Bruce Reid
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- May 22, 2016
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I would first like to thank the RedFox team for its diligent efforts to preserve the availability of the valuable AnyDVD HD software!
I have owned a SlySoft lifetime license since early 2011, and I am grateful for the value I have derived from the use of AnyDVD HD. It has allowed me to box up all my original media, and stow it in the garage, making it possible to stream movies from my server, at a moment’s notice, without having to scrounge through a dusty cabinet full of discs, multiple layers deep.
I was very sad on the day I prepared to rip a new movie I had acquired, only to find that AnyDVD could not access the server needed to make the copy. When I went to the SlySoft website to explore the problem, I was stunned to see the one-sentence notice that the company had shut down. I was completely unaware of the legal battle that had apparently been waged for some time prior to the closure, and I am still a bit surprised that there was no attempt to make existing users (and prospective new license purchasers) aware of the impending doom!
I found another acceptable (though slightly inferior) method to rip the contents of my new disc, solving my immediate problem. But, I wanted to see if there was any viable replacement for the preferred AnyDVD. My search led me to discover a seemingly similar product offered by a Chinese company, and I planned to download it for evaluation, but I chose to wait until my next movie purchase, to get the greatest potential use of the product during the eval period. In the interim, and to my surprise, I received a notice that there was an AnyDVD update available, and through that link, I was led to the RedFox site. I have been happily using AnyDVD 7.6.9.5 since then.
When I prepared to rip another new disc today, I learned that the AnyDVD “lifetime” license will expire at the end of this month. So, I am faced with the same decision as many other users; either cough up $$$ for another AnyDVD license (and if so, should I choose an annual one, or another “lifetime” one), or should I seek a different solution.
That brings me to the matter of what is implied by a “lifetime license”. That term is clearly subject to much interpretation. I expect it means one thing to the company offering the license, and perhaps something quite different to a user considering the purchase. When I bought the SlySoft license, I don’t think I took adequate time to carefully consider the implication of that term, but I do believe I expected it would be longer than five years. Sill, given the price of the license at that time, and the value I have derived from its use, I feel it was money well spent.
But now that I’m faced with the choice of buying another “lifetime license”, I am a bit more cautious. I am not privy to the various legal details that led to SlySoft’s downfall, or to those that might face RedFox in the future. In fact, it seems conceivable that RedFox may already be engaged in a similar legal battle of its own, even as I consider spending more of my $$ to purchase a new license. After all, I was never made aware of the SlySoft battle until after it had been lost.
So, getting to the fine point of my post, does RedFox hope to avoid the legal battle that led to the demise of SlySoft? If not, why not? If so, how soon might that happen, and does RedFox believe it can win the battle that SlySoft lost?
As I said earlier, my search for a suitable replacement for AnyDVD led me to a Chinese product that could prove acceptable, though I have still not evaluated it to make that determination. Since both products offer “lifetime” licenses, and are priced fairly comparably, I would be interested to hear any opinions about whether the Chinese company has a better chance to withstand the pressures that might be brought to bear against it by United States agencies, than RedFox will be able to do under the same conditions?
Much thanks for any insight into this complicated matter!
I have owned a SlySoft lifetime license since early 2011, and I am grateful for the value I have derived from the use of AnyDVD HD. It has allowed me to box up all my original media, and stow it in the garage, making it possible to stream movies from my server, at a moment’s notice, without having to scrounge through a dusty cabinet full of discs, multiple layers deep.
I was very sad on the day I prepared to rip a new movie I had acquired, only to find that AnyDVD could not access the server needed to make the copy. When I went to the SlySoft website to explore the problem, I was stunned to see the one-sentence notice that the company had shut down. I was completely unaware of the legal battle that had apparently been waged for some time prior to the closure, and I am still a bit surprised that there was no attempt to make existing users (and prospective new license purchasers) aware of the impending doom!
I found another acceptable (though slightly inferior) method to rip the contents of my new disc, solving my immediate problem. But, I wanted to see if there was any viable replacement for the preferred AnyDVD. My search led me to discover a seemingly similar product offered by a Chinese company, and I planned to download it for evaluation, but I chose to wait until my next movie purchase, to get the greatest potential use of the product during the eval period. In the interim, and to my surprise, I received a notice that there was an AnyDVD update available, and through that link, I was led to the RedFox site. I have been happily using AnyDVD 7.6.9.5 since then.
When I prepared to rip another new disc today, I learned that the AnyDVD “lifetime” license will expire at the end of this month. So, I am faced with the same decision as many other users; either cough up $$$ for another AnyDVD license (and if so, should I choose an annual one, or another “lifetime” one), or should I seek a different solution.
That brings me to the matter of what is implied by a “lifetime license”. That term is clearly subject to much interpretation. I expect it means one thing to the company offering the license, and perhaps something quite different to a user considering the purchase. When I bought the SlySoft license, I don’t think I took adequate time to carefully consider the implication of that term, but I do believe I expected it would be longer than five years. Sill, given the price of the license at that time, and the value I have derived from its use, I feel it was money well spent.
But now that I’m faced with the choice of buying another “lifetime license”, I am a bit more cautious. I am not privy to the various legal details that led to SlySoft’s downfall, or to those that might face RedFox in the future. In fact, it seems conceivable that RedFox may already be engaged in a similar legal battle of its own, even as I consider spending more of my $$ to purchase a new license. After all, I was never made aware of the SlySoft battle until after it had been lost.
So, getting to the fine point of my post, does RedFox hope to avoid the legal battle that led to the demise of SlySoft? If not, why not? If so, how soon might that happen, and does RedFox believe it can win the battle that SlySoft lost?
As I said earlier, my search for a suitable replacement for AnyDVD led me to a Chinese product that could prove acceptable, though I have still not evaluated it to make that determination. Since both products offer “lifetime” licenses, and are priced fairly comparably, I would be interested to hear any opinions about whether the Chinese company has a better chance to withstand the pressures that might be brought to bear against it by United States agencies, than RedFox will be able to do under the same conditions?
Much thanks for any insight into this complicated matter!