License Issue

[k chase]

I had the impression from all I read the license was free. Why do I now see a prompt asking me to purchase a converter license for mp3? On download.com it says free. Now it cost $14. What's up? Is there a free version? I don't have much money. How long is a $14 license suppose to last? I feel like someone is trying to take advantage of me.

[ChristinaS]

Re: License Issue

I had the impression from all I read the license was free. Why do I now see a prompt asking me to purchase a converter license for mp3? On download.com it says free. Now it cost $14. What's up? Is there a free version? I don't have much money. How long is a $14 license suppose to last? I feel like someone is trying to take advantage of me.

The registration is required only for conversions to mp3. The mp3 encoding codecs are covered by a patent (Thompson) and cannot be used for free.
So while the program itself is free, using it to convert to mp3 cannot be done unless it is registered.

Nobody is trying to take advantage of you. The license is for life, just don't lose the registration details in case you have to reinstall.

[LtData]

Re: License Issue

As Christina says, the converter itself is free. There is no charge for you to rip CDs to WAV, wma, or any format besides mp3. The only thing that costs is the PowerPack's optimizations to CD ripping and the mp3 lisence. The charge for the mp3 lisence, as Christina said, came about due to Thompson demanding royalties for it.

[neilthecellist]

Re: License Issue

As Christina says, the converter itself is free. There is no charge for you to rip CDs to WAV, wma, or any format besides mp3. The only thing that costs is the PowerPack's optimizations to CD ripping and the mp3 lisence. The charge for the mp3 lisence, as Christina said, came about due to Thompson demanding royalties for it.

Yes.....Don't blame us for charging. It was Thompson's idea to impose royalties. We would never charge for something as trivial as an MP3 LISCENCE.....:(

Oh wait, I don't work at dBpowerAMP. I'm just a forum helper person so i shouldn't be saying "we" heh

[abelthorne]

Re: License Issue

I was coming here to ask the same question, but there's still something I don't understand :
- how come DBP version 10 could encode to MP3 for free and version 11 can't ?
- I tgought that Lame encoding was completely free
- why don't other conversion software charge for MP3 encoding ?

Can this all be summed by "Thompson asked for patent fee between DBP 10 and 11 and all other softwares that encode to MP3 for free are now illegal, including Lame" ? Or am I missing something ?

[ChristinaS]

Re: License Issue

I was coming here to ask the same question, but there's still something I don't understand :
- how come DBP version 10 could encode to MP3 for free and version 11 can't ?
- I tgought that Lame encoding was completely free
- why don't other conversion software charge for MP3 encoding ?

Can this all be summed by "Thompson asked for patent fee between DBP 10 and 11 and all other softwares that encode to MP3 for free are now illegal, including Lame" ? Or am I missing something ?

The license requirement came out after dMC r10, that's true.

As for other programs, I don't relaly know. They too may have come out before this thing, it's quite recent. Or they are breaking the law. Or they have in fact paid for some kind of bulk license for the mp3 encoder. doubtful if it's a free encoding program.

The codecs are free. The use of any of the mp3 codecs through dMC is covered by the license.

[abelthorne]

Re: License Issue

Or they have in fact paid for some kind of bulk license for the mp3 encoder. doubtful if it's a free encoding program.

I had in mind softwares like BeSweet, or the fact that I can reencode the audio part of a video file with VirtualDub using Lame.

[neilthecellist]

Re: License Issue

VirtualDub uses the LAME mp3 codec under Wave compression, though. Maybe there's an exception there.

[Wayne]

Re: License Issue

Maybe they (Thompson) started by going after the most popular ripper first

Wayne

[neilthecellist]

Re: License Issue

We're the most popular ripper? :confused:

And by the way, whoever has experience with VirtualDub, can you tell me how to get Windows Media Audio v1 and v2 to work under WAVE audio compression?