It's my own damn file...

July 23, 2006 9:45 PM

Adding DRM to a ringtone

I have a Samsung T809 through T-Mobile. As phones go, I'm more than happy with it, but there is one significant exception. T-mobile has gone out of their way to make it impossible for me to use my own ringtones.

I know that earlier versions of the firmware allowed for exploites that made it possible for someone to use a ringtone that they didn't download/ pay for, but I just got this phone and it has a newer firmware that prohibits this. My searches have, thus far only revealed how to make this work with the older firmware.

Having ruled out using a normal file type, I'm OK with just adding DRM to a ringtone I've created. It seems to be the only way I'm going to be able to get my phone to make the noise that I want it to make.

I'm pretty sure that T-Mobile uses OMA DRM, but I'm not positive.

By way of explination, I don't want to use this for anything illegal. I have no intrest in how to make someone elses copyrighted file work. I prefer ringtones that are unobtrusive and would like to take some more 'natural' noises (read as: my bird singing) and make it into my ringtone. I already have the AIFF/WAV and just am looking for a free or cheap way of adding the necessary DRM to the file to make the phone see it as acceptable.

Since I don't expect to ever transfer this file to anyone, and T-Mobile has done a remarkable good job at messing up an otherwise great phone, I'm guessing that DRMing my own file is the only way to go, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

posted by quin to technology (5 comments total)

Have a look through the Samsung and T-Mobile sections at Howardforums. Do a thorough search before asking, both with the forum's own search function and a "site:howardforums.com" google search—people there are touchy about answering questions twice.

It will probably be much easier (though warranty-voiding) to modify your phone to accept non-DRM ringtones, and most advice you'll get at HoFo will lean in that direction, but there's probably a knowledgeable hacker or two over there who will be able to give you a hand.
posted by Zozo at 10:32 PM on July 23, 2006

Apparently you can just rename your .mp3 file as .3gp and transfer it with bluetooth. If you don't have bluetooth on your PC there is a program mentioned there that costs $15 that seems to be what you need.
posted by Rhomboid at 10:48 PM on July 23, 2006

Rhomboid; thanks but as I said, I have the newer firmware, and that won't work.

One of my co-workers has the same phone and it works fine on his, so I know that all the web sites that explain how to use this exploit are technically correct, but they don't work on the newest revision of the phone.

I'm hating this DRM crap. Doing something this simple should not be this hard.
posted by quin at 11:10 PM on July 23, 2006

Make sure you tell Samsung that. The only way DRM is ever going to go away is if device manufacturers become convinced it's going to cost them sales.
posted by flabdablet at 12:19 AM on July 24, 2006

Yes, by all means, replace your phone with something less... I dunno, "stupid", and make lots of public noise about why, everywhere you can.

The carriers are in it with the handset manufacturers for the money.

If you make it clear to them that it is counterproductive *on that front*, they'll eventually get it.
posted by baylink at 2:11 PM on July 24, 2006