Comments on: How iTunes could become the ultimate DVD ripper--and why Apple won't let it

Real's forthcoming RealDVD program brings DVD ripping into the legal realm--so why can't Apple do the same with iTunes?

[Azzuro10]

Apple should allow it. In the end, if you put the customer first, you will always be rewarded. Today, Apple makes the lion share of its earnings on its hardware sales - not from iTunes directly. I would consider buying a 1TB Apple TV if i could rip all my dvds directly on the device and wirelessly back up my other computers. I have 100s of DVDs. Then because I bought the Apple TV, I may then consider renting the new movies. For Apple TV to take off it must have the capability to play all media formats and incorporate a DVD drive to instantly rip the movies while you are watching something else.

[GregAlexander]

I think Apple would gain significantly by offering DVD rips. It lowers the barriers to entry into our digital TV world - just load your DVDs into iTunes and watch on AppleTV, iPod Touch, etc.

Yes Apple would lose some iTunes movie sales - but once all your movies are on iTunes, most people will file their DVDs in a cupboard and ignore them (like CDs). DVD players start to gather dust, and users buy AppleTVs & Touches & future kiddie TV players to watch their content. Once you access your DVDs on your network, when you want a new movie there's no longer any advantage to buying a physical DVD, since in the end the file is just the same.

Apple would have some huge hurdles though
1) Is what RealDVD's doing legal?
2) Can Apple go a step further and keep DVD copy protection, add Fairplay, and recompress into h264?
3) Can Apple make a quicktime file that includes all the menus and extras on DVDs?
4) If Apple does copy all the features of a DVD, its iTunes movie sales need to DUPLICATE all the features of a DVD too. If Apple does 1-3 without movie studio approval, will they get the rights to #4?

Perhaps they can find a middle path that keeps studios happy.
eg: Insert a DVD you own into iTunes, and for the cost of a rental you BUY a legal download of the movie. That way it doesn't digitise it, the copyright is intact, the movie studio gets some money and apple covers its download costs (as per regular rentals).

[pixelm]

good thoughts - just need to solve rent rip return or borrow rip return. If each dvd was unique or came with a one-time use code, this would be possible

[freefans110]

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[cmptn--2008]

Apple could do something very similar to how they process ringtones. Simply insert any DVD (especially useful to fill in those gaps that iTunes doesn't have yet) and for a $1.99 one-time fee you movie is ripped once to Apple TV format and once to high-quality iPhone / iPod format.

And like real, even though I hate DRM, you know they couldn't do this without it, so simply tie it with a DRM wrapper of whatever iTunes user account is logged into the iTunes Music Store on that machine.

[jameskatt]

Apple will not add a DVD ripper to iTunes. Period. Get over it.

From Steve Jobs' perspective, Movies have always had copy protection - unlike Music.
Further, people tend to watch a movie only once - as opposed to numerous times over one's lifetime like Music.

Thus, there is no consumer precedent for mass copying of Movies - unlike Music.

Thus, there will be no DVD ripping for iTunes.

Case closed.

What Real did is land itself in murky legal ground.

Being able to move the ripped movie around to 5 PCs and watch it in all of them means one is not just backing up the DVD. One is copying and distributing the DVD.

There will be a lawsuit against this soon.

[suninmoon0]

This would be my dream. I've tried other solutions to stream my ripped DVD's to my TV and nothing has been as good or as easy as iTunes when it comes to importing and organizing my media. Windows media center with the my movies plug-in has come close but I don't want a PC in my living room. I tried Apple TV and wanted it to work so bad, but the loss of video quality in converting to h.264 was unacceptable, even though the ATV interface running in front of iTunes was the best I've seen. Apple could easily make this work but I doubt the studios would ever let it happen. Yes, Apple would prefer you to buy content through iTunes, but I refuse to pay 10 bucks for "near DVD" quality and 2 channel sound, when I've been enjoyed better audio and video from DVD for over ten years.

[scarface74]

Is everyone forgetting that Apple already has a way for movie studios to include a digital ipod compatible copy of the movie on the DVD and already has deals with some of the studios to do just that?

[justtapout]

I disagree with your comment that Apple wouldn't make money by allowing to rip DVD's into iTunes. The fact is that we all have been collecting a number of DVD's over the years. If the public could rip them more easily into iTunes then AppleTV becomes a much more attractive buy to the consumer that wants to be able to watch that catalog of DVD's through iTunes . Thus moving forward the public would most likely start buying movies through iTunes for use with AppleTV.

[pixelm]

There is another reason - DVDs, unlike CDs, are encrypted. It is illegal to defeat a technical protection measure. I doubt the studios would object to safe, secure transfer of discs to a computer. Their problem is that the RealDVD device doesnt' prevent rent, rip, return or borrow, rip, return. That means lots of people owning DVDs they don't pay for (and tends to undermine the rental model altogether - which is a model that consumers enjoy).

[sonixten]

why not? There are lots of DVD Ripping tools, such as Xilisoft, Magic, handbrake, I have been using Aiseesoft DVD Ripper. I think iTunes shoud release a powerful DVD Ripper, I don't like Real DVD, it dosen't have all functions, it only save DVD. I blieve in Apple will release the best dvd ripper

[Mulboys]

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[milkyway462]

Totally agree, and the big problem to prevent Apple release the dvd ripping function, is the money, they won't cut off the big profit.

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http://www.aimersoft.com/dvd-ripper.html114#

Enjoy

[onemoretime0909]

This article demonstrate clearly the reason why dvd can't be ripped. I can't agree more. What I want to say is that we are the dvd owner, why can't we have the right to use it?

The copyright is to restrict abuse copy. If I have the dvd and want to enjoy it on my portable player,such as ipod/iphone/zune/zen/psp... it has nothing with infracting

copyright. I use a dvd ripper to rip my own dvds. Its name is <a href="http://www.4videosoft.com/dvd-ripper-platinum.html"><b>4Videosoft DVD Ripper Platinum</b></a>.
It is best DVD Ripper, DVD Rip software to rip DVD to AVI, rip DVD to MP4, rip DVD to MPEG, MOV, 3GP, MP3 etc with super fastest DVD ripping speed.

[onemoretime0909]

This article demonstrate clearly the reason why dvd can't be ripped. I can't agree more. What I want to say is that we are the dvd owner, why can't we have the right to use it?

The copyright is to restrict abuse copy. If I have the dvd and want to enjoy it on my portable player,such as ipod/iphone/zune/zen/psp... it has nothing with infracting

copyright. I use a dvd ripper to rip my own dvds. Its name is 4Videosoft DVD Ripper Platinum http://www.4videosoft.com/dvd-ripper-platinum.html
It is best DVD Ripper, DVD Rip software to rip DVD to AVI, rip DVD to MP4, rip DVD to MPEG, MOV, 3GP, MP3 etc with super fastest DVD ripping speed.

[carline0615]

albeat99 , Now you can remove DRM protection

[sampatrik1]

This article demonstrate clearly the reason why dvd can't be ripped. I can't agree more. What I want to say is that we are the dvd owner, why can't we have the right to use it?

The copyright is to restrict abuse copy. If I have the dvd and want to enjoy it on my portable player,such as ipod/iphone/zune/zen/psp... it has nothing with infracting

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