The concept of RaveHD 2.0 was actually conceived when we first began our work with Tippett Studios on Troopers 2. Tippett was in need of a system that could perform specific functions for their Troopers project but was also feeding us with what they wanted for DDRs in general. Others jumped into the early development which is why RaveHD has the flexability that other products do not. We found out early that no two studios work alike. Here are some images of the first version called DDR-Edit that was created to use for Troopers. These early versions were fairly static. The GUI tied to the app, the app tied to I/O and so on. What was really being developed behind this immediate need was what we have today. Tippett, along with many other customers wanted something that could not only expand much easier but that could be used for a variety of workflows without jeopardizing ease of use and accuracy. A client/server app is what they needed and asked for.

Over the next several versions, attempts were made to convert this project but failed. The technology just wasn't there, forcing us to write code to bring it all together and at the same time tackle the unknowns of doing uncompressed video. SpectSoft was among the few companies that was working in HD video and we were the only small company taking on such an endeavor. Prior to Troopers, our first NAB showing off HD was using a still-storer card from AJA, the KonaHD was not yet introduced. When Troopers rolled around we had over a year of HD development under our belt and a brand new HD card from AJA to play with. It all just fell together. Maintaining support was fairly easy because the product was solid and just ran which allowed us time to develop what we have today.

RaveHD 2.0 is the first commercial client/sever DDR that is in use today running entirely on Linux. This is not the traditional approach of what a DDR does, but then again, studios were not looking for traditional. From the outside it functions just like a DDR should but from the inside it allows the studios to expand in ways we can't even imagine. A huge thanks to all the brilliant minds behind this project and we look forward to seeing what you can come up with next.

* A Technical look at RaveHD 2.0