The RIAA may have given up on trying to outlaw DVRs, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to interfere with your legal right to record content. And when it comes to recording radio, they’ve drawn a line in the sand. Whether its their lawsuit against XM Satellite radio or Creative’s decision to remove FM recording from their MP3 products, there are plenty of examples where the RIAA has used heavy handed tactics to try and stifle innovation.
The RIAA may have been worried about RadioShark, but it was the radio piranhas that were the real threat. While they were busy suing their partners, the open source movement has been filling the stream ripping wake that corporations are now too afraid to touch. By taking such a strong stance against legitimate companies, they RIAA has driven digital recording underground where they’ve now lost all control over it.
Stream ripping software isn’t new, but the functionality has been relatively limited and the interfaces haven’t been ready for the typical user. Screamer Radio is an excellent open source solution for DVR radio, but it lacks the aesthetic appeal and scheduling features that make traditional DVRs so easy to use.
Luckily, the open source community has been hard at work and what Screamer Radio leaves out, RaimaRadio is now bringing to the table. Raima Radio is a powerful freeware program that fuses features like wishlists, program scheduling, and video support with the traditional features of most stream ripping software.
