Don Marti's posted his take: this is a ploy in ongoing negotiations between AOL and Microsoft over something, likely MS Windows Media Player. There's little direct benefit to be gained by aquiring RH, much substantially equivalent capabilities available without the aquisition, and significant downside (content control v. free software dichotomies for AOL, cool factor v. AOL luser for RH) for both parties. Significant cultural mismatch.

Stay tuned for this to fade quietly into the background, and a minor announcement on media format pacts between AOL & MSFT in the coming weeks.