creating a time limited mp3 file

[vtxr1300]

My company wants to start offering training files that can be
downloaded as mp3s but they want them to expire after a month. How is
this normally done? A friend said he can download mp3s from yahoo but
they expire after a certain amount of time. So, I guess it can be
done... I'm just not sure how it's done. Thanks.

[Mark]

On Dec 4, 11:35 am, vtxr1300 > wrote:
> My company wants to start offering training files that can be
> downloaded as mp3s but they want them to expire after a month. How is
> this normally done? A friend said he can download mp3s from yahoo but
> they expire after a certain amount of time. So, I guess it can be
> done... I'm just not sure how it's done. Thanks.

in any case it would be trival to re-record the audio into a permanent
file copy.

Mark

[David Morgan \(MAMS\)]

"vtxr1300" > wrote in message ...
> My company wants to start offering training files that can be
> downloaded as mp3s but they want them to expire after a month. How is
> this normally done? A friend said he can download mp3s from yahoo but
> they expire after a certain amount of time. So, I guess it can be
> done... I'm just not sure how it's done. Thanks.


Remove them from the server !

You could use a server that doesn't allow downloads, but virtually
anything that can be played by a computer can be recorded.

If you think that you can easily "turn them off" once they have been
downloaded and saved by end users... this isn't a simple proposition
and may actually be impossible.



DM

[Richard Crowley]

"vtxr1300" wrote ...
> My company wants to start offering training files that can be
> downloaded as mp3s but they want them to expire after a month.

Never heard of anyone successfully doing that with an ordinary
MP3 file. There is no concept of "expiration date" on any computer
file, including MP3 (or any other media) files.

> How is this normally done?

With some sort of add-on Digital Rights Management (DRM)
mechanism.

> A friend said he can download mp3s from yahoo but
> they expire after a certain amount of time. So, I guess it can be
> done... I'm just not sure how it's done. Thanks.

You can try any of several kinds of DRM schemes, but likely
they have all been cracked/hacked, so the security is not very
good.

[Chris Whealy]

vtxr1300 wrote:
> My company wants to start offering training files that can be
> downloaded as mp3s but they want them to expire after a month. How is
> this normally done? A friend said he can download mp3s from yahoo but
> they expire after a certain amount of time. So, I guess it can be
> done... I'm just not sure how it's done. Thanks.
>
The only way such a scheme can be enforced is by having the player
software perform the date check. If what your firiend says is correct,
then the Yahoo browser is acting as the MP3 player and is checking an
expiration date associated with the MP3 file.

For regular MP3 player software though, the concept of file expiration
does not exist.

Chris W

--
The voice of ignorance speaks loud and long,
But the words of the wise are quiet and few.
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