What Happened to AnyDVD and TOP 6 Best AnyDVD Alternatives

AnyDVD was a Windows program from SlySoft designed to decrypt DVDs, HD DVDs, and Blu-ray discs, allowing you to access and back up your media. However, with the software discontinued and SlySoft went offline in 2024, many wonder: What happened to SlySoft AnyDVD?

In this updated guide, we’ll explore what happened to AnyDVD. Also, if you need a DVD and Blu-ray decryption tool, there are many AnyDVD alternatives available. Let’s review the 6 best options and examine the differences between them and AnyDVD so you can choose the right one for your media.

What Happened to AnyDVD HD?

Let’s go back to AnyDVD’s history, from its rise to its fall, and find out what led to its current status.

AnyDVD HD was created by SlySoft to remove DVD encryption and restrictions. However, SlySoft experienced copyright issues, and its website was shut down in 2016. Then, some of the earlier group members formed RedFox Inc., which continued developing and distributing AnyDVD.

Despite these efforts, the software still had problems. By June 5, 2024, RedFox AnyDVD went offline, and the official website was taken down. AACS LA accused RedFox of breaching DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). RedFox argued that their software was to allow people to create their own backups and that this was fair use under copyright law. Over time, the legal dispute escalated. AACS LA filed multiple lawsuits to stop RedFox from distributing the software, and ultimately, AnyDVD was shut down.

Top 6 Best AnyDVD Alternatives for DVD and Blu-ray Decryption

Since AnyDVD is no longer available, a lot of people are looking for other ways to decrypt DVDs and Blu-rays. And now, here are the top 6 alternatives to AnyDVD.

DVDneXtCOPY DVD Ripper

• Compatible System: Windows PC
• Free Trial: Yes (30 days)

As a DVD conversion and decryption tool, DVDneXtCOPY DVD Ripper is the top performer in our review. Powered by GPU acceleration, it allows users to rip DVD discs, folders or ISO files to popular digital formats at speeds up to 50% faster than free tools.

Key Features of DVDneXtCOPY:

• Advanced Decryption: Supports loading all types of DVDs protected by Region Code, Disney X-project, CSS, etc.
• Compress DVD files: Preserves maximum original video and audio quality while compressing DVD.
• Practical Editor: Enable, disable and add subtitle tracks, merge DVD titles, crop clips and more.
• Multiple Output Modes: Lossless movie output or select H.265 high-efficiency encoding with flexible control over bitrate, frame rate, etc.

As an alternative to AnyDVD, this software has the following benefits and limitations:

Step 1: Install and launch

• Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install it on your PC.

Step 2: Prepare your disc

• Insert a DVD into your internal or external drive, or use an ISO file or DVD folder directly. After opening DVDneXtCOPY, you can use the "+Add Source" button or drag it directly to the main window.

Step 3: Choose an output format

• You can set up the default configuration for subsequent use. Also, you can go into the Choose Other Profile window to customize it.

Step 4: Adjust advanced settings and edit video

• Next, you can access the advanced settings to select the subtitle mode and adjust the sample rate and bit rate to ensure that the video size and quality are balanced.
• In the Edit window, you can crop and rotate the video, adjust the contrast, add text as a watermark, remove background noise, and change the default playback speed.
   

Step 5: Start ripping

• Finally, change the output directory at the bottom of the interface and click the Start button.

Passkey All-In-One

• Platform: Windows
• User Rating: 7.5/10 (VideoHelp)
• Free Trial: Yes (30 days)

Another option is Passkey All-In-One, which is similar to AnyDVD but more powerful. This professional disc decrypter for Windows can remove all known copy protections and region codes automatically, so you can play media from any region. DVDFab Passkey can also decrypt commercial DVDs, Blu-rays, 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays, and (4K) BDAV discs, providing comprehensive support for various formats.

Features of DVDFab Passkey as AnyDVD Alternative:

• Better Protection Removal: more thoroughly than AnyDVD, removing CSS, CPPM, APS, UOPs, etc.
• Recorded Disc Decryption: Decrypt recorded DVDs and Blu-rays, expanding media compatibility.
• Wide Format Support: Supports all DVD formats, like DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-RW
• Real-Time Decryption: Decrypt DVDs automatically, no user intervention required.

As an alternative to AnyDVD, it offers the following advantages and drawbacks:

DVDFab All-In-One

• Platform: Windows & macOS
• User Rating: 4.6/5 (Trustpilot)
• Free Trial: Yes (30 days)

DVDFab All-In-One has more features than RedFox AnyDVD. It’s a multimedia software that has 23 products in one. It has features for handling DVDs, 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays, Blu-rays, and recorded (4K) BDAV Blu-rays. When you use DVDFab All-In-One, you can copy, rip, convert, create discs, and get rid of copy protection. It also has a disc editing tool and a lossless backup for home media servers.

Key features of DVDFab as AnyDVD alternative:

• Lossless Ripping for Home Theater: Rip to lossless video and audio (MP4, MKV, M2TS) with high-definition audio (TrueHD, DTS-HD, Atmos).
• Lossless Video Compression for Mobile: Convert to a mobile-friendly format such as MP4 for HD playing on any mobile phone (iPhone and Android) without sacrificing quality.
• Support for 1000+ Formats: You can rip DVDs, Blu-rays, and UHD to over 1000 video and audio profiles (MKV, FLAC, MP4, MP3, etc.) for playback on 245+ devices with customizable settings for resolution, audio, and video.
• Remove Cinavia Protection & Output High-Quality Audio: DVDFab can remove the Cinavia watermark from audio and produce lossless AAC/AC3, DTS-HD, and TrueHD audio that is compatible with any device.
• Built-in Video Editor: Use one simple interface to crop, trim, merge, rotate, and add subtitles.
• Convert Video to DVD/Blu-ray/UHD Disc Format: With full editing capabilities, you may convert your video to DVD, Blu-ray, or UHD while maintaining high-quality image and sound.
• Backup or Convert Discs: Backup or convert DVD, Blu-ray, or UHD discs without losing quality, ensuring long-term data security.

This software also has some highlights and limitation:

To give you a better understanding of how to use DVDFab products, we’ll now focus on DVDFab DVD Copy as an example. DVDFab DVD Copy is a dedicated tool for copying DVDs, and its features make it easy to back up your DVDs with just a few steps. Follow the instructions below to copy a DVD using DVDFab DVD Copy.

Step 1: Select Copy Mode

• Open DVDFab 13 and click the Copy mode in the left menu.
• You will then see 6 available copying modes: Full Disc, Main Movie, Customize, Split, Merge, and Clone/Burn.

Step 2: Load the Source and Customize the Disc

• After selecting the Copy mode, load the DVD you want to copy. If you don’t want to copy the entire DVD, you can select Main Movie to copy only the longest title or choose Customize to copy specific titles or parts of the DVD.

Step 3: Adjust Settings

You can adjust a few additional settings:

• Change the volume label name.
• Select between DVD-9 and DVD-5 for the output format.
• Choose options to copy non-DVD files or rewind the disc after copying

For more advanced settings, click the three-line icon in the top-right corner and select Settings.

Step 4: Select the Output Location

• You can use the dropdown menu to select your output location, or use one of the two icons nearby to choose whether to save the DVD contents as an ISO image file or an ISO movie folder.

Step 5: Start the Copying Process

• Once everything is set, click the Start button to begin copying the DVD to your hard drive or blank disc.
• Alternatively, click the dropdown arrow and select Start Later to schedule the process for another time.

Handbrake+libdvdcss

• Platform: Windows, macOS & Linux
• User Rating: 3.5/5 (CNET)
• Free Trial: N/A

HandBrake is a free alternative to AnyDVD, used mainly for converting videos from various formats to widely supported codecs. Although it isn’t a DVD ripper and doesn’t remove copy protection on its own, it can be paired with libdvdcss.

libdvdcss ("Library for accessing DVDs encrypted with Content Scramble System") is an additional tool that enables HandBrake to bypass CSS encryption on commercial DVDs, allowing for decryption and conversion of protected content.

Key Features of HandBrake as an AnyDVD Alternative:

• DVD Ripping: Convert DVDs to MP4, MKV, and MOV formats.
• Decryption: With libdvdcss, HandBrake can bypass CSS encryption on DVDs.
• Customization: Lots of options for video and audio quality, subtitles, etc.
• Live Static and Video Preview: Includes a preview feature to see static frames or video segments before processing.
• Chapter Markers Support: Retains chapter markers from the original DVD, so navigation is easy and user-friendly.

As an alternative to AnyDVD, it has some advantages and limitations:

WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro

• Platform: Windows PC
• User Rating: N/A
• Free Trial: Yes

WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro is a strong alternative to AnyDVD, delivering high-quality output with the ability to rip any DVD, including the latest region-locked or copy-protected ones, to a wide range of video and audio formats and portable devices. It also auto detects the main title from up to 99 titles, so you can easily select the main content to convert.

Features of WonderFox DVD Ripper as an AnyDVD Alternative:

• Wide Format Support: Rips to MKV, MP4, and over 300 device presets using GPU acceleration.
• Speed and Efficiency: Takes only 5 minutes to convert to MPEG-2 MPG without quality loss.
• 1:1 Digital Copy: Creates an exact copy (VIDEO_TS folder or ISO file) with all original content.
• Editing Tools: Includes basic video editing features and customizable output settings.
• Comprehensive Decryption: Removes all major DVD encryption types, including Cinavia, region codes, CSS, and more.

As an alternative to AnyDVD, this software has the following benefits and drawbacks:

MakeMKV

• Compatibility: Windows, macOS & Linux
• User Rating: 4.5/5 (TechRadar）
• Free Trial: Yes (30 days)

MakeMKV is a powerful alternative to AnyDVD for converting DVDs and Blu-rays to MKV. It keeps video quality lossless and original chapter information, audio tracks, and subtitles.

Main Features of MakeMKV as AnyDVD Alternative:

• Decryption: Unlocks DVDs and Blu-rays protected by AACS and BD+, enabling access to encrypted content.
• Metadata Preservation: Chapter points and metadata are preserved for organized playback.
• Complete Track Retention: Preserves all video, audio, and subtitle tracks from the original source.
• Lossless Output: Delivers high-quality output with no loss in video or audio fidelity.

As an alternative to AnyDVD, MakeMKV has the following pros and cons:

AnyDVD HD vs. AnyDVD Alternatives: A Detailed Comparison

With so many choices out there, let’s break down how each one compares to AnyDVD. In this section, we’ll go into detail, looking at their features, performance, and compatibility to help you choose the best alternative to AnyDVD.

How to Choose the Best AnyDVD Alternative?

After comparing AnyDVD and its alternatives, let's talk about how to pick the best one for you. This section will go through the key things to consider when choosing a DVD and Blu-ray decrypter.

1. Conversion Speed: Look for software that supports hardware acceleration, so you don’t have to wait for hours.
2. Ability to Decrypt: Choose software with advanced decryption algorithms that can handle newer DVDs and bypass protections.
3. Features: Choose software that has the features you want, like DVD/Blu-ray ripping, video conversion, or built-in editing tools.
4. Output Quality: Don’t choose for poorly designed software, as it may lose quality during ripping or conversion.
5. Platform Compatibility: Make sure the software is compatible with your OS, whether it’s Windows, macOs, or other.
6. Ease of Use: Look for software with a user-friendly interface.

FAQs

Is AnyDVD still safe to use?

AnyDVD is safe to use, but since it’s no longer supported or updated, it may be vulnerable to new threats. So, look for an updated and supported alternative.

Will RedFox AnyDVD be back?

Not sure. Many users on Reddit say RedFox AnyDVD won’t come back due to the ongoing legal issues.

Which AnyDVD alternative is the fastest for decryption?

DVDFab All-in-One is the fastest AnyDVD alternative for decryption with its GPU acceleration, which can process up to 50 times faster.

Conclusion

With AnyDVD discontinued and RedFox in legal trouble, many users are now looking for alternatives to decrypt DVDs and Blu-rays. Fortunately, there are several good options out there, each with unique features. Whether you want a full solution like DVDFab All-In-One or a simple free tool like HandBrake with libdvdcss, there’s an option for you.

When choosing the best, consider platform compatibility, decryption, and conversion speed. So that you get the right tool for your media. By choosing the right software, you can still access, back up, and enjoy your media collection, even when AnyDVD and its alternatives are no longer available.