AnyDVD

Last updated
AnyDVD
Anydvd logo.PNG
Developer(s) RedFox
Initial release3 July 2003;18 years ago (2003-07-03) [1]
Stable release 8.5.2.0 (19 February 2021;11 months ago (2021-02-19)) [±] [2]
Operating system Windows 2000 or later
Type DVD ripper
License Shareware
Website www.redfox.bz

AnyDVD is a device driver for Microsoft Windows which allows decryption of DVDs on the fly, as well as targeted removal of copy preventions and user operation prohibitions (UOPs). With an upgrade, it will also do the same for HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc. The AnyDVD program runs in the background, making discs unrestricted and region-free. In addition to removing digital restrictions, AnyDVD will also defeat Macrovision analog copy prevention. Analog prevention distorts the video signal to prevent high quality copying from the output. AnyDVD is also able to remove copy-prevention from audio CDs.

Contents

The ripper module is based on code from Elby's CloneDVD. Old versions used a ripper based on FixVTS, but FixVTS was shut down by legal threats from Sony in June 2007. [3] As of version 6.1.4.3, AnyDVD has a revised ripper that removes Sony ARccOS Protection, Macrovision RipGuard, and other structural preventions and repairs both intentional and unintentional mastering errors. It ensures strict compliance with third-party tools, particularly DVD Shrink and Nero Recode.

Advanced technical characteristics

On February 17, 2007, SlySoft released AnyDVD HD. AnyDVD and AnyDVD HD are in fact the same piece of software, but the license key determines whether the HD aspects of the software are available to the user. When the HD part of the software is enabled it permits access to HD DVDs and Blu-ray Discs, including decryption of AACS encrypted discs. In the case of Blu-ray Discs, it also supports region code removal (HD DVD has no region code).

Besides dealing with DVD copying issues, AnyDVD can also work in the background to automatically detect and remove additional data sessions contained on Audio CDs which contain copy-prevention measures. This allows audio tracks to be directly accessed on the system for direct playback and for access by CD extraction software. Intentional tracking errors in the audio may also be discovered, for example, those errors involved with key2AudioXS, which may cause major skipping distortions in the ripped audio tracks. By bypassing these methods AnyDVD can provide clean, distortion-free playback and ripping.

On March 19, 2008, SlySoft released version 6.4.0.0 of AnyDVD HD, which removes BD+ as well. [4] AnyDVD HD has since version 6.4.6.2, August 22, 2008, included the ability to rip movies to an ISO format.

Following the resurrection of AnyDVD (HD) in the Redfox guise, AnyDVD was released in a new version (V8.0.1.0) on 17 May 2016. SlySoft licence keys valid for previous versions (V7.6.9.5 and earlier), including "Free updates until: Forever" keys will not work with the new version. It is necessary to purchase a new licence key from Redfox for the new version (available for 1, 2 and 3 years of support and updates or for 'lifetime'). Previous versions (V7.6.9.1 to V7.6.9.5 inc.) access to the new Redfox Online Protection Database will be blocked from 31 May 2016. [5] There is an implied statement that suggests previous versions may no longer work but it may be that this is only where access to the database is required.

Advertising, sale, and lending of AnyDVD is outlawed in Germany (but possession is not), as it removes copy prevention from DVDs. The Heise news portal was sued by the record industry for linking to SlySoft's website in a news report. The publisher subsequently counter sued with claims of violation of their constitutionally guaranteed freedom of the press and had, as of April 2007, lost two appeal proceedings. The German Federal Constitutional Court decided not to rule on Heise's appeal for the time being because remedies in the ordinary courts had not been exhausted. [6] In October 2010, the Federal Court of Justice of Germany decided in favor of Heise, a verdict now legally binding. [7] The legal status of AnyDVD in other countries is unclear.

Giancarlo Bettini, the owner of Slysoft, was convicted of 6 counts in an Antigua court under the copyright act of 2003 and ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution. At some point in February 2016 SlySoft shut down, with its home page replaced by a message citing "recent regulatory requirements". [8] However, the company's support forum remained online, with the name SlySoft replaced with "RedFox". SlySoft developers also revealed that none of the company's staff were actually based in Antigua, where SlySoft claimed to have been based, that the company was not involved in legal settlements from AACS LA, and that key staff members still had access to SlySoft's technical infrastructure—including build systems and licensing servers—feasibly allowing development of AnyDVD to continue. [9] This was followed by the release of version 7.6.9.1, which was the first released under the Belize/Latvia-based banner of RedFox. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

Ripping is extracting all or parts of digital contents from a container. Originally, it meant to rip music out of Amiga games. Later, the term was used to extract WAV or MP3 format files from digital audio CDs, but got applied as well to extract the contents of any media, most notably DVD and Blu-ray discs.

Copy Control

Copy Control was the generic name of a copy prevention system, used from 2001 until 2006 on several digital audio disc releases by EMI Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment in several regions. It should not be confused with the CopyControl computer software copy protection system introduced by Microcosm Ltd in 1989.

DVD Decrypter

DVD Decrypter is a deprecated software application for Microsoft Windows that can create backup disk images of the DVD-Video structure of DVDs. It can be used to make a copy of any DVD protected with Content Scrambling System (CSS). The program can also record images to disc — functionality that the author has now incorporated into a separate product called ImgBurn. The software also allows a copy of a region-specific DVD to be made region free. It also removes Macrovision content protection, CSS, region codes, and user operation prohibition.

CloneDVD

CloneDVD is a proprietary DVD cloning software, developed by Elaborate Bytes, that can be used to make backup copies of any DVD movie not copy-protected. The program is able to transcode a dual layer DVD movie to fit it onto a DVD-R, DVD+R or DVD+R DL disc. Users also have the choice to strip audio streams, subtitles and chapters. This is called customize. For example, users can edit and delete certain parts of a DVD that they don't want burned, such as the main menu, bonus features, commentary, or certain scenes from the actual DVD. By moving a quality bar the user can make the DVD fit its target medium.

Cactus Data Shield (CDS) is a form of CD/DVD copy protection for audio compact discs developed by Israeli company Midbar Technologies. It has been used extensively by EMI and BMG and their subsidiaries. CDS relies on basically two components: Erroneous Disc Navigation and Data Corruption.

ImgBurn

ImgBurn is an optical disc authoring program that allows the recording of many types of CD, DVD and Blu-ray images to recordable media. Starting with version 2.0.0.0, ImgBurn can also burn files and data directly to CD or DVD. It is written in C++. It supports padding DVD-Video files so the layer break occurs on a proper cell boundary.

RedFox is a software development company based in Belize. The company is most prominently known for its software AnyDVD, which can be used to bypass copy protection measures on optical media, including DVD and Blu-ray Disc media, as well as CloneCD, which is used to back up the contents of optical discs.

Pirated movie release types are the different types of pirated movies and television series that end up on the Internet. They vary wildly in rarity and quality due to the different sources and methods used for acquiring the video content, in addition to encoding formats. Pirated movie releases may be derived from cams, which have distinctly low quality; screener and workprint discs or digital distribution copies (DDC), telecine copies from analog reels, video on demand (VOD) or TV recordings, and DVD and Blu-ray rips. They are seen in P2P networks, pirated websites and video sharing websites such as YouTube and Dailymotion.

BackupHDDVD AACS decryption software

BackupHDDVD is a small computer software utility program available in command line and GUI versions which aids in the decryption of commercial HD DVD discs protected by the Advanced Access Content System. It is used to back up discs, often to enable playback on hardware configurations without full support for HDCP. The program's source code was posted online, but no licence information was given.

Advanced Access Content System Standard for content distribution and digital rights management

The Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is a standard for content distribution and digital rights management, intended to restrict access to and copying of the post-DVD generation of optical discs. The specification was publicly released in April 2005 and the standard has been adopted as the access restriction scheme for HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD). It is developed by AACS Licensing Administrator, LLC, a consortium that includes Disney, Intel, Microsoft, Panasonic, Warner Bros., IBM, Toshiba and Sony. AACS has been operating under an "interim agreement" since the final specification has not yet been finalized.

Blu-ray Optical disc format used for storing digital video and other digital data

The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc storage format. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of storing several hours of high-definition video. The main application of Blu-ray is as a medium for video material such as feature films and for the physical distribution of video games for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The name "Blu-ray" refers to the blue laser used to read the disc, which allows information to be stored at a greater density than is possible with the longer-wavelength red laser used for DVDs.

HD DVD Obsolete optical disc format

HD DVD is a discontinued high-density optical disc format for storing data and playback of high-definition video. Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format.

BD+ is a component of the Blu-ray Disc digital rights management system. It was developed by Cryptography Research Inc. and is based on their Self-Protecting Digital Content concept. Its intent was to prevent unauthorized copies of Blu-ray discs and the playback of Blu-ray media using unauthorized devices.

Security of Advanced Access Content System

The security of Advanced Access Content System (AACS) has been a subject of discussion amongst security researchers, high definition video enthusiasts, and consumers at large since its inception. A successor to Content Scramble System (CSS), the digital rights management mechanism used by commercial DVDs, AACS was intended to improve upon the design of CSS by addressing flaws which had led to the total circumvention of CSS in 1999. The AACS system relies on a subset difference tree combined with a certificate revocation mechanism to ensure the security of high definition video content in the event of a compromise.

DVD-Video Format used to store digital video on DVD discs

DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs. DVD-Video was the dominant consumer home video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia in the 2000s until it was supplanted by the high-definition Blu-ray Disc. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and an MPEG-2 decoder. Commercial DVD movies are encoded using a combination MPEG-2 compressed video and audio of varying formats. Typically, the data rate for DVD movies ranges from 3 to 9.5 Mbit/s, and the bit rate is usually adaptive. DVD-Video was first available in Japan on November 1, 1996, followed by a release on March 24, 1997 in the United States—to line up with the 69th Academy Awards that same day.

Cinavia

Cinavia, originally called Verance Copy Management System for Audiovisual Content (VCMS/AV), is an analog watermarking and steganography system under development by Verance since 1999, and released in 2010. In conjunction with the existing Advanced Access Content System (AACS) digital rights management (DRM) inclusion of Cinavia watermarking detection support became mandatory for all consumer Blu-ray Disc players from 2012.

<i>RealNetworks, Inc. v. DVD Copy Control Assn, Inc.</i>

RealNetworks, Inc. v. DVD Copy Control Association, Inc., 641 F. Supp. 2d 913 (2009), is a United States District Court case involving RealNetworks, the movie studios and DVD Copy Control Association regarding the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) claims on the manufacturing and distribution of RealDVD, and a breach of license agreement. The district court concluded that RealNetworks violated the anti-circumvention and anti-trafficking provisions of the DMCA when the DVD copying software RealDVD bypasses the copy protection technologies of DVD.

CloneCD

CloneCD is proprietary optical disc authoring software that makes exact, 1:1 copies of music and data CDs and DVDs, regardless of any Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions. It was originally written by Oliver Kastl and offered by Swiss company Elaborate Bytes, but due to changes in European copyright law, they were forced to take it off the market. The last version of CloneCD made by Elaborate Bytes was version 4.2.0.2. The software was subsequently sold by SlySoft, a company located in Antigua and Barbuda, whose legislation does not ban the circumvention of DRM schemes. Since 2016, it is sold by Belize/Latvia based RedFox.

A Blu-ray ripper is a computer program that facilitates copying a Blu-ray disc or HD DVDs to a hard disk drive.

References

  1. ↑ "AnyDVD History". SlySoft . Archived from the original on 18 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "AnyDVD History". RedFox .
  3. ↑ "Sony's ARccOS group takes down RipIt4Me and FixVTS". AfterDawn. 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  4. ↑ "AnyDVD (HD) 6.4.0.0". SlySoft .
  5. ↑ "RedFox Download | AnyDVD, CloneDVD, CloneCD, GameJackal, Any DVD, Clone DVD, Clone CD, Game Jackal".
  6. ↑ "Ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court (in German)". Bverfg.de. 2007-01-03. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  7. ↑ "Article on heise news portal about the final appeal (German)". Heise.de. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  8. ↑ "DRM defeaters defeated? SlySoft ceases operations". Ars Technica. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "AnyDVD Admins & Developers Mull Comeback". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "AnyDVD is Back But Don't Call Us Pirates, Developer Says". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.