Rent. Rip. Return.
by John Paczkowski
Posted on September 8, 2008 at 7:19 AM PT
RealNetworks Inc. (RNWK) CEO Rob Glaser calls RealDVD, the company’s new “legal” DVD ripper, “a compelling and very responsible product that gives consumers a way to do something they have always wanted to do.” But really, what it’s giving them is a more cumbersome way of doing something that they’ve already been doing for years now with DVD Decrypter, AnyDVD, Handbrake, MacTheRipper, RipIt and the like.
Like other DVD rippers, the $30 software program easily copies entire DVDs–right down to the menus, bonus features and cover art. But unlike those rippers, RealDVD does so in an ostensibly legal way. It copies them without breaking their digital rights management schemes by installing a second layer of DRM on the ripped files that prevents users from sharing the DVDs online.
What it doesn’t do, though, is prohibit users from ripping DVDs that they rent. Effectively, users are on the honor system. And last I checked, the honor system isn’t a Hollywood-approved DRM scheme.
Comments
A device that sounds good for content producers but one that does relatively little to stop piracy. I guess it could be called, “controlled piracy” now.
Posted by Ken Okel at September 8th, 2008 at 12:13 pmRent-and-RIP with this is pretty self-limiting, as each disc is on the order of 3-4GB a pop.
However, it could be useful for some people to RIP a DVD or three to a notebook for use while traveling. Especially subnotebooks and computers like the Air that use external DVD drives.
Posted by Michael Long at September 8th, 2008 at 12:22 pm