source: http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?p=9764#post9764

http://sandbox.slysoft.com/beta/SetupAnyDVDhd6121.exe

Changes:
- Added AnyDVD HD ripper
- Some cosmetic changes
- Added German translation

"If you want to test HD DVD decryption but you have bought AnyDVD (not running in demo mode) you have to remove your AnyDVD license key (easiest way to do so is to rename the registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\SlysSoft\AnyDVD\Key to something else using regedit).

If you don't have a HD DVD drive you don't need to bother, of course."

Could someone please clarify... has Slysoft actually "cracked" the security on HD discs?

If I have a HD drive, could I run AnyDVD HD and use for example Nero's "copy disc" funciton to fully back up a HD disc?

If not, what are the limitations of AnyDVD HD?

I believe the current AnyDVD HD does indeed remove all the protection from HD-DVD movies, and I suppose that means you could copy it with Nero (Nero does support HD-DVD and Blu-Ray burning now, right?). However, that would be dependant on your having appropriate media... most HD-DVD movies released so far are on 30GB discs. I haven't seen any HD-DVD blanks (or burners, for that matter) in any store around my city so far, let alone dual-layer blanks. Besides, if there are any HD-DVD burners on the market, I highly doubt they're dual-layer.

Since I'm sure Nero doesn't yet include a Recode-type utility that can reauthor HD-DVD move structures or compress them to fit a single-layer HD-DVD, I don't think it will be possible to copy most titles at the current time.

So why do we need to remove the protection if there are not disk to copy them on?
Myself I so not need for HD the dvds I have now are just fine.

For now, I think it's mainly to improve the ease of use in watching the movies. For example. with AnyDVD HD running, you wouldn't need HDCP-compliant hardware. There are other things it's able to do as well (magic file replacement feature, etc.), though someone else would have to elaborate on them.

I think you summed that up very nicely TM2-Megatron.