Jason Dunn
02-19-2007, 06:26 PM
I knew it was only a matter of time, and in fact Slysoft gave me a heads-up in private that this was coming, but it's great to see the product is finally released. I haven't tried it out yet (I finally have a reason to connect my Xbox 360 HD-DVD to my PC now!), but you can <a href="http://www.slysoft.com/?aid=50312">download or purchase a copy yourself</a> [affiliate]. I was particularly interested in the note about how, with AnyDVD HD installed, you can watch HD DVDs without needing an HDCP graphics card or display. I recall all of the moaning over what a huge problem this was going to be, but problem solved! Now all they need to do is add WMV encoding as an output option and I'll be 100% thrilled with the product. Right now I'm 95% thrilled with it. ;-)<br /><br />"After a Beta test-phase of a mere ten days, conducted by a few chosen scene gurus, SlySoft announced the first official release of AnyDVD HD. The change-log, although not so significant at first glance, abounds in understatement:<br /><br />- New: added HD DVD and AACS support (registered users need an upgrade key for HD DVD & AACS support)<br />- New: added support for new versions of SONY's Arccos protection to the option "Remove Protection based on unreadable Sectors"<br />- Added AnyDVD HD Ripper<br />- Fixed: Problem with multi-angle titles and Sony Arccos protection<br />- Some minor fixes and improvements<br />- Updated languages<br /><br />At first look, the mention of "Added HD DVD and AACS Support" appears rather "so-so" but behind this annoucement exists a real revolution. For the first time, it is possible for the average user to get around the previously uncrackable AACS copy protection of the new HD-DVD generation with a few simple clicks of the mouse.<!><br /><br />Officially, the film industry and the AACS consortium is, of course, not very happy about this development. However, behind closed doors, they are likely pleased to have learned from past experiences with the CD and DVD that the users are now finally able to make unlimited use of this new medium HD DVD, i.e to enjoy his "fair-use rights". It is expected that a real "boom" will occur with HD-DVDs.<br /><br />All the same, AnyDVD contains several rather interesting features:<br /><br />* watch movies over a digital display connection without HDCP-compliant graphics card and HDCP-compliant display. <br />* playback those discs on the PC with PowerDVD Ultra which otherwise would not play or would cause a software crash<br />* Removes user prohibitions. You can select language and subtitle tracks without going through the disc's menu. <br />* Removes parental restrictions. <br />* Allows you to remove or skip Studio Logos and warning messages. <br />* With "magic file replacement (tm)" you can remaster any commercial movie disc using simple XML scripts. <br />* Includes a UDF 2.5 file ripper; no need to install 3rd party UDF 2.5 filesystem under Windows XP. <br /> <br />AnyDVD HD is indeed a "must have" utility for the serious home theater enthusiast using a media center or home-theater PC.<br /><br />"The way AnyDVD HD addresses and solves the problem doesn't have much in common with the discoveries of individual members of the OpenSource community in reading AACS keys from the USB bus", says Peer van Heuen, one of SlySoft's lead developers. He adds further, "As one can expect from SlySoft, our solution works fully automatic with all known titles while the so-called hacker tools require laborious reading out of memory or the USB bus. This is not to say that their efforts are <br />completely fruitless; it's just that ours need to be user-friendly. It's just that simple."<br /><br />To add icing on the cake, Peer van Heuen takes particular joy in stating that SlySoft was ready with AnyDVD HD in an incredibly short period of time. He adds, "We could only begin our development some weeks ago and we are immensely proud to get this product out to the users so quickly. This speaks to the commitment to our users: get good and easy-to-use products out on the market fast!"<br /><br />Tom Xiang, Marketing Director: "When we considered Blu-Ray, our strategy was simply to initially support HD-DVD and await further developments in the marketplace. Already during the beta phase we got many inquiries about Blu-Ray so we decided to go ahead and also provide support for this as soon as possible. Blu-Ray employs the same AACS process as HD-DVD. An implementation was really just a matter of form. A beta version is planned for availability this quarter."