Real Networks to Release “Legal” DVD Copier

Who ever thought something like this would happen? It appears that Real, creators of one of the most hated pieces of media player our computers have ever seen, has an upcoming product called Real DVD, which actually rips your movie DVDs to your computers hard drive for playback later. If only we had something like this years ago!

Oh wait… we have. There must be some caveat, right? Something that actually makes Real DVD worth a look? Yes, there is a reason, and it surprisingly, it involves the word “legal”. You see, all DVD rippers out there now are not exactly approved by the big movie companies, but Real DVD is, because once it’s ripped, the DVD is DRM-protected. It’s a work-around to make things legal, but it works.

The downside is that each rip can only be played back through the Real DVD software, which is entirely ridiculous. However, the application is not meant for us. Rather, it’s meant for those people who don’t know better, or who want to remain “legal”. It does seem like a simple tool, so it would be perfect for anyone you know who’s not keen on their computer box.

Quality purists should be pleased, as Fox told Ars, that “we don’t modify or change the files in any way. We basically make a ‘carbon copy’ from the disc to disk. We never modify, compress, or change the content.” Unfortunately, this also means that each movie Real DVD copies should gobble up around 4GB on a hard drive. Real isn’t worried about taking up too much space, however, as Fox explained that “drives are expanding, and gigabytes are getting cheaper than ever.”