Occasionally, some software crops up on the Interweb and you're amazed. Take RatDVD. It stands for "Real Advanced Technology" and came to birth somewhere between Russia and Denmark, the fruit of a team lead by Peter Jensen.
It is a very new 'product' - the website was launched only six weeks ago and the first version 17 days later. Even then, a second version, ratDVD 0.6.1117, which came in last week has been downloaded several tens of thousands of times. Note that it is not offered by the usual downloading sites like download.com.
In a Nutshell, it is a CFF - Container Format File - technology whereby all the items contained in a DVD are compressed and enclosed into a single .ratDVD format file.
Unlike, say DiVX for example, this one keeps the whole thing intact so that you do not have to make concessions. It plays ingeniously on compression rates and introduces one or two goodies like Dolby Virtual Surround AC-3. More interestingly, it opens up the opportunity for those enterprising enough to sell ratDVD compatible players.
Now, the usage of this software per se is not illegal but as with all tools, illegal uses do exist and we do not condone them, of course. This might be one reason why the ratDVD domain name is registered at DomainsByProxy.com rather than through the usual route, the guys do not want too much publicity.
The main advantage of ratDVD is that it allows a whole DVD complete with menus and all bonuses to be compressed by a factor of three - minimum. You can see some results at CDfreaks.
It therefore allows people to store more than 100 full size DVDs on a desktop hard drive. Also of interest is the option which allows you to convert a ratDVD back to a normal DVD which allows you to view it on a stand alone player.
The interface is deceptively simple, with just three main windows (see picture). Compressing the whole DVD is a matter of a few clicks. Just select the IFO file from the DVD and start the compression after having decided, using the slider, whether to opt for a smaller file or a better quality one.
What's more, ratDVD uses its own codec called XEB which apparently does not use any XviD, x264 or any other code. To play any film, ratDVD uses DirectX9, a software DVD player or Windows Media Player 10 - in fact almost all usual players should be able to play back ratdvd files.
