Viewing ImgBurn .IBG graph data

[Seeker47]

Is DVDInfoPro the only program that can read / display this graph info ?
Wondering if there is any alternative for this . . . ?

[Bodyslide]

That I know of DVDinfoPro is it for now....

[VegasBud]

Is DVDInfoPro the only program that can read / display this graph info ?

Yes

Wondering if there is any alternative for this . . . ?

No, and it's unlikely there ever will be.

From the ImgBurn - IBG file license terms:

You may not de-compile, reverse engineer and disassemble this software product or any data files it outputs.

The IBG data files output by the software ImgBurn are designed to be displayed in a graphical form exclusively by the computer software known as DVDInfoPro which is the copyright of its author. All other authors and software programs do not have permission to display the data and information contained in the IBG files output by the software ImgBurn in any way whatsoever.

[Seeker47]

Is DVDInfoPro the only program that can read / display this graph info ?

Yes

Wondering if there is any alternative for this . . . ?

No, and it's unlikely there ever will be.

That's too bad. Check out the reviews on this program here. All these people aren't wrong. I wouldn't want it installed on my system again, and can't see why Lightning UK would want to give DVDInfoPro an exclusive on this functionality.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

Whilst it says nobody has (explicit) permission to display the data, it doesn't say you can't ask for it - and nobody ever has.

Anyway, times change... just as DVDInfoPro did when it went from being freeware (in one form or another) to shareware. In my mind, any 'understanding' we had went out the window when that happened.

I never wanted people to have to pay for software in order to view my IBG files.

[Seeker47]

Whilst it says nobody has (explicit) permission to display the data, it doesn't say you can't ask for it - and nobody ever has.

Anyway, times change... just as DVDInfoPro did when it went from being freeware (in one form or another) to shareware. In my mind, any 'understanding' we had went out the window when that happened.

I never wanted people to have to pay for software in order to view my IBG files.

Thanks for your personal reply, and your weighing in on this. (btw, I've been a BIG fan of your
work for a long time.)

Maybe there is not enough demand for this (?), or it would be too much work, but it sounds like
those reasons would be the only things stopping you from incorporating a viewer module for the
IBG files into ImgBurn. That would be ideal, but failing that, it would be great if some other,
entirely freeware program (without the negative baggage of DVDInfoPro) could do it.
(I dunno, something like Nero CD/DVD Speed ?)

[AlanHK]

All other authors and software programs do not have permission to display the data and information contained in the IBG files output by the software ImgBurn in any way whatsoever.

Note that they say you "do not have permission to display the data".
They don't say that you NEED permission to display the data, because you don't, though it gives that impression.

See http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap12.html

There are, for instance, any number of programs that can read and write Microsoft Word DOC files. If they could, they'd certainly prohibit that.
Back in the 90s Adobe released Type 1 fonts, an encrypted format, giving them a monopoly on selling high end digital fonts. But the file format was cracked and they could do nothing to stop other vendors selling fonts in that format. Eventually they gave up trying to keep it secret and just published it.

The DMCA doesn't apply, since the data itself belongs to the user, not ImgBurn or DVDInfoPro.

So there is no legal problem, just a technical one.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

To be honest, I don't really care who uses/displays the info now, just so long as it's done properly and the author chats with me about it. There is actually work going on right now (not by me) to make a basic viewer.

[Seeker47]

To be honest, I don't really care who uses/displays the info now, just so long as it's done properly and the author chats with me about it. There is actually work going on right now (not by me) to make a basic viewer.

I've long used certain programs -- the great ZTRee File Manager immediately comes to mind -- that
include "hooks" (maybe not the correct term) by which they may optionally call other programs, thereby adding extra functionality in a very convenient way. PGCEdit has had a bunch of Plugins.
If a third-party viewer does come along . . . well, just a thought.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

I've already added support for launching the new 'in progress' IBG viewer (BurnPlot) rather than DVDInfoPro.

Hopefully it won't be too long before it's ready for general use.