RealDVD rips DVDs just like you do, only legally (maybe)

RealNetworks, the company you love to hate, is back with a new product sure to capture the attention of Hollywood and its MPAA thugs. For $30, RealDVD plans to do what DVD Jon enabled years ago -- namely, making digital copies of your DVDs. Unlike Jon's illegal DRM stripping software, RealNetworks' approach lays on additional DRM allowing you to make a single copy, only, playable on the machine doing the rip -- up to five additional Windows PCs can be authorized at a cost of $20 per.

Real thinks that the use of the additional DRM coupled with Kaleidescape's legal victory -- a ruling that seemingly authorizes users to copy DVDs for their own personal use -- will help it escape the wrath of the MPAA. Not that RealNetworks has ever been afraid of a fight as demonstrated by its 2004 scuffle with Apple when it began offering software that allowed iPods to play Real's DRM'd content. Good thing too because we're pretty sure that shutting down the planned start of RealDVD's sales at the end of this month is the number one topic around the bunny-juice dispensers at the MPAA offices this morning.

[Via cnet]

[Briane Posted Sep 8th 2008 3:09PM]

Despite what Real has or hasn't done in the past, I give them a lot of credit for taking on this fight. Sure, there may be some small companies providing free or fee based software to rip (remember DVD X Copy that was shut down?) but the fact remains stripping the DeCSS encryption is illegal (regardless of how easy it is).

One of the major flaws in the logic of this article is that the Kaleidascape victory had nothing to do with copyrights. Kaleidascape didn't win because they reapplied encryption and DRM. Kaleidascape won because the contractual agreement they signed did not prohibit playback from persistent copies (they actually had to sign an agreement and pay a licensing fee before they could see other requirements and were pleasantly surprised it did not prohibit playback without the original media being present). You can bet this has changed.

The agreement is for manufacturers of DVD players and doesn't apply to consumers.

You can easily copy a DVD to a hard drive without removing the encryption using drag and drop (some software will actually play these files because they use DVD Jon's algorithm to decrypt... not because they have a license to play DVD content). Does Real have a license to play DVD's that doesn't require the original media to be present? You can bet the loop holes have been plugged for new licensees.

Seagate and Western Digital should get behind this because consumers are gonna use a whole lotta storage space.

Also, the article does not say you pay for each copy. It says you pay per device you want to play back on. So, I'd pay for the software and another $20 for my Apple TV and another $20 for my iPhone. I could now copy an unlimited number of DVDs to my Apple TV and iPhone.

Another difference with Real and others like DVD Fab is that they provide a media library to organize and manage all your content.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 8th 2008 3:45PM]

why would consumers want to do this? it really doesnt make sense to pay the cost vs what you receive

http://www.1080pbluray.com/

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 8th 2008 3:49PM]

This is such a rip-off of Telestream's Drive-in, and just in time for the release!

[shaundon Posted Sep 8th 2008 5:14PM]

You didn't know people still watched DVDs? I am therefore forced to assume you don't know some other basic things so I'll fill you in:

Television hasn't migrated to 1080p yet
People still read books
Dogs haven't been obsoleted by robotic alternatives yet

Just because the tech is around doesn't mean everyone uses it.

I am actually of the opinion that you were being sarcastic though

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 8th 2008 7:18PM]

Good to see Real doesn't have any original ideas:

http://digg.com/software/RealDVD_announced_3_days_after_identical_product_released_2

[Fanfoot Posted Sep 8th 2008 7:48PM]

The Kaleidescape victory is because they preserved the original copy protection on the DVD AND they had been granted a license to decode DVDs for their product in question.

I'm not clear how that is relevant to the RealDVD product?

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 8th 2008 10:14PM]

Unfortunately, as far as I know, the only way to RIP a DVD is to break the encryption already in place. This is against the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Sure, under the fair-use act you have every right to make a copy of the DVD for your personal use, but in order to do so you must first break another LAW. This is how you get in trouble. Not because you ripped a copy of the movie under fair-use, but because you must first break the encryption.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2008 9:24AM]

Slysoft has some products that rip the whole DVD compress them if you like and also create dvd virtual drives.