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For anyone that's ever gone scubadiving or, you know, been down there in any sort of vehicle, but this is definitely -- if the chinese heard what they think they heard on the same frequency, it has to be a manmade object of some sort. >> i'll not be so definite but most likely it's a manmade sound. we're certainly hopeful it's the locater beacons for the black boxes. >> we do indeed. colleen, let me ask you. when you look at these -- the search for these batteries or these data boxes, are the current -- let's say they're on the bottom of the ocean somewhere. are the currents strong enough to m...

Four orange objects spotted sunday, thought to be a compelling lead. those four objects are not from the plane. they are fishing junk. this morning an australian vessel, the "ocean shield," will make its way to the search area, carrying a high-tech u.s. navy pinger detector. it can scan under water for the plane's data boxes. cnn's paula newton joins us now, live in perth, australia. certainly, those four pieces, the pieces of orange debris, thought to be a good lead, now an empty lead. searchers frustrated here. >> reporter: absolutely. and you know when we talk to them when they get off thos...

>> and let's say they go a couple of years or whatever and they do the payouts. and then we find the data boxes and there is something wrong with the engine or something that can be traced to boeing. then could one sue again? >> sure, if the statute of limitations hasn't run and if you find the plane and if you -- in finding the plane you can discover or investigate a mechanical failure. i mean there are all of these unknown scenarios. >> so bottom line, fred, you know, not knowing what happened to the plane, there is some compensation for the families, not much in u.s. terms, but in what is a...

High cost of streaming live data, especially video from the cockpit. but the real issue in this case was all the systems on board the aircraft already stopped transmitting. i think what the regulators will do after this is look at this and figure out how to foolproof those systems so that transponder can't just stop working, the data messaging system can't stop working -- >> so sort of pilot proof? >> right. >> equipment. >> the. i lot has to have some authority to turn off the electrical systems in case they overheat. there's a way you can put a small back up battery, embed that in some of th...

Are always searching the ocean floor for, you know, the boxes, the data boxes will tell us something. so i put it to a former member of the national transportation safety board, and i said if these -- whoever did this and was sophisticated enough to cut off two communication systems on the plane, could they have also cut off these data boxes. and here's what one had to say. >> it is possible to make them not work. and a knowledgeable crew could interrupt the electrical power to the circuitry and cause the box to stop. they would have to know the location of the circuit break, and off the top o...