There's no law against ripping DVDs in the states if you can manage encrypting, in the event there is any. There mostly isn't. Once in awhile, some dvds will encrypt, mostly not. That $250,000 fine loudly stated at the beginning of some dvds is a farce. The law only applies to folks who re-sell dvd copies in bulk. The producers are attempting to scare people out of using software to make copies. In fact, the Sony decision regarding videotape recorders, now ancient history, still applies. The Supremes said one could record. The MPAA and its members chose not to appeal again when they moved to the DVD for fear they would lose as they did in the Sony decision. Later, a new MPAA head replacing Jack Valenti, tried to get Congress to pass SOFA laws that would have prevented DVD ripping. Lobbyists for Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and others killed the bill dead in Congress, which refused to consider the MPAA's pet bill. The result is the Sony decision, lacking any other on the subject, still stands. I suspect the point of streaming is really the regaining of control of the video in the home marketplace once DVDs are no longer distributed. I don't think DVD blanks will ever disappear, however, even if the commercial DVD does, and I don't believe the commercial dvd will disappear either. Its just far better than the quality one gets from streaming. Streaming simply isn't first rate. Even if streaming was the only way for home distribution, I believe the canny outside folks who make freeware, would create some that works anyhow and distribute it for nothing as they have in the past. That's one of the reasons the industry is generally moving toward reducing software ON COMPUTERS, shifting nearly everything to the cloud, leaving computer owners unable to use freeware to perform miracles on computer hard drives. If they could the video industry and others would simply eliminate the canny and useful freeware that has been the hallmark of the net from its first moment. The net is changing, however. The future workarounds aren't always immediately visible.
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There's no law against ripping DVDs in the states if you can manage encrypting, in the event there is any. There mostly isn't. Once in awhile, some dvds will encrypt, mostly not. That $250,000 fine loudly stated at the beginning of some dvds is a farce. The law only applies to folks who re-sell dvd copies in bulk. The producers are attempting to scare people out of using software to make copies. In fact, the Sony decision regarding videotape recorders, now ancient history, still applies. The Supremes said one could record. The MPAA and its members chose not to appeal again when they moved to the DVD for fear they would lose as they did in the Sony decision. Later, a new MPAA head replacing Jack Valenti, tried to get Congress to pass SOFA laws that would have prevented DVD ripping. Lobbyists for Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and others killed the bill dead in Congress, which refused to consider the MPAA's pet bill. The result is the Sony decision, lacking any other on the subject, still stands. I suspect the point of streaming is really the regaining of control of the video in the home marketplace once DVDs are no longer distributed. I don't think DVD blanks will ever disappear, however, even if the commercial DVD does, and I don't believe the commercial dvd will disappear either. Its just far better than the quality one gets from streaming. Streaming simply isn't first rate. Even if streaming was the only way for home distribution, I believe the canny outside folks who make freeware, would create some that works anyhow and distribute it for nothing as they have in the past. That's one of the reasons the industry is generally moving toward reducing software ON COMPUTERS, shifting nearly everything to the cloud, leaving computer owners unable to use freeware to perform miracles on computer hard drives. If they could the video industry and others would simply eliminate the canny and useful freeware that has been the hallmark of the net from its first moment. The net is changing, however. The future workarounds aren't always immediately visible.