RealNetworks steps up its RealDVD legal case, just wants your approval

It wasn't long ago that RealNetworks and its kludgy Player software were the bane of computer users everywhere. But, a few legal accusations later, Real is now the apple in the eye of every fair use advocate, fighting for the right for users to make legal copies of DVDs -- so long as you make them through its RealDVD software, of course. The company is now escalating its legal battle against Hollywood big wigs, suing the six major movie studios and the DVD Copy Control Association for anticompetitive activity, asking for monetary damages due to the sales it has lost since the industry asked for that initial injunction against RealDVD. We're not entirely sure who's going to come up on top of this one, but if Kaleidescape can survive the CCA, maybe Real can too.

[DrXym Posted May 14th 2009 9:43AM]

Real's definition of "fair use" is to rip a DVD, DRM it even worse than the original and then sell you the keys to your own content. Maybe its "fair use" in the sense that a user can pay Real for this privilege, but the actual mechanics of how it operates sound anything but.

There are plenty of free ways to preserve content and they result in a file which plays anywhere (subject to the encoding settings). It would be nice if something appeared that allowed a user to rip the WHOLE disc - all the audio, tracks and menu structure. It must be feasible. Failing that, just ripping the main movie is fine by most people.

[(Unverified) Posted May 14th 2009 3:50PM]

are you saying you don't know how to rip the whole disc? really?

"It would be nice if something appeared that allowed a user to rip the WHOLE disc - all the audio, tracks and menu structure. It must be feasible."

I just want to know before spouting off 8-10 year old ways of doing just this in an attempt to help you.

[DrXym Posted May 14th 2009 6:37PM]

I know how to fire off DVD Decrypter if that's what you're asking. I also know how to manually pick and choose which video and audio tracks I wish to encode. I don't know of any way in free software of re-encoding all subtitles, audio tracks and videos into portable versions while preserving the menu structure in a format that something such as VLC might be able to play. This is essentially what RealDVD is doing.

If you know how to do this, it would be instructive if you said how to in this thread. Otherwise, get the point of what I was saying.

[(Unverified) Posted May 14th 2009 6:47PM]

I figured you would know how to do those things. I was just trying to make sure you at least knew you could do basic stuff. You do, and now I know I don't have to try and help a fellow engadget poster. Just trying to ask before offering help.

[TexasGrillChef Posted May 14th 2009 11:51PM]

There are ways to rip the whole DVD/Blu-ray including the extras. I do it all the time & backup the ripped DVD/Blu-ray to my NAS (Networked Attached Storage).

Should my DVD/Blu-ray disc get damaged or stolen. No problem I can easily burn another one.

I do like the way Real works their system though. A much better interface than what I am using. I don't know what DRM they will use if any. Whatever it is, there has to be a way to reburn your DVD later, OTHERWISE the whole point of Backing up your DVD collection is pointless.

None the less... I think the whole movie industry are greedy bas****ds anways!

TGC