I have almost the opposite question. It seems like in v6, I could add .HDR images, and the images wouldn't render in the background, which I liked (particularly for a transparent background). Now, with the HDRI light, the background includes the .HDR image. Is there a way to have the .HDR image for the reflective part of an object, but not have it in the background?
Note that I have a workaround (render w/o the HDRI light to create the the alpha channel I want), but is there a more direct way to achieve my goal of HDRI effects on reflective surfaces w/o the HDRI background?