Scott Berry

Real Networks New DVD Ripper: Are You for Real?

Excuse me, "rocket surgery"? :-)

Otherwise a nice piece, Mathew. I agree totally, this is one of the most lame-grained schemes I've ever seen. Yet another reason my computers have all remained "unReal" for years.

Music Downloads: You Can't Regulate One Industry and Leave Another Alone

I'm with Fred here. Content providers can solve their problems by providing what their customers want, instead of forcing them to buy things they don't. (This applies to supplying singles vs. albums, and single episodes of TV shows vs. paying $50 or more to get a "season".)

It's unfortunate that it's taking piracy to get media firms to see that truth. Most other industries figure that out on their own via competition (and let's face it, piracy is just a form of competition here.)

As for the iTune burn/rip two-step, yes it can be done but it's a huge pain. Instead of a choice between restricted transfer and a major hassle, how about just selling the music without either?