AnyDVD

Description

AnyDVD is a Windows device driver that removes copy protection from DVD and Blu-ray discs automatically in the background. When a protected disc is inserted into a drive, AnyDVD intercepts communication between the disc and the operating system, removes the protection before any software sees the disc, and presents the content as if there were no protection. Media players, ripping tools, backup software, and any other program on the computer can then read the disc freely without having to have their own decryption capability.

The “HD” variant, AnyDVD HD, extends this capability to Blu-ray and HD DVD in addition to standard DVDs. The two products share the same installer; the HD features are activated with an appropriate license key.

AnyDVD runs silently as a background service. Users have a small icon in the Windows system tray that indicates whether the driver is active or not. No manual steps are needed each time a disc is inserted — protection removal is completely automatic.

HISTORY

Oliver Kastl and colleagues originally developed AnyDVD while working for Elaborate Bytes, the same Swiss company that developed CloneCD. SlySoft, the Antigua-based company that acquired CloneCD, acquired AnyDVD and started developing and selling it on its own. SlySoft extended AnyDVD to support Blu-Ray and HD DVD with the AnyDVD HD update released in February 2007.

SlySoft closed in February 2016 under legal pressure from the Advanced Access Content System Licensing Administrator (AACS LA), the organization that oversees Blu-ray copy protection. Staff from SlySoft regrouped and relaunched as RedFox in March 2016, registering under a Belize domain. RedFox released updated versions of AnyDVD and continued to sell licenses until June 5, 2024 when the RedFox website went offline without explanation. AACS LA had filed legal action against RedFox for violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The software has not been updated since, and no successor company has appeared. Existing users with installed copies can still use the software, but it no longer receives important database updates necessary to decrypt newly released Blu-rays.

HOW IT WORKS AS A DRIVER

AnyDVD installs as a kernel-mode device driver in Windows — a piece of software that sits between the hardware and the operating system at a low level. When Windows is talking to a disc drive, AnyDVD intercepts the communication and alters the data coming up from the drive before it reaches Windows or any application. From the point of view of each program that is running on the computer, the disc just appears to be an unprotected disc.

This approach is different from disc ripping programs that do the decryption as a separate processing step. AnyDVD’s driver model means that no intermediate files are created and no manual decryption step is required. Any software that reads a disc — a DVD player application, a Blu-ray player, CloneDVD, HandBrake, or Windows Explorer — sees the decrypted content automatically.

PROTECTIONS REMOVED — DVD

Content Scramble System (CSS) is the encryption scheme applied to virtually all commercial DVDs. CSS encrypts the video data on the disc and requires a licensed key to decrypt it. CSS is transparently decrypted by AnyDVD.

Region codes are used to divide the world into numbered regions (1 through 6 for DVD), and commercially released DVDs have a code that matches the region in which they are intended to be sold. Players check if the region of the disc matches the region of the player and refuse to play if they do not match. AnyDVD disables region checking so that all DVDs play regardless of region.

RPC-2 region locking, which implements region restrictions in the firmware of the drive, not just in software, is also covered. AnyDVD can communicate with the drive to circumvent this hardware-level region enforcement.

Analog Protection System (APS), also known by the trade name Macrovision, adds pulses to the composite video signal from a DVD player that disrupts VCR recording circuits but has no effect on television display. AnyDVD disables APS on the disc, eliminating these interference signals.

ARccOS is a Sony copy protection layer that intentionally places corrupted sectors on the disc. Ripping software that cannot handle these sectors fails with read errors. AnyDVD identifies and fixes ARccOS sectors.

RipGuard, developed by Macrovision, takes a different approach to the same end — altered disc structures designed to confuse ripping software. AnyDVD bypasses RipGuard as well.

User Operation Prohibitions (UOPs) are flags on DVD discs that tell players to disable certain remote control functions during the presentation of certain content. Studios use UOPs to avoid skipping past FBI warnings, studio logos, and unskippable trailers. AnyDVD eliminates UOPs, restoring the ability to skip anything at any time.

AnyDVD also fixes mastering errors found on some commercial DVDs — non-standard disc structures that can cause problems with backup software like DVD Shrink or Nero Recode. By fixing these errors, AnyDVD helps to improve compatibility between the disc and third-party tools.

PROTECTIONS REMOVED — BLU-RAY (AnyDVD HD)

Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is the main encryption of Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. AACS uses AES encryption with a key management system that enables the licensing authority to revoke compromised player keys via new disc releases, which is why AnyDVD HD needed to periodically update its online key database to keep up with newly released titles. AnyDVD HD decrypts AACS-protected Blu-rays by keeping a database of title keys and volume keys.

BD+ is a virtual machine built into some Blu-ray discs that executes code when the disc is played, performing integrity checks and potentially scrambling the video stream if it detects an unauthorized playback environment. BD+ was introduced in 2007. SlySoft first broke BD+ in March 2008. AnyDVD HD neutralizes BD+ so that the disc content is exposed without the BD+ code running.

Blu-ray region codes work in a similar way to DVD region codes, with the world being divided into three zones (A, B and C). AnyDVD HD disables Blu-ray region checking.

HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) is a scheme that encrypts the signal passing over digital display connections (HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI) between a computer and a monitor. Normally, in order to play a Blu-ray on a computer, both the graphics card and the monitor must support and negotiate HDCP. AnyDVD HD bypasses this requirement, enabling Blu-ray playback over display connections and on monitors that do not support HDCP.

BD-Live is an interactive Blu-ray feature that links to online content servers when a disc is played. Some users prefer to disable it for privacy reasons, as it can transmit identifying information to the disc’s publisher. AnyDVD HD can disable BD-Live on a disc-by-disc basis.

Parental restriction flags embedded in Blu-ray discs, forced subtitles locked on in some markets or for some content, and no-skip marks that prevent skipping of chapters during playback are all removable through AnyDVD HD’s settings.

PROTECTIONS REMOVED — AUDIO CDs

AnyDVD also deals with copy protection on audio CDs. Key2Audio and other similar schemes introduce data sessions or intentional tracking errors into audio CDs to prevent ripping. AnyDVD detects and removes these extra data sessions automatically when an audio CD is inserted, so that CD ripping software can read clean audio tracks without distortion or skipping.

BUILT-IN DISC RIPPER

AnyDVD has a simple disc ripper function for making disc images of DVDs. The ripper module is based on code from Elby’s CloneDVD. A user can right-click on the AnyDVD system tray icon and select to rip the inserted disc to an ISO file without having to launch any other software. The ISO image is saved decrypted, and ready for use with virtual drive software or burning tools.

AnyDVD HD added ripping support to Blu-ray ISO creation from version 6.4.6.2 onwards.

For more extensive DVD or Blu-ray processing — compression, transcoding, format conversion, or chapter selection — AnyDVD is usually used in conjunction with companion tools from the same developer family, such as CloneDVD or CloneBD, or third-party tools such as HandBrake or MakeMKV. AnyDVD does the decryption layer; the companion tool does the output.

DRIVE SPEED CONTROL

AnyDVD can reduce the rotational speed of an optical drive when reading a disc. DVD and Blu-ray drives at full speed produce a lot of noise from the spin of the discs. Reducing the speed reduces the noise at the expense of a longer read time. This setting is good for home theater setups where you want a quieter drive when playing a movie.

4K UHD BLU-RAY AND LIBREDRIVE

From version 8, AnyDVD HD supported 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray decryption via a feature called LibreDrive. LibreDrive requires a compatible Blu-ray drive with firmware that exposes raw sector access — a capability most mainstream drives support but that requires specific drive models or firmware. With a compatible drive, AnyDVD HD was able to decrypt 4K UHD Blu-ray discs using AACS 2.0, the updated encryption scheme used on 4K titles.

CURRENT Status and Limitations

AnyDVD HD stopped receiving updates when RedFox went offline in June 2024. The Blu-ray key database it uses is no longer updated. This means that the software can decrypt discs released up to around mid-2024 but cannot deal with AACS key revocations or new protection variants introduced in discs released after that date.

RedFox made an offline version of the key database available for download before going offline. Users who have installed the offline database can decrypt titles up to the last update of the database without an internet connection.

DVD decryption (CSS) is not affected by the database issue — CSS keys are derived algorithmically rather than looked up in a database — so DVD functionality remains intact on existing installations regardless of the update freeze.

LEGAL CONTEXT

The legal status of AnyDVD differs from country to country. In Germany, it is explicitly illegal to advertise, sell or lend AnyDVD, although it is not illegal to possess it. In the United States, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes it illegal to bypass technological protection measures on copyrighted works, so the purchase and use of AnyDVD to decrypt commercial discs is legally problematic regardless of ownership of the disc. Other countries have different legal systems; some allow personal backup copying while others forbid any circumvention of copy protection.

Both SlySoft and RedFox claimed that their software was there to allow personal backups, which has a history of legal protection in many jurisdictions. The AACS LA and entertainment industry disagreed, taking legal action that eventually resulted in both companies shutting down.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• Operating System: Windows XP to Windows 11 (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Processor: Minimum 2 GHz
• RAM: 1 GB or more
• Disc drive: Standard DVD drive for DVD features; Blu-ray drive required for AnyDVD HD Blu-ray features; LibreDrive compatible drive required for 4K UHD Blu-ray
• No internet connection required for DVD decryption; internet connection or offline key database required for Blu-ray decryption of specific titles