bootable distro that plays restricted formats?

[Christopher Browne]

On Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 1:14 AM, Thomas Milne
<tbrucemilne-TcoXwbchSccMMYnvST3LeUB+6BGkLq7r at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> I need a bootable distro that will allow me to play the restricted
> formats without installing any software. Does any such thing exist?
> Any discs I've tried of course will not play the standard avi format
> or mp3.
>
> From what I've been reading, it looks more like I would have to create
> a custom bootable disc or USB key. If so, can someone point me to one
> that was dead easy setup routine they've found? I've looked at
> UNetbootin, but I can't see anything in there for restricted
> multimedia support.

This sounds like a job for Morphix, which is a variant of Knoppix
intended to enable creating custom bootable distribution disks.

Unfortunately, you're asking for something that's inherently dangerous
for distribution makers to directly support.  The codecs for MP3 and
AVI include components where there are patent claims.  MP3 has a
surprisingly longer set than I'd have expected; see
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mp3#Licensing_and_patent_issues>

"In short, with Thomson, Fraunhofer IIS,[52] Sisvel (and its U.S.
subsidiary Audio MPEG),[53] Texas MP3 Technologies, and
Alcatel-Lucent[36] all claiming legal control of relevant MP3 patents
related to decoders, the legal status of MP3 remains unclear in
countries where those patents are valid."

AVI doesn't seem to have such issues directly, but it's just a
container for other formats, and some of those are "touchy" much as
with MP3.

It's much the same issue as that with Java, which isn't normally
included in CD-able distributions, albeit with somewhat different
reasons.  (The devil's in the details for *all* of these!)  Mono's
freer, license-wise, but I periodically hear hysterical rants about
how inclusion's a disaster because of magical Microsoft tentacles...

In any case there are enough prickly organizations with their legal
tentacles all over codecs for things you care about that while you may
readily construct your own bootable CD, you won't find one pre-made
for you.
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