Best AnyDVD Alternatives & The truth About RedFox Offline
Historical Background of RedFox AnyDVD
The predecessor of RedFox, Inc. was SlySoft, a company known for developing software that allowed users to circumvent copy protection on DVDs and Blu-ray discs. SlySoft was founded in 2003 by a group of software developers based in Antigua and Barbuda.
Legal Issues of RedFox AnyDVD
SlySoft’s most popular softwarewas AnyDVD Passkey for DVD, which allowed users to decryptDVDand Blu-ray discs, removing the copy protection mechanisms that prevented users from making personal backups or creating digital copies of their media.
In 2016, SlySoft abruptly shut down after facing legal pressure from copyright holders and law enforcement agencies. However, some members of the original team regrouped and formed a new company called RedFox Inc., which continued to develop and distribute AnyDVD.
RedFox, Inc. has faced similar legal challenges as its predecessor. AACS LA claimed that RedFox’s software violated the DMCA. In response, RedFox argued that it was a tool that allowed users to make personal copies of their own media, which is permitted under fair use principles of copyright law. The legal disputes between the two parties escalated over the years, with AACS LA filing multiple lawsuits against RedFox to stop the distribution of their software.
AnyDVD Offline Again in June 2024
Based on the site's previous shutdown announcement, the nature of this sudden shutdown is clearly different. As we note that RedFox.bz's website and forums are still up and running in May 2024 and providing technical support. However, in early June, RedFox's official website, forums and DNS all disappeared, and the core products AnyDVD and AnyStream were no longer available.
Potential Reasons for Shutdown
Some professionals have analyzed that the downtime will be very long and the return time is unpredictable. In fact, Anystream faces limitations in server recovery. The primary reason for the outage can be attributed to legal issues surrounding the software’s operation. Redfox's hosting provider received so many legal complaints and claims of copyright infringement that they were pressured to shut down their servers.
In addition, Redfox AnyDVD has been hit by anti-piracy measures implemented by movie studios and content distributors. Despite the lack of an official statement, legal challenges and server limitations are the key reasons that led to Redfox AnyDVD going offline. Users of AnyDVD are eagerly waiting for updates on when the service will be restored, as they heavily rely on it for their DVD decryption needs.
Best AnyDVD Alternatives For DVD decryption
The impact of Redfox AnyDVD being offline on users is significant. The lack of reasons from the Redfox team for going offline has led to a sense of uncertainty and skepticism among users about the future of AnyDVD. Users are left searching for alternative solutions to meet their DVD decryption needs. Fortunately, there are reliable option available in the market to fill the void left by Redfox AnyDVD.
DVDFab has a long history of providing DVD copying and ripping solutions, earning the trust of millions of users worldwide. This AnyDVD alternative is known for its stability, and developers have continuously released new versions for 20 years.
Best AnyDVD Alternative: DVDFab Passkey
DVDFab Passkey for DVD and Blu-rayis a cutting-edge Windows driver designed to unlock any encrypted DVD. This AnyDVD alternative eliminates a wide range of DVD copy protections and region codes, allowing users to enjoy any DVD movie without any restrictions.
- Remove commercial, rental or recorded DVD/BDprotections
- Freely change the DVD playback order
- Remove the annoying PGC from the output movie
- DVD decryptionis fast, taking only a few seconds
- Rip decrypted DVD/Blu-ray to hard disc or rip to ISO image
- DVDFab Passkey Lite: the free version of Passkey for DVD & Blu-ray
- The interface and operation of DVDFab Passkey is as easy as AnyDVD. In addition, it also supports decryption of recorded (4K) Blu-ray discs. Let's see how to use this perfect AnyDVD alternative.
How to decrypt DVDs with this AnyDVD Alternative?
Step 1:Double-click DVDFab Passkey to open the welcome window and select DVD. Next, select "Start DVDFab Passkey" from the menu. After that, Passkey will automatically minimize itself into the system tray.
Step 2:As soon as the source DVD is inserted into the drive, Passkey starts the decryption process. There appears a small decryption window in the system tray area. The decryption is finished when the green bar reaches the end.
Furthermore, when you open Passkey, the interface provides you with comprehensive information about the source disc and status.
Step 3:The source DVD can be played on any player after the decryption. By right-clicking on the DVDFab Passkey icon that is minimized in the system tray and selecting "Rip to Hard Disk" or "Rip to Image" from the menu, you can also rip it to your hard drive or image.
All-round AnyDVD Alternative: DVDFab DVD Ripper
After successfully decrypting your DVDs, you can use DVDFab's other software to process and edit the DVD contents, such as copying, ripping and burning. Among many products, DVDFab DVD Ripper is quite popular and favored by many members.
- This DVD Ripper is a superb software that allows you to decrypt and rip copy-protected DVDs to 1000+ video and audio formats for playback on different devices.
Unique Features of DVDFab DVD Ripper
- • The output files retain the original quality of the DVD, including resolution, bitrate, and audio quality.
- • Allows users to customize various settings and edit the DVD video with the built-in editor.
- • You can rip multiple DVD movies at once with DVDFab DVD Ripper, saving time and effort.
- • Use multi-core CPUs and the latest acceleration technologies to ensure fast conversion speeds.
- • Regularly updated version; compatible with Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 and MacOS 10.10-14.
- •As a FREE software, DVDFab HD Decrypter provides basic DVD copying and ripping features.
How to decrypt and rip DVDs with this AnyDVD Alternative?
Step 1: Download and install the latest version of DVDFab from the official website. Launch the program on your computer.
Step 2: Insert the DVD you want to rip into your computer’s DVD drive. DVDFab will automatically detect the DVD and remove copy protection in 5-10 seconds. You can also manually load the DVD by clicking on the ‘+Add’ button.
Step 3: Click on the ‘Ripper’ module to access the DVD ripping features. To select the output format of the ripped DVD, click "Choose Other Profile". You can also customize the output settings such as video quality, audio tracks, subtitles, and more according to your preferences.
Step 4: Click on the ‘Start’ button to begin the ripping process. This AnyDVD alternative will decrypt the DVD and start converting it into the selected format.
A Thorough Comparison of AnyDVD and Alternatives
Above we have presented AnyDVD alternatives with different features and functionality, we summarized them in a table in order to have a clear comparison.
| AnyDVD | DVDFab_Passkey | DVDFab_DVD_Ripper | Passkey Lite | DVDFab HD Decrypter | |
| Compatible OS | Windows | Windows | Windows & Mac | Windows | Windows & Mac |
| Price | 65$ for one year | 79.99$ for lifetime | 59.49$ for lifetime | Free | Free |
| DVD Decryption | Some protections such as area codes, AACS, etc. | Almost all copyright protection: CSS, region code, RCE, UOP, APS, etc | Almost all copyright protection: CSS, region code, RCE, UOP, APS, etc | RC, RCE, APS, UOPs,RC, BD-Live |
Copy protection on old DVDs and blu-rays |
| Input Format | DVD/Blu-ray disc | DVD/BD/UHD/ISO/Folder | DVD/ISO file/Folder | DVD/BD/ISO/Folder | DVD/BD/ISO/Folder |
| Output Format | ISO file | ISO file or folder | 1000+ digital formats | ISO file or folder | DVD/ISO/Folder/MP4/MKV |
| Output Settings | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GPU Acceleration | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
FAQs
What happened to AnyDVD?
In early June 2024, users of AnyDVD were suddenly faced with an error message stating “Unable to connect to the Internet” when trying to access the official website or forum. It was soon revealed that the provider of AnyDVD, Redfox, had disappeared without any advance notice. The primary reasons for this shutdown are believed to be legal issues surrounding copyright infringement and pressure from hosting providers due to numerous legal complaints.
What is the best RedFox AnyStream alternative?
AnyStream, RedFox's streaming video downloader, also disappeared with no trace. If you are looking for an alternative to RedFox AnyStream, then StreamFab is best for you. As a comprehensive streaming video downloader, StreamFab Video Downloader supports downloading streaming videos from popular sites such as Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and 1000+ sites. This AnyStream alternative also offers fast download speeds, high video quality, and support for batch downloads.
Will Redfox AnyDVD be back?
Since there has been no official response from RedFox, we have no way of knowing if the team will be able to fix the problem and bring the software back. Users can continue to monitor Redfox's announcements and look for alternatives to AnyDVD.
Conclusion
It is important for users of RedFox AnyDVD to be aware of the current situation and explore AnyDVD alternative for their DVD and Blu-ray decryption needs. While the exact reason for RedFox’s sudden downtime remains unclear, it is crucial to have a backup plan in place. DVDFab stands out as a reliable and efficient alternative, offering a wide range of features and excellent customer support. By choosing DVDFab, users can continue copying and ripping their DVD collection without any interruptions. Make sure to stay informed and make the best decision for your digital content management needs.