Legal DVD ripping now available from Real

This morning RealNetworks, the digital media company best known for their RealPlayer and Real video and audio codecs announced the launch of RealDVD, a $30 USD software application that will allow users to make a copy of their DVDs and it play it back on their PCs.

Robert Glaser, chief executive of RealNetworks, says the program is �a compelling and very responsible product that gives consumers a way to do something they have always wanted to do,� such as backup their favorite movies and have them available digitally.

The program itself is very straightforward. You simply insert the DVD in your drive and open the program. The program will then rip the entire disc (including the special features and all audio streams) to your HDD as well as adding all metadata and covert art. You can then only watch the movie in Real's "powerful" video player that comes included.

Of course the only way the program will last is because Real has added DRM so that users cannot abuse the system and rip their movies and place them on P2P networks. The ripped movie will retain all DRM that the disc started with and Real adds a second layer of DRM that will stop users from moving the movies to portable players or other PCs without buying a license. If you want to play the digital copy on another computer you will need to buy a $20 license for that computer.

Real says the program is perfectly legal thanks to the Kaleidescape precedent which was set last year. Kaleidescape won a suit against the DVD Copy Control Association which allowed the company to sell a $10,000 USD server that can make and store digital copies of up to 500 movies. The Association has appealed however and if they win then RealDVD has no chance.

�If you look at the functionality of the product, we have put in significant barriers so people don�t just take this and put it on peer-to-peer networks,� Mr. Glaser said. �I think we�ve been really respectful of the legitimate interests of rights holders.�

One significant feature that will most likely gain the ire of the Hollywood studios is that the program does not know if you own the disc you are ripping, meaning you can take all of your friends DVDs or head to the local Blockbuster and stock up on movies that you do not own. For under $20 USD a month you can have a Netflix account that will allow you to build a massive DVD library without ever owning the disc.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 8 Sep 2008 14:05

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20 comments

jony218

I think they are a little late to the party. The DRM is probably not a good idea, not too many people will pay for a dvd ripper that encodes the copy with DRM. Theres just too many similar established software for this one to suceed.

8.9.2008 14:12 #1

Notcow

But think,people want to rip movies,but some people may want to do it 100% legally.

DRM seems like the only way to make DVD ripping just that legal...And it's not functionless,they've made the restrictions as light as are allowed by the law.

And it looks like the software's legality is STILL in jepardy because of that pending appeal,so we'll see if they took enough precautions,even now.

8.9.2008 14:36 #2

SProdigy

Real is always behind in their thought process. Why on Earth would someone want to back this up on their PC, when the original DVD can be played on your PC to begin with?

We want to backup in order to have an archive copy, stream to a media center, or convert it for use with a device, such as an iPod. RealDVD does none of this, plus it costs $30 for the software and $20 for a license! Absurd!

The only benefit I see from this software is the library and cover art organization, something you can do with DVD Profiler freeware, and an optional USB barcode scanner makes it easier.

Another thing to ponder: How does the $20 license break down? Who gets the money? How can Real sell a license for something they don't own? And who is dumb enough to buy a $20 license for a DVD rip of a $7 DVD that can only be played through $30 RealDVD software on a PC! (Bangs head against wall.)

8.9.2008 14:38 #3

domie

absolutely ridiculous - if it was free then some PC newbies might be tempted but who on earth is going to pay $ 30 for a crappy program that encodes with a crappy codec ( RM ) and adds DRM into the equation when they can pay the same price for AnyDVD and get the entire DVD stripped of all protection and made region free ?

8.9.2008 15:21 #4

Mik3h

Originally posted by domie: absolutely ridiculous - if it was free then some PC newbies might be tempted but who on earth is going to pay $ 30 for a crappy program that encodes with a crappy codec ( RM ) and adds DRM into the equation when they can pay the same price for AnyDVD and get the entire DVD stripped of all protection and made region free ?I'm sure some PC newbies may be enticed by the legality of the software. Ripping DVDs is said to be illegal in some countries, software which claims to be legal is going to encourage some.

8.9.2008 19:07 #5

engage16

if it has the coding to rip anymovie then played back there is going to be a way to rip the playback... so i see its advantages

8.9.2008 19:25 #6

llongtheD

Realnetworks is just trying to make a quick buck, and dupe the ignorant into buying something that has been available for years now, WITHOUT the DRM. And I'm just speculating here, but it probably has a nice little phone home feature for "updates" so they can see what movies your watching, and market other products to you. This kind of bullsh*t never ceases to amaze me.

8.9.2008 20:25 #7

shummyr

For the Price of this I Can Buy Any Dvd and it lets me do anything i want and I Never have to worry about it not getting updates

8.9.2008 22:12 #8

pirkster

Originally posted by SProdigy: Why on Earth would someone want to back this up on their PC, when the original DVD can be played on your PC to begin with?
Because apparently there's a large number of folks who are concerned with making "back up" copies of their movies. Not having to use the original disc is one of the base tenets of the "back up" proponents.

I think no matter what the news, folks will always find something negative to say about it. Personally, I like seeing new products even if they are selling old ideas. The more choices consumers have, the better. If it's not a useful product, folks won't buy it. No harm to the consumer, not unless choices become fewer and fewer and quality poorer and poorer. I see neither happening in this case.

9.9.2008 00:09 #9

SProdigy

Let's not forget that this comes from Real, the same company that owns Rhapsody, a service you can subscribe to online, but have to call an 800 number to cancel. For Rhapsody, they have no true phone support, so you must go to a community forum to receive help with technical problems. (I know this, having been a former Rhapsody customer.)

Let's say you legally backup your DVD with this software, for the purpose of having an archival copy. Now, your small children, favorite pet, or Xbox 360 damages the disc beyond repair. You're still screwed, because this software only allows PC playback. The ability to play the movie on a DVD player in your home is gone forever, barring a trip to Target and a $10 purchase of another disc.

If your hard drive, OS or PC fails altogether, you lose the file as well as the DVD. Should you make a backup of the backup (in extreme cases) you still have to purchase a $20 license for each movie, because it will be played on a different PC.

I'm sorry I don't consider extra DRM as being "positive" or an exciting alternative. Unless the NSA is watching, your money is better spent with AnyDVD or DVDFab.

9.9.2008 09:07 #10

club42

Quote:Because apparently there's a large number of folks who are concerned with making "back up" copies of their movies. Not having to use the original disc is one of the base tenets of the "back up" proponents.
Who wants to archive if the things confined to the PC it was ripped to.

9.9.2008 23:22 #11

H0bbes

You're kidding me, right...? It's like purchasing your movies again...and again... BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD!! Lol.

I do like their browser plugin that allows downloading flash videos.

Other than that, they suck.

10.9.2008 00:29 #12

robmill

I do see one advantage to the application.

Especially to newbies.

Backing up of your Movie to a Media Center PC, and beign able to view this movie via your internal network on any of your PCs in the network.

One other advantage is the rumours about appliances (DVD Players, etc etc,) connected your your home network acting as a portal for these movies.

It would be very convenient to backup all of your movies to USB Drives on a NAS and watch them at any Appliance in your house.

Robert

10.9.2008 19:20 #13

dRD

Originally posted by robmill: I do see one advantage to the application.

Especially to newbies.

Backing up of your Movie to a Media Center PC, and beign able to view this movie via your internal network on any of your PCs in the network.

One other advantage is the rumours about appliances (DVD Players, etc etc,) connected your your home network acting as a portal for these movies.

It would be very convenient to backup all of your movies to USB Drives on a NAS and watch them at any Appliance in your house.

RobertSure, sounds nice, but what are the odds that the format chosen by appliance makers would be the DRM-infected RealVideo, rather than, say, industry standard AVC/MPEG-4 with no DRM :-)

Microsoft put billions behind their quest to root WindowsMedia as the de facto DRM-infected media format on appliances, such as DVD players. Despite that, nothing happened -- standard implementations such as MPEG-2 and later various versions of MPEG-4 simply pushed it aside.

What I truly hope is that all the goddamn devices that relate somehow to storage and/or playback of audio/video would support DLNA/UPNP as they should. And support AVC and AAC as compression formats. Add universal subtitle support for the non-English-speaking world and don't mix any proprietary b.s., forced streaming or DRM to the mix. And maybe, just maybe... after couple of years, we'd finally have a chance to see how standardized home media networks would generate billions to the manufacturers who cherished the standards originally.

11.9.2008 18:17 #14

borhan9

Quote:You can then only watch the movie in Real's "powerful" video player that comes includedFor this reason and this reason alone i would not get this.

12.9.2008 08:53 #15

defgod

Is it just me or does anyone else think this program is very similar to the old program "Rat DVD"? Well other than the facts that you can't convert it back to DVD at any time, it's not free, and DRM.

12.9.2008 20:48 #16

lindae

If you where to add all your favourite DVDs to your computer,
would it not slow your computer down as you would be using space
on your hard drive.

15.9.2008 07:12 #17

Mez

I just wonder who thinks up these "lead ballons" and what kind of company leadership descides to run with it? It is so stupid on so many angles.

15.9.2008 07:13 #18

hermes_vb

They still don't get it. If I rip a movie is either to make a backup copy of it so the original doesn't get scratched or to play it on the portable device of my choice. Either way DRM gets on the way.

15.9.2008 15:46 #19

rexcon

Originally posted by shummyr: For the Price of this I Can Buy Any Dvd and it lets me do anything i want and I Never have to worry about it not getting updates
I agree any dvd rocks, never had a problem with it.

25.9.2008 16:56 #20

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