RealNetworks' RealDVD Ripper

RealNetworks - remember, they're the ones who tried to offer AAC music downloads that would play on your iPod product until they got shutdown - is back with a new product. RealDVD. This may or may not be legal in the eyes of Hollywood, but they're trying to appease the MPAA gods.

This $30 package lets you make one copy, following the "personal use" theory, of a DVD. The digital copy will get have even more DRM (Digital Rights Management)  than the original, and up to five more PC's can be authorized to view that disc, but it ain't free.  Each additional Windows machine will cost you $20.

Here's the interesting part.

Will people pay for a legal way to rip discs, that add even more copy protection, when there are so many ways already available to hack away a copy?

The advantages to this is that it also gets all the extras on the disc -- bonus features, alternate audio tracks, everything.

The system burns to your PC (a Mac version is said to be on the way) and then you can transfer to a USB flash drive to play on the other authorized computers.

Legal copies. Interesting. If you're interested, you might want to get your copy before Hollywood shuts it down. -Leslie Shapiro

RealDVD 

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