SanDisk Sansa Clip+ - DRM vs Dual Boot

[ddawson]

I see here in the forum that RockBox will not play files that use DRM. I also see that "It is possible that installation of the bootloader may lead to you permanently losing the ability to playback files with DRM" (RockBox Manual 2.1 "Before Starting").

If I install RockBox to my Sansa Clip+, can I play DRM'd files by using the Dual Boot feature to boot into the original Sansa firmware? If I uninstall RockBox, will DRM be available in the Sansa firmware?

"Permanently losing" DRM seems to suggest that, once I install RockBox, DRM is gone for good, no matter what I do. Can someone clarify this, please?

Thanks!

[Llorean]

On some players DRM is permanently lost due to how the DRM keys are stored and the way Rockbox is installed. I can't answer whether this is true for the Clip+ or not, but yes, on some players it's lost forever. On other players it is possible to dual boot or uninstall and use DRM files in the original firmware.

[ddawson]

Thanks for the reply. Makes me nervous about trying RockBox until I hear from some fearless early adopter... 

[[Saint]]

Permanently losing the ability to playback files encoded with DRM can be viewed as a positive thing also

From a "free as in freedom" point of view.

I certainly don't view it as a deal-breaker personally.



[St.]


EDIT: You could, in theory, access the FW partition via recovery mode (requires opening your device and shorting two pads) and make a backup of said partition before installing Rockbox and use that image to return the player to it's original state if you did indeed lose the ability to playback DRM encoded files in the OF...but that's certainly not a suggestion for the faint hearted causal user.

Just an idea I had just now.

[ddawson]

Thanks. I agree about the positive aspect of DRM failure 

So now I just have to worry about "bricking" my Clip+ by merely installing RockBox...? Seems like lots of people are having success with it, maybe the warnings about bricking are a bit of CYA (and I don't mean Catholic Youth Association)...

[saratoga]

I don't think anyone has ever bricked a Clip+.

[ddawson]

Thanks, that's good to learn. It's been a little vague about which players can be "bricked", in what I've read.

Is the loss of DRM on a Clip+ a definite thing, or hit-and-miss? Just want to know what I can expect.

Thanks for all of the helpful replies!

[saratoga]

Is the loss of DRM on a Clip+ a definite thing, or hit-and-miss? Just want to know what I can expect.

I don't think anyone has ever tried it.

[Jeff K.]

Resurrecting an old thread to answer the same question I had...

I wanted to try Rockbox (love it!), but hoped I did not permanently lose the ability to listen to DRM protected audiobooks on my Clip +.

I risked it.  With Rockbox installed, I lost the ability to listen to drm protected wma files transferred via OverDrive Media Console when booting to the original firmware.

HOWEVER, after reinstalling the original firmware, I could transfer and listen to the DRM wma files again.  (Uninstalling the Rockbox bootloader failed - I needed to reinstall the original firmware over it).

I can't guarantee it will work for anyone else - but can confirm it worked for me.

[bluebrother]

(Uninstalling the Rockbox bootloader failed - I needed to reinstall the original firmware over it)

This is how you uninstall the Rockbox bootloader (and caused by the way the upgrade mechanism on the player works).