{{short description|Container format}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} frame|The ratDVD logo '''RatDVD''' (originally stylized "ratDVD") is the name of a proprietary container format for digital video, developed by Peter Jensen and a group of Russian and Danish university students.<ref name=Inquirer>{{cite web|last=Athow|first=Désiré|title=ratDVD: The best way to distribute DVDs online?|url=http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1027124/ratdvd-the-distribute-dvds-online|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609054631/http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1027124/ratdvd-the-distribute-dvds-online|url-status=unfit|archive-date=9 June 2012|work=The Inquirer|publisher=Incisive Media|access-date=19 April 2013|date=21 June 2005}}</ref> The container format is a compressed archive format that holds all features of DVD-Video in a single file. Unlike other container formats like Matroska, it is designed to accurately mirror the exact feature set of standard video DVDs, facilitating round-tripping back to the DVD-Video format.<ref name=Inquirer />

RatDVD files are created by a computer program of the same name.<ref name=Inquirer /> The video portion of a RatDVD file is compressed with a proprietary video codec named "XEB",<ref>{{cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)|url=http://ratdvd.ca/faq.php#VideoCodec|publisher=RatDVD.CA|access-date=19 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618235304/http://www.ratdvd.ca/faq.php#VideoCodec|archive-date=18 June 2012|url-status=live|date=18 June 2012}}</ref> thus significantly reducing the overall size: a typical DVD (usually above 4 gigabytes) can be compressed to about 1 or 2 GB, with some loss in video quality due to recompression.<ref name=Softpedia>{{cite web|title=ratDVD|url=http://www.softpedia.com/get/CD-DVD-Tools/CD-DVD-Images-Utils/ratDVD.shtml|work=Softpedia|publisher=SoftNews SRL|access-date=19 April 2013|date=6 December 2005}}</ref> The resulting RatDVD file can then be played directly on a computer (as long as the needed codec has been installed) with a DirectShow-compatible DVD player, or converted back into standard DVD format.<ref name=Inquirer />

RatDVD program is freeware and works on Microsoft Windows. The last version is 0.78 and was released in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Download RatDVD|url=http://ratdvd.ca/download.php|publisher=RatDVD.CA|access-date=19 April 2013}}</ref> The program does not support copy-protected DVDs.<ref name=Softpedia />

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== *{{Cite web |url=http://japan.cnet.com/news/media/20084182/ |title=新コピーソフト「RatDVD」--映画業界に新たな強敵出現か |work=CNET News |publisher=CBS Interactive |language=ja |date=6 June 2005 |first=John |last=Borland}} *{{cite web|last=Borland|first=John|title=New wrinkle in movie swapping|url=http://news.cnet.com/New-wrinkle-in-movie-swapping/2100-1025_3-5731042.html|work=CNET News|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=19 April 2013|date=3 June 2005}}

==External links==

{{Compression formats}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratdvd}} Category:Windows-only freeware