RealDVD

(I took a closer look at the "Napster judge" presiding over the case in this story.)

SAN FRANCISCO--RealNetworks on Tuesday failed to convince a district judge to lift a restraining order and allow the company to start selling RealDVD again until she learns from experts, including the court's, how the software functions.

That means RealDVD, which enables users to copy a DVD and store it on their hard drive, is unlikely to reappear in the marketplace for at least another month and perhaps longer. U.S. District Judge Marilyn Patel indicated she wouldn't be available for … Read more

A judge has ordered RealNetworks to suspend the sale of RealDVD, the controversial software that hands users the ability to copy and store films to a hard drive, according to a report published by NewTeeVee.com, a technology-news blog.

The film industry sought to prevent sales of RealDVD last week when it filed a lawsuit against RealNetworks. The Motion Picture Association of America accused Real of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and breach of contract.

According the story on NewTeeVee, the court wants sales to cease until Tuesday, when it has reviewed all the papers involved in the case. … Read more

Real Networks is suing the movie studios to license their RealDVD software. The studios are suing Real to stop the DVD-burning software form being sold. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of DVD rippers out there, and many claim to be legal. Why is Real under the microscope?

Watch the show on CNET TV.

Things we Crave

WiMax comes to Baltimore

Driveway ringer

First Look

LG 60PG60

Free Download of the week

Rockbox 3.0

Insider Secret

Buying a used car

Your calls

There are tons of good backup-software applications available on the Web. Brian likes Second Copy and Rafe recommends Carbonite.… Read more

It's official: Hollywood has asked a federal court for a restraining order to stop RealNetworks from selling its RealDVD software, a technology that enables users to copy films and store them on their hard drives.

The Motion Picture Association of America, which represents the largest film studios, filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claiming that "RealNetworks' RealDVD violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act because its software illegally bypasses the copyright protection built into DVDs."

Representatives of the MPAA, which has also asked for monetary damages, said they hope that the judge will … Read more

Updated 9:30 a.m. PDT with details on MPAA plans.

Well, that didn't take long. Within an hour of making its new RealDVD software available for sale on its Web site, RealNetworks has filed suit against all the major movie studios and the DVD Copy Control Association. According to Real's press release, the lawsuit "asks the court to rule that RealNetworks Home Entertainment Inc.'s RealDVD software...fully complies with the DVD Copy Control Association's license agreement." Real feels it has a strong case because its software does not break the DVD's encryption … Read more

Update: Not surprisingly, it appears that the availability of the RealDVD software has caused the Hollywood litigation machine to shift into high gear. Real has filed a pre-emptive suit against the studios, who are expected to countersue later today.

Three weeks ago, we told you about RealDVD, the new software package from Real Networks that lets you rip DVDs to your PC's hard drive--legally. The software is now available for direct download from realdvd.com. For a limited time, it's just $30 (as opposed to the $50 standard price). Up to four additional licenses (which allow you to … Read more

The evil power of Dr. M is even greater than we thought...strong enough, in fact, to tarnish the shining reputation of the long-awaited Spore. Also in the news today, DVD ripping goes legit, a little too late, thanks to RealDVD, but we determine it's probably not worth getting sued over. And we put gurus against geniuses in a battle to the tech support death. Listen now: Download today's podcast

Happy Birthday Google - 10 http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=9930 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2008-09-06-google-ten-years_N.htm

DVD ripping goes legit with RealDVD … Read more

The first smattering of user reactions to RealNetworks' RealDVD software--which allows users to legally rip DVD movies to their PC hard drives--is less than enthusiastic, to say the least. The most telling comment: "Lack of mobile device support is the killer for me." Indeed, Real's product lets you move ripped movies between a total of five licensed PCs, but that assumes they're on a USB hard drive or some sort of flash media--thus far, there's no provision for network streaming, and no support for transferring the movies to portable devices."

Of course, when people say "portable media players," it's pretty much a synonym for "iPod." And while we could imagine Real eventually cutting deals to have devices that are compatible with its proprietary RealDVD format, it's a safe bet that Apple won't be among the partners. But the whole existence of RealDVD raises another question: if Real can release software that makes it quick, easy, and legal for users to rip their DVDs to their PC hard drive, why can't Apple? … Read more

Related coverage: Could Apple add RealDVD-like DVD-ripping to iTunes?

RealNetworks will soon let users rip DVDs to their hard drives--legally. The company will be unveiling the RealDVD software at Monday's DemoFall conference in San Diego, but CNET got an early look at the software. Our hands-on impressions follow:

Operation is simple and straightforward. Once the RealDVD software is installed, just pop a DVD into your PC, and the program will copy the entire disc to your hard disk. Depending on the read speed of your computer's DVD drive, the operation will probably take 15-20 minutes (for dual-layer discs that house 7 to 8.5GB of data). You can copy as many as your hard drive will hold, and the program's browsing screen gives you the cover art and relevant metadata (cover art, stars, directors, plot summaries, ratings).

Whether you're at 37,000 feet or you're accessing the program on a home theater PC hooked up to your TV, you need only click on the movie you want to watch, and it'll start straight away. (We say "movie," but RealDVD works just as well for TV shows on DVD as well.) The files are uncompressed, and include everything on the disc--all the extras, and all of the surround sound and alternate audio tracks. Videos can only be watched in the program's built-in software player, but you can toggle to full-screen viewing, and videos autoresume wherever you last left off. … Read more