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emdawgz1 · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 7949

September 8, 2008
RealNetworks to Introduce a DVD Copier

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/08/technology/08dvd.html?em

By BRAD STONE

People have been avidly feeding music CDs into their computers for years, ripping digital copies of albums and transferring the files to their other computers and mobile devices.

This has not happened nearly as much with DVDs, for both practical and legal reasons. But that may soon change.

On Monday, RealNetworks, the digital media company in Seattle, will introduce RealDVD, a $30 software program for Windows computers that allows users to easily make a digital copy of an entire DVD — down to the extras and artwork from the box.

Robert Glaser, chief executive of RealNetworks, called it “a compelling and very responsible product that gives consumers a way to do something they have always wanted to do,” like make backup copies of favorite discs and take movies with them on their laptops when they travel.

But RealDVD is also sure to be a controversial product — one that will easily earn its maker the ire of Hollywood’s powerful and litigious movie studios.

Since the DVD format was introduced more than a decade ago, Hollywood has unremittingly sought to protect the DVD from the fate that befell the CD, which has no mechanism to prevent copying.

Pirate music services like Napster sparked the digital music revolution. The ability of regular consumers to make digital copies of CDs easily with their computers fed such services and, in Hollywood’s view, led to the weakening of the major music labels.

A vibrant movie rental market makes the threat of widespread DVD copying even more ominous. If people who lack technical knowledge can easily copy DVDs, Hollywood worries, they will stop buying DVDs and instead simply visit the local Blockbuster to “rent, rip and return.”

To stave off this outcome and protect what is now $16 billion in annual DVD sales, studios and consumer electronics companies have enveloped their discs with encryption that is intended to prevent copying.

They also regularly go to court to fight any company that offers software to break the encryption. More than five years ago, several studios and the Motion Picture Association of America sued 321 Studios, a company in St. Louis, that had sold the popular program DVD X Copy. A judge ruled that the software violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and the company closed in 2004.

Since then, anyone who wanted to make a backup copy of his “Star Wars” or “Lost” DVDs had to turn to free but illegal programs on the Web, with names like Handbrake and Mac the Ripper. These programs are hard to legally stop because they have many creators who are typically overseas and have few resources. They are used mostly by sophisticated Internet aficionados who may just as easily download movies directly from illicit file-sharing services.

Now RealNetworks believes that the industry’s legal stranglehold on DVD copying has begun to weaken. In March 2007, the DVD Copy Control Association, an alliance that licenses the encryption for DVDs, lost a lawsuit against Kaleidescape, a Silicon Valley start-up company that sells a $10,000 computer server that makes and stores digital copies of up to 500 films.

The DVD association has appealed the ruling. But Mr. Glaser thinks the decision has created the framework for a legal DVD copying product with built-in restrictions to prevent piracy.

The software, which will go on sale on Real.com and Amazon.com this month, will allow buyers to make one copy of a DVD, playable only on the computer where it was made. The user can transfer that copy to up to five other Windows computers, but only by buying additional copies of the software for $20 each. The software does not work on high-definition Blu-ray discs, which the movie industry has even more aggressively sought to protect from illicit copying.

“If you look at the functionality of the product, we have put in significant barriers so people don’t just take this and put it on peer-to-peer networks,” Mr. Glaser said. “I think we’ve been really respectful of the legitimate interests of rights holders.”

Bill Rosenblatt, editor of the online newsletter DRM Watch, said the future for RealDVD probably depends on the outcome of the Kaleidescape appeal. If a higher court reverses the decision and hands the movie industry a decisive victory over DVD copying technology, “Real will have to withdraw the product and could get sued,” he said.

RealNetworks began informing the studios of its new product late last week. Representatives for several major studios and the copy association declined to comment, saying they wanted to examine the software first.

However, one technology executive at a major studio, who did not want to be named because the matter is legally delicate, predicted there would be staunch resistance to RealDVD. He also questioned Real’s motives.

“When so much of their success depends on having reasonable relationships with content owners, you wonder why they would be quite so bold in doing this, unless they are desperate,” this executive said.

“Desperate” may not be quite the right word, but the company could use a hit product. RealNetworks was among the first in the mid-’90s to introduce software to play digital audio and video on the Web.

More recently, despite the steady growth of its Rhapsody subscription music service and RealArcade gaming service, RealNetworks has been eclipsed by other digital media companies, including Apple and Amazon. Its stock is down sharply over the last two years.

Mr. Glaser, however, thinks RealDVD will have widespread appeal, and he is already pondering its future. He says the software could eventually work across home networks and play movies on televisions, instead of just computer screens.

He also plans to solicit the cooperation of movie studios, which he says could sell digital copies of movies and TV shows to people who rip their own DVDs. So, for example, someone who copied the first season of “Mad Men” would be a prime candidate to buy and download Season 2.

“Once you give consumers a legitimate path, you can do all kinds of other interesting things with them,” he said.

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

There's a LEGAL way to copy? Well I'll be damned! What will they think of next. Twisted Evil

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 3:18 pm Post subject:

Too little too late.

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

A snippet from a 2007 article:

OTTAWA, Feb. 18 — Canada heavily promotes itself as a place to make films. But now it has a more dubious distinction: an analysis by the Motion Picture Association of America has found that 30 to 40 percent of the bootleg DVDs sold in the United States were made by camcorders smuggled into Canadian theaters.

I'm not singling out Canada but rather showing the 'problem' is global. At least in Canada the copies are made from crappy camcorder captures. In China you can't spit without hitting a 'vendor' selling 'in theaters now' releases of digitally pristine copies...for $5 or less depending on street corner competition!

When the MPAA goes after China (fat chance...that's where the dics are being pressed for worldwide release!), I'll worry about my own half assed process of making a crappy copy for my own personal consumption.
For the digital storage endowed, there isn't any difference in my book. Yet it seems to be 'OK' amongst that crowd to have a couple hundred movies stuffed into an ubber terabyte media center just as long as no copies are made.

I'm not saying Hollywood should abandon all efforts but damn, at least admit when you're trying to push a rope and shift gears.

emdawgz1 · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 7949

A friend of mine just returned from Cambodia. He said the EVERY movie in theaters now are being sold on the streets of Phnom Penh today. Not bootleg, camcorder crap.

Real menu, retail dvd's. they are made from the dvd masters used in the duplication process in China. They are sold on the streets in S.E. Asia, illegally in cambodia they cost 2.00 american each. (actuall in Cambodia it was NOT illegal)They are about the same in China. Also in cambodia, he got a retail version of Windows Vista AND Mac osX. 2.00 each. All made in China. The chinese government is robbing the US media industry BLIND.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 3:50 pm Post subject:

It's the old story all over again but with world wide instant distribution. Back in the day I use to buy records ( remember thos black shiny things? ) and the music distributors would puts a note in the inside jacket that said "HOME TAPING IS KILLING THE RECORD INDUSTRY! Please don't copy this record."

The first thing I did was make a cassette copy of the record and put the pristine-played once- vinyl back in the jacket. Then I would wear out the tape at home and in the car, and come back and make another copy when that one died.

I'm sorta doing the same with my DVD's If I drop $100 on a box set there's no way in hell I'm going to travel with it. I make a back up and bring that along. When that one get's trashed I make another. If it's a movie I watch lots I'll throw it on the hard drive for convenience sake. I'm not distributing copies world wide.

I've also run into disks that won't play nice with my DVD player, but, when ripped to the HDD they play fine. I've tried exchanging them but the whole batch was mastered the same way so that didn't work.

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

Yeah when the disc copy won't work it's the media not your process. Burn your copies at no higher than 2.4x. Same with games. And get Verbatim DVD-R DL discs. There are better discs but they cost big $$$ at $3/pr. I get 20 Verbatim DL's for $15 and don't make coasters any more.
Another thing to remember is to remove ALL other ripping/burning software except for the one that works.

I still have some software that's been outlawed for the last couple years I use. I also have it's new and improved version but I prefer the older. The only addition to the newer one is support for uncompressed HD. It takes FOREVER (on my aging AMD based PC) to render HD.

I've just recently given in to the temptation to back up my Xbox 360 media. I'm sick and tired of dropping $60US a pop for a game only to have the CONSOLE munch it up little by little each time it's spun; until it won't work any more. And then there's no warranty to fall back on.

I won't distribute the copy. Nor will I try to play on !Live with it. If i want to play some booger picking 12 year old from Tumbleweed TX (and as usual get my ass handed to me), I'll pop in the original. But for System Link games, why in the HELL would I go buy a copy or have the other player buy a copy. That's what M$ would like, but it doesn't make any damn sense to me.

I digress, as usual. Real is attempting to take advantage of a lull in the law/prosecution to launch their electronic copy schema. I heard an interview with the VP of Marketing for Real Networks on the radio and he doesn't 'think' they'll have any legal problems. Having said that, I'm sure the sleezy lawyers for Whoreywood are already preparing a kick in the balls to Real.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:34 pm Post subject:

Brian Hampton · Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 1174

If they get any customers... Those people are really dim.

Anyways,... Who cares about DVD's anymore. When I buy the stuff on Blu,.. I can't give my DVD copies away.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 1:36 am Post subject:

jask · Joined: 17 Mar 2006 Posts: 10165 Location: kamloops BC

I think it is great that another serious effort is forcing people to look at DMCA.Sure it might be too little too late but for some one that wants to build a HDD video library to wow the inlaws at SD it has a market. How long before the HD version is out and hacked.

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10273

But how on Earth am I going to continue smiting Hollywood?

jask · Joined: 17 Mar 2006 Posts: 10165 Location: kamloops BC

ac/dc · Joined: 09 Jun 2006 Posts: 49 Location: Mpls Mn USA

When will they make a decent movie worth copying???

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 12:46 am Post subject:

perisoft · Joined: 29 Aug 2007 Posts: 2920 Location: Ithaca, NY