Computer users have gotten used to ripping CDs from their collection to use on their computer or with mobile MP3 devices like the Apple iPod. But traditionally, it has been more difficult to rip a DVD, and antipiracy software often made transferring DVDs to the digital format next to impossible. But RealNetworks is about to make it much easier to rip your favorite DVDs for use on your computer or a mobile device.
This week, RealNetworks unveiled its new RealDVD software for Windows, which provides users with a simple way to create digital copies of DVDs, including extra bonus footage and even the art work from the DVD cover. RealDVD retails for $30, making it one of the most cost-effective ways to digitize a DVD collection.
There are many reasons why burning backup copies of DVDs is advantageous. For one, it allows the user to take their film collection with them in a laptop computer when traveling.
But the new RealDVD software is also bound to stir up some controversy, especially considering the lengths that the powerful film studios will go to protect their intellectual property. Back in the late 1990s, the big Hollywood studios began a campaign to protect DVDs from being copied. Having seen the effect of burning CDs on the music industry, the film industry was keen to be more proactive and avoid the type of mass piracy that ravaged the major recording labels over the past decade.
Some Hollywood studios have openly expressed their concern that having easy access to DVD burning software will hurt both DVD rentals and sales. In fact, in 2004 the Motion Picture Association of America won a lawsuit against the makers of a popular DVD-ripping software known as “DVD X Copy.” The manufacturer of the software has since closed up shop after a judge ruled that their software was in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Since that time, computer users who wished to burn backup DVDs had little choice but to use illegal programs found online. Many of these programs were of questionable quality, and some even contained sneaky spyware or viruses.
RealNetworks is offering consumers the opportunity to use a legitimate program to backup their DVD collection. The company has also made arrangements with popular online retailer Amazon.com to distribute RealDVD.
Media experts predict that the big film studios will eventually challenge the legality of the software, but in the meantime, RealDVD presents one of the easiest and least expensive ways to digitize your DVD collection.
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