RealDVD - DVD Ripping Finally Made Legal

Another DVD ripper, but do we need it? RealNetworks say yes if you want a completely legal ripping solution. Its RealDVD is fairly simple application that copies DVD movies into your hard drive and then lists their cover art in a browsing screen. It's much like iTunes filling in the album arts for your MP3s. Protection wise, not only RealDVD leaves the existing CSS encryption untouched, but also adds another layer of DRM on top of the ripped movies. The software only permits copying of copy-protected discs, so you can keep a digital copy of your family video.

Here's some more details. Each DVD-copying operation takes about 15 to 20 minutes given the movie is stored on a dual layer disc. For a limited time, you can grab the RealDVD for $30, after which the program will retail for $50. Each additional license costs $20, granting you the right to playback the movies on four other PCs. Mac version is currently in development, but we thought everyone knows about HandBrake. Of course, RealDVD should be considerably faster as it only copies rather than encodes the MPEG-2 into DivX or H.264. The software completely relies on the honor system, so it doesn't (or cannot) stop you from ripping an entire season of Heroes rented from a local video store. Lastly, RealDVD should be much more interesting if it makes its way into portable devices or set-top boxes that can playback those legal DVDs.