Cactus Data Shield
(MidBar Tech)

History:
Midbar is a dynamic company specializing in Copyright Protection Solutions. Midbar's mission is to lead the fight against copyright piracy making its innovative Embedded Masking Technology the global industry standard. Midbar is a privately owned company with its R&D center in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Midbar specializes in Copy Control Solutions of music CDs and other optical formats for all applications, whether music, software or video. Midbar's Cactus Data Shield protects music CDs against unauthorized digital duplication. Transparent to the music provider, this breakthrough technology is easily implemented in the CD manufacturing process. Transparent to the consumer, CDs protected by Cactus Data Shield play on commercial CD players with perfect audio quality.

Products: Cactus Data Shield

The Cactus Data Shield is based on Midbar's Embedded Masking Technology, an innovative technology offering unprecedented comprehensive protection against unauthorized digital duplication of music CDs and other optical media formats. Cactus Data Shield is a one-station, automatic device installed in-line between the data processing station and the LBR mastering system, with no production machinery modification or changes to the pre-mastering process necessary. A compact stand-alone system, it can also be easily and seamlessly integrated with mastering and production equipment.

Transparent to the content provider, there is no need to modify content or its delivery systems. Cactus Data Shield does not affect the pre-mastering process or require production machinery modification. Fully transparent to the consumer, there is no need for software keys, hardware dongles, plugs or other external equipment or processes. Cactus Data Shield protected CDs and DVDs operate on existing commercial players. By preventing conversion of content to other digital formats that can be transmitted over the Internet such as MP3, Cactus Data Shield prohibits Internet-piracy.

Protects the media master Easy to install - compact, stand-alone hardware platform between the data processor and LBR Easy to implement - automatic, one-step process Requires no change in existing production equipment Transparent to existing pre-mastering and mastering process Simple verification of the media master provides quality assurance Option to integrate technology with production equipment.

How it works?
Cactus Data Shield trick is quite smart! The Audio protected CD is made in such way that it confuses most CD-Rom drives. The TOC contains false position for the Leadout (at 30secs). Also the length of the last track is read false and the CD-Rom cannot read the real length of it so it stops reading..If you try to play a Cactus CD the CD-Rom stops playing the CD after 28secs and returns false info about the tracks length. So the real problem here is the way that most CD-Rom read the CDs.

Price:
No info is avaiable in website...

How to recognize it:
Possibly the AudioCD will have a note "CD Protected" or "It will not play at CD-Rom"...('Razorblade Romance' von HIM und 'My Private War' von Philip Boa & The VoodooClub).

Does it work in real life?
Nope with Plextor drives! You can read such CDs and with CloneCD you can additional remove the Cactus protection from the protected AudioCD. For the rest CD-Roms the Cactus protection will work just fine...