RealNetworks hasn't done much to catch my eye in the last few years, but this week at the DEMO show in San Diego it showed off a pretty nifty, yet humble, application called RealDVD.

Simply, RealDVD is a DVD ripping application, letting you take a DVD and in a matter of minutes, rip the entire thing to your hard drive. Unlike homegrown ripping software (of which there are many alternatives), the ripping process is completely automated and requires no technical knowhow or guesswork, like trying to find the right video or audio tracks to pull. One click rips the entire DVD, including extras, alternate audio tracks, and even the box art. When you're finished, RealDVD gives you a folder for each disc you rip, one that contains everything.

There's a catch, of course, and that's that you have to use RealDVD to play back the movies you rip: They still include DRM after they are ripped, so you can't transfer the movies from your hard drive to another device. (You can, however, play them on up to five other PCs with RealDVD, if you've paid an extra $20 per license.) So this may be a good solution if you're looking to load a laptop with a couple dozen movies for a long trip, but it won't work if you want to watch video on a PSP or iPod.

The real selling points here are ease of use and the entirety of the ripping process. I've been trying out a beta version of RealDVD and it's by far the easiest program of its type that I've ever used. Rips on a fast optical drive take about 10 minutes, and using the RealDVD player software after a rip is as easy as any DVD player I've ever used. RealDVD also keeps a running archive of the titles you have ripped, letting you easily find the movie you want, when you want it. It's also easy to delete titles when you're finished with them. (You'll likely have to: These are full-resolution rips; each takes up multiple gigabytes of space.)

Despite the DRM safeguards, the legal future for RealDVD is of course in question. Real calls it "totally legit, 100% legal," but any time a DVD is removed from its physical format, the MPAA starts to get a little ornery. The courts will ultimately have to get involved, but I think Real has a good shot at keeping this tool on the market.

I hope it does, because despite its shortcomings, it's still one of the most useful media apps I've encountered in a while.

Get more information on RealDVD here, where you can sign up for an email when it's ready to purchase.