I think the biggest misunderstanding regarding the mention of "subscription" licenses is that some people seem to believe their software will no longer work after the subscription expires. Calling them "perptual licenses" might be better, going forward. They work forever, but are only good for the present version. The only thing that would possibly stop functioning is remote access to the OPD, since that's really the part of the program that receives the most constant work.
I think the key to making that work is to release monthly builds of the OPD for use offline, as James suggested might be possible
in this post. That way, someone with an expired license could still have full access to the latest version of the OPD they're eligible for (rounded up to the nearest month). That way, AnyDVD would retain its usefulness both for your current collection, and anything you might purchase in the future that had been released in years past.
I've posted on this extensively in the other thread on future licenses, however I'll repost some of that here.
I've been a lifetime license owner since 2006, and received a tremendous return on that in the years since. I also prefer the perpetual license scheme, but even with 99% of perpetual licenses, most software still requires paid updates for major version changes (and those that don't usually cease development sooner or later, as the model becomes increasingly unsustainable). I always wondered in the back of my mind if the lifetime licenses would end up doing SlySoft in before Hollywood.
I purchase a lot of software, but no other software I own has given me the level of value, constant updates and support that AnyDVD has (and AnyDVD is among the cheapest software I've bought). In 2006, I bought all four products SlySoft offered at the time (AnyDVD, CloneDVD, CloneCD and CloneDVD mobile) in a bundle for a mere $75. A year later, in 2007, I paid just $30 to upgrade to AnyDVD HD. In return, they've provided me with nearly a decade of support and updates... for $105! That's not only unheard of, but when you think about it it's really kind of ludicrous. How is any business expected to function in the long run that way?
Nearly all that other software requires the occasional upgrade (paid, but usually at a significant discount from the full price) if I want to use the latest version. Even Winzip charges upgrade fees for major version changes, and AnyDVD is immeasurably more valuable and better-maintained than software like that. So if it were up to me, I'd make AnyDVD work more like this:
€100 - Initial license
€50 - upgrade fee upon major version changes (eg, 7.x --> 8.x --> 9.x), with upgrades being released every 12-15 months... basically Adobe's model before they turned evil and went Creative Cloud
Not to seem insensitive to people's financial issues (we've all had money problems), but if we can afford to pay for Blu-rays throughout the year at anywhere from $15-30 for a single movie or $30-$60 for a year's worth of TV episodes, then how is a small fee for continued AnyDVD support too much to ask?