minutes six seconds). However, when checking File/Get Info/Options>Stop Time: the time in the box is 4:05.733. This is normal, the 05.733 is rounded up to 06. In my example, the time shown is the end time and the box is not ticked, but if any of your songs show a shorter stop time than the time shown in the Library and the tick-box is checked - there's the problem.

- if I were to change the Stop Time of that song to 3:05.000 then the song will end one minute and one second early.

- turning the tick-box off will turn off the feature.

- if you set a time in that box, note the difference between the colon { : } and the full stop { . } in the numbers.

If this isn't the probelm, let us know so that we can think of any other possibilities.

Good and relevant point made by John lockwood!

Message was edited by: the fiend

Reply

Answer 6

Jul 19, 2012 1:58 PM in response to varjak paw

Exerpt From mp3val:

" MP3 Test Bed\Push The Feeling On.mp3" (offset 0x3baac7): It seems that file is truncated or there is garbage at the end of the file "

This particular track still plays in full and no problems with audio fidelity. Is it a bomb waiting to IMplode - suddenly reduce by a minute or two in length? Who knows.

In response to others: The point I was trying to make is this is happening to mp3 files no matter where they come from, including CD rips. So I wasn't singling out iTunes or any other source.

Reply

Answer 7

varjak paw

Level 10

182,668 points

Jul 19, 2012 2:06 PM in response to iKLutzSupreme

Having a report of incorrect file truncation certainly isn't good news, but I can't say with certainty that it would be related to your problem. I'd certainly be suspicious, though. Do other tracks report a similar error? If so, are you using any sort of tag editor on the tracks, or are they just as iTunes and Amazon provided them (at least as far as you know)?

Note that in regards to iTunes I'm presuming that you mean that you're using iTunes to rip CDs or are converting the tracks from the iTunes Store to MP3, since as John pointed out, the iTunes Store has never provided tracks in MP3 format.

Regards.

Reply

Answer 8

Jul 19, 2012 2:10 PM in response to iKLutzSupreme

And another:

" WARNING: "C:\Users\Chris\Desktop\MP3 Test Bed\Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon.mp3": Wrong number of MPEG data bytes specified in Xing header (8499517 instead of 8499204) "

Reply

Answer 9

Jul 19, 2012 2:20 PM in response to varjak paw

I use iTunes to rip CDs. None of those files have problems since introducing me to this program. 🙂

I use Audacity on occasion to create "remastered" versions for educational purposes(but those over-compressed or mis-eQd monstrosities are kept in other folders!

I've also tweaked the EQ in audacity of some songs. In 1975 you could not put the kind of bass on a LP master that modern CDs or digital files have no trouble with. So I re-EQd the bottom end of "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, for example, to have more modern thump, and exported it from audacity as a 256kBit mp3.

Reply

Answer 10

Jul 19, 2012 2:24 PM in response to varjak paw

And finally one more:

" WARNING: "C:\Users\Chris\Desktop\MP3 Test Bed\1900s - Concerto 2 Allegro-Sherzando!.mp3" (offset 0x1000): MPEG stream error, resynchronized successfully "

So the most common errors are:

"truncated"s

"garbage at end of file"

and "stream error"

Again I've grown my mp3 collection since 2007(a bit late in the game, I know!) so at this point and with over 2,000 songs it's hard to recall where I acquired which ones from.

Reply

Answer 11

Jul 19, 2012 2:25 PM in response to the fiend

No manipulation of the start/stop times unde options in iTunes makes any difference, but thanks for throwing it in the hat. 🙂

Reply

Answer 12

varjak paw

Level 10

182,668 points

Jul 19, 2012 2:26 PM in response to iKLutzSupreme

If the files with the problem are ones you've altered with Audacity and no others have the problem, then I'd have to presume that the LAME encoder version in your copy of Audacity is causing problems.

Otherwise, I'm not sure. Do these problems occur regardless of what playback application you use? Or is it only in iTunes that they appear, and if you play that same file that is giving problem in iTunes in another player it works correctly?

Reply

Answer 13

Jul 19, 2012 2:33 PM in response to varjak paw

"Do these problems occur regardless of what playback application you use? Or is it only in iTunes that they appear, and if you play that same file that is giving problem in iTunes in another player it works correctly?"

The same song is shortened, by the same amount, on my iPod Touch, in iTunes, in my PC source folder where I feed iTunes from, AAAAND on my USB backup hard disk. 😮

So the shortening is occurring in all of those places at the same time.

Reply

Answer 14

varjak paw

Level 10

182,668 points

Jul 19, 2012 2:51 PM in response to iKLutzSupreme

I mean does the problem appear for those tracks if you use some other playback software on your computer, such as Windows Media Player or VLC Media Player.

Reply

Answer 15

Jul 19, 2012 2:58 PM in response to varjak paw

Yes, it plays the "shortened" length on Windows Media Player, iTunes, Real Player, whatever.

Reply