You don't even imagine how much time I press on "Edit" after I press "Submit" to change some parts of my post :).

Moopeg: media player that plays ratDVD files
 

I was having trouble to play a .ratDVD file (HP II) and following a suggestion at cdfreak forum I found out the Moopeg player, a small DirectShow media player that PLAYS .ratDVD files :!:

If someone wanna try it, here is the link: http://www.glop.org/moopeg/

CYA!

If you want an even "lighter" player, try the KVCD player :cool:
http://www.kvcd.net/downloads/KVCDPlayer_English.exe ( Or the spanish version: http://www.kvcd.net/downloads/KVCDPlayer_Spanish.exe ;) )
Weighting at only ~23KB :mrgreen:

-kwag

Karl, I already have the small GREAT KVCD Player :!: 8) I like its so much, but in fact I'd want a media player that played .ratDVD files and with Moopeg I got a perfect playback with last one :!: 8) Unfortunately I don't got plays .ratDVD with KVCD Player (it freezes when I trying in use it :( )

CYA !

That's weird!
I'm playing back ratDVD files fine, and I'm running Win2k :roll:
Only if I try to change a chapter, then it will freeze.
But this also happens with WMP, so I guess it could be a w2k issue.

-kwag

@Karl

I'm using WinXP SP1 and I already there was tried several media players (the last was KVCD Player) and only with Moopeg player I got a perfect playback from .ratDVD files. I suppose that could be something related with DirectShow filters, but I'm unsure ... :?

CYA!

I have to take back what I said, that ratDVD plays fine in KVCD player.
I just tried again, and when I selected a chapter in the middle of the movie, it froze.
But then again, I also tried moopeg, and it also freezes whrn I tried the same thing.
WMP also does the same thing, so I guess it's common to the Directshow layer in the OS.

-kwag

Hmmm, interesting question that you've pointed out: DirectShow x Windows OS "flavour". I did the same that you do it (changed to an arbitrary chapter while running the playback) and I didn't get any freezing in playback, using MOOPEG. So, I think that this corroborates your assumption about DirectShow layer in W2K. It'd be nice if someone other would report here its experiences about playback .ratDVD files, considering Windows OS "flavour", media player used, etc ...

CYA!

danpos
ratdvd jobs working with zoomplayer:
http://www.ratdvd.dk/faq.htm#ZoomPlayer

@AlexandreBH

Hi, Alexandre ! I already readed the RATDVD FAQ and I did everything recommended there to do zplayer plays .ratDVD file and I got to playback a .ratDVD file, but one was weird. I got a big screen playing movie in b/w followed by 2 others smaller screens in b/w too. This behaviour was also reported at VCDHelp forum: http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=270225 ... Like I said, after several tryings with several media players, I got success to plays my .ratDVD file only with small, simple e efficient "COW" player (aka Moopeg player :lol: )

BTW, thank for advice!

CYA!

In all this thread I see few (to not say zero) comment about what is really important : what about the quality of what you obtain, and what is the SIZE of the final file ?

Something good that is more than the original size it's not really interresting.
Something near good in 2GB can be interresting.
Something bad in 800 Mb had no interrest (over KVCD).

So ? What do you have in front of you eyes ? Please...
Snapshots, someone ?

(The day this tool will work on win2000 I will have my own idea.)

@Dialhot

You've absolute reason ! That's the crucial point. By my side, only now I can to give some opinion because only now I got play a .ratDVD file :!: 8O

My first trying with ratDVD:

Movie : Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Original DVD size : 7.49GB
RatDVD file size (with 5.1 -> 2.0) : 1.44GB
Transcoded DVD size : 6.05GB

Quality : Default 95%

Comments about quality: I think that one is very good indeed, considering the coast x benefit. I'll provide some screenshots asap. I played a bit with navigation menus using Moopeg media player and the one showed fully functional (for instance, during a .ratDVD playback when I changed the subtitles - english default for portuguese - I didn't get any freezing and the changings occured almost smooth; the same when I changed the current chapter for an arbitrary one).

That's my contribution to debate :!:

CYA!

EDIT: I'm having difficulty to capture screenshots of scenes when I play .ratDVD file. I'm always getting a black screen, instead of the correct screen (scene). Could someone indicate for me a program the does this? In this form I'd present some screen from HP II ratDVD playback ... :D TIA.

@all,

Can this be possible :roll: A new version of RatDVD has arrived
and it supports Windows 2000 :idea:

http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail...D/1117684936/1

-BP

I'm running it right now BP :)
And it's working just great on Windows 2000 :D

-kwag

@Kwag

It's great ! :D What about the quality of your .ratDVD files generated ? Compression ? I still don't get captures any screenshot of ratDVD scenes played any player that I try it ... :(

CYA!

Will let you know in about 10 minutes :)
I'm currently compression a small "extra" on my DVD of "Bug's Life".
A little story about an old guy, who plays checkers with himself :)
Some of you will remember that clip, as it was one of the first KVCD samples I encoded, way back over two years ago :cool:

-kwag

Well, not very good news :(
I just did 2 runs on the same extras chapter, and I can't play the file :roll:
I'm going to try it on my wife's machine, which is XP Prof.
I'll try the exact DVD, and the same chapter.

-kwag

@Kwag

Oh, boy ! :o That sucks! :? Did you try renders .ratDVD file with graphedit :?:

CYA!

It sure sucks :lol:
No I didn't try with graphedit. I'm sure it will not work either, because I can't even open the created ratDVD file with ratDVD itself :!:
The test on my wife's machine was the same, so we can discard that this is a W2K/XP issue.
When I tried to open the .ratDVD file to convert it back to DVD, and I get an out of bounds error from the ratDVD program.
Same error on W2K and on XP.
The funny thing is, that the conversion went 100% fine on both machines :roll:
So something is getting screwed up, probably in the container.
I'll check another DVD that I have, and see if it does the same thing.

-kwag

@Kwag

I also noted this behaviour in my WinXP machine, when I tried loads a .ratDVD file created with PREVIOUS version (which I was playing perfectly with Moopeg player and with graphedit built-in player). When I loaded it in RatDVD app it hung my whole system ! :twisted: So, I'll come back to ratDVD previous version and then see the behaviour of app.

Cheers,

I think this software has a long way to go before it's really useable :roll:
Looks promising though :)
But I think I'm quiting it right now, until the next version ;)

-kwag

I tried a DVD-R (movie only) ---> RatDVD of "Assualt on Precinct 13".
The DVD-R backup was done after 7 hrs the compressed RatDVD file
was 665MB. I used RatDVD version 0.6.1117 and played it with
Moopeg version 0.2a. The video paused every few minutes and the
audio was out of sync. The picture was very good quality, better than
an SVCD. There were no error messages and I tried to play the RatDVD
file from a 800MB CDR. The video was still pausing and audio out of
sync, but picture was very good as before. Kwag is correct that more
work needs to be done. :wink:

BTW, used default settings of RatDVD.

-BP

I'm very surprised (in a good way) to have done my first KDVD <ith this release on my P4 1.6Ghz / 512 MB / win2000 laptop in FOUR hours ! And I was using the PC at the same time 8O. The DVD was a Disney (black cauldron), with movie length 1h17 an total length including bonus near 2h25. Final filesize 1.5 GB (quality setting on 95, the default).

But I have problems to playback and it was too late to solve this yesterday. I'll see tonight.

Is it a "movie only" DVD ? Else what is the length of the movie and the total length of all the footage, bonus included ?

Screenshots
 

Movie : Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Original DVD size : 7.49GB
RatDVD file size (with 5.1 -> 2.0) : 1.44GB
Transcoded DVD size : 6.05GB

Quality : Default 95%

Follow screeshots of DVD generated from ratDVD file (note: ratDVD file was done with previous version of app, being readed and processed correctly by one)

http://www.digitalfaq.com/archives/error.gif

http://www.digitalfaq.com/archives/error.gif

http://www.digitalfaq.com/archives/error.gif

Size of DVD generated: 4.27 GB

For comparing, follow screeshots from original DVD:

http://www.digitalfaq.com/archives/error.gif

http://www.digitalfaq.com/archives/error.gif

http://www.digitalfaq.com/archives/error.gif

(The screeshots were captured with native tool from WinDVD and were compressed in jpg by one itself - I didn't any interference as resize, compression quality etc)

I very like of results. It's really amazing. 8O

CYA!

Re: Screenshots
 

You like the results ? 8O 8O 8O
It's a lot too blurry to be watchable. I don't speak about artefacts all around the picture (with such gain on the filesize, we can appologize this).

Com'on. On the last picture you can barely see the eyes of ... euh... what's his name ? All the stripes from bed cover have disappear also.

The last time I checked if my glasses were clean like touday, I was watching a VCD ;-)

Edit: I still can't read the .ratDVD I did on my win2000 laptop :-(

Edit2: BTW; thank you for the snapshots :D

Re: Screenshots
 

You've reason indeed. The resulting DVD is very blurry (with screeshots we can see easily). When I say that "I very like ...", I'm thinking a whole thing: the great compression when it go DVD -> ratDVD which generates losses; the reverse process that generates more losses ...Maybe the developer uses the blur effect on the movie for hides and/or avoids pixelation ... I'd hope a worst result, thence my statement. But several "dummies" will like to ... and then to do ratDVD -> DVD, burns the DVD and go ahead ... :twisted:

OK, I do agree with you. And I don't remember me of its name too. :lol:

Oh, that's sucks! :twisted: Have got you tried the others players suggested at ratDVD home page?

Your welcome. :D

CYA!

Re: Screenshots
 

even using ratdvd to play? is working in my windows 2000!

Re: Screenshots
 

Not it does not. Nothing works. Or at least, nothing give a correct image (I manage to have it in black and whithe, in a little tiny window that did the quarter of the screen. lol).

RatDVD updated to version 0.7
 

Release notes:

Release Notes ratDVD v0.7.1235:
------------------------------

New Features:

Added Direct burning capability *1
Added ISO creation engine *1
Added MCE (Windows Media Center Edition 2005) support
*ratDVD files are listed as video files
*full control with mouse and remote control
Codec quality/speed optimizations
Added advanced codec options
*Ignore scaler
*Use alternate quantization model
*MV Search Path
*P Bonus
Multi-Language support
*ar - Arabic
*ca - Catalan
*cz - Czech
*de - German
*dk - Danish
*en - English
*es - Spanish
*fr - French
*gr - Greek
*hu - Hungarian
*it - Italian
*nl - Dutch
*pl - Polish
*pt - Portuguese
*pt_BR - Portuguese (Brazil)
*ro - Romanian
*ru - Russian
*sr - Serbian
*sk - Slovak
*th - Thai
*tr - Turkish
*uk - Ukranian
ratDVD naming scheme
*Automatic content based naming extension
Tag editing while adding tagging
Shut down after convert
Setting for conversion task priority
Custom sounds
*For successful completions
*For failed completions
Remote Control Support with WM_Input interface
*Allows usage of WM_Input compatible remote controls (like the Microsoft Media center remote control) to control ratDVD playback.
New default quality set to 105
New maximum quality to 120
Source import plug-in architecture
*Allows extensions for different source material (e.g. ISO Images, all kind of optical media, etc.)
Destination export plug-in architecture
*Allows extensions for all kind of different output targets (e.g. ISO Images, or transcoding to other formats, etc.)
Custom action at end of successful conversion process
*Allows a higher degree of automation (e.g. automatic batch conversions, transfers in ratDVD archives, etc.)

Bug fixes:

Playback fixes:
*Chapter change after seek was sometime not correct
*Wrong time display in Media Player
*Acceptance of only known video render filters solves problems with some codec packs/ffdshow
*Fix for illegal NAV pack positions that sometimes happens in DVD Shrink created discs
*Fix for wrong subtitle display on some movies
*Wrapping of navigation component as COM module – can now be used from all programs system wide
*Fix for wrong audio/subtitle switching at next chapter after seek
*Fix for changing aspect ratio change with VMR9 (Video Mixing Renderer)
*Fix for graph stopping in certain situations
Support for >4GB images
Fix for “list index out of bounds” conversion issue for some movies

Known Issues:

Seek bar in Media Player
*No reset at new title start
*Does not reflect complete length with some movies
Resume ratDVD function in MCE2005 starts movie from the beginning

*1 – Nero needs to be installed for ISO creation / DVD burning functionality

-kwag

I saw that 3 days ago and din't mentioned it because nothing has been done one the quality (that is far poorest than a Divx). For me, until this point is greatly enhanced, RatDVD is useless.

Note: 1 guy, 3 weeks and so much things added ? :roll:
http://www.kvcd.net/forum/viewtopic....933&highlight=

Same related to quality.
Maybe "they" plans to fight with divx, DVD and another industries?

Try this version Phil.
Previous version used to lock up all the time when I selected different chapters, or when I moved the slider forward.
I just tried it on a .Rat file I did last month, and it didn't lock up.
I think I'll encode a movie tonight just to see if the claim of "Codec quality/speed optimizations" is true :)

-kwag

If these guys get it right, DivX doesn't stand a chance to compete against them, because of all the features of Rat like preserving audio channels, subtitles, menus, etc.
I don't know if the rumors about a DVD manufacturer looking into supporting Rat is true. But I grant you, that if I was a DVD manufacturer, I would already be adding firmware support to include Rat, because we all know what this would mean to the manufacturer, the consumers, and the headache to the MPAA :mrgreen:

-kwag

ths concept of rat dvd is interesting however the win xp only functionality makes it as useless as windows xp itself, me being a windows 2000 pro user rat dvd is useless imho

ratDVD runs on win2000.
Whats makes it useless is that it is ugly.

it runs yes but it doesnt decode/encode for win2000 at least thats the result i got .....

Hum... I did encode on win2000 on a former release. I did not try the latest ones. But don't worry, it does not worth the time you spent on it. Just forget.