DivX
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DivX is a brand name of products created by DivX, Inc. (formerly DivXNetworks, Inc.), including the DivX Codec which has become popular due to its ability to compress lengthy video segments into small sizes while maintaining relatively high visual quality.
There are two DivX codecs; the regular MPEG-4 Part 2 DivX codec and the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC DivX Plus HD codec. It is one of several codecs commonly associated with "ripping", whereby audio and video multimedia are transferred to a hard disk and transcoded.
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History
The "DivX" brand is distinct from "DIVX" (Digital Video Express), an unrelated attempt by the now defunct U.S. retailer Circuit City to develop a video rental system requiring special discs and players.[1] The winking emoticon in the early "DivX ;-)" codec name was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the failed DIVX system. The DivX company then adopted the name of the popular DivX ;-) codec (which was not created by them), dropped the smiley and released DivX 4.0, which was actually the first DivX version. (Note that DivX ;-) and DivX are separate products and are created by different people; the former is not an older version of the latter). The DivX name is its trademark.[2][3] It is pronounced DIV-ex.
Early works
DivX ;-) (not DivX) 3.11 Alpha and later 3.xx versions refers to a hacked version of the Microsoft MPEG-4 Version 3 video codec (not to be mistaken with MPEG-4 Part 3) from Windows Media Tools 4 codecs.[4][5] The video codec, which was actually not MPEG-4 compliant, was extracted around 1998 by French hacker Jerome Rota (also known as Gej) at Montpellier. The Microsoft codec originally required that the compressed output be put in an ASF file. It was altered to allow other containers such as Audio Video Interleave (AVI).[6] Rota hacked the Microsoft codec because newer versions of the Windows Media Player wouldn't play his video portfolio and résumé that were encoded with it. Instead of re-encoding his portfolio, Rota and German hacker Max Morice decided to reverse engineer the codec, which "took about a week".[7]
Later works
In early 2000, Jordan Greenhall recruited Rota to form a company (originally called DivXNetworks, Inc., renamed to DivX, Inc. in 2005) to develop an MPEG-4 codec, from scratch, that would still be backward-compatible with the Microsoft MPEG-4 Version 3 format. This effort resulted first in the release of the "OpenDivX" codec and source code on 15 January 2001. OpenDivX was hosted as an open-source project on the Project Mayo web site hosted at projectmayo.com[8] (the name comes from "mayonnaise", because, according to Rota, DivX and mayonnaise are both "French and very hard to make." [7]). The company's internal developers and some external developers worked jointly on OpenDivX for the next several months, but the project eventually stagnated.
In early 2001, DivX employee "Sparky" wrote a new and improved version of the codec's encoding algorithm known as "encore2". This code was included in the OpenDivX public source repository for a brief time, but then was abruptly removed. The explanation from DivX at the time was that "the community really wants a Winamp, not a Linux." It was at this point that the project forked. That summer, Rota left the French Riviera and moved to San Diego "with nothing but a pack of cigarettes"[9] where he and Greenhall founded what would eventually become DivX, Inc.[7]
DivX took the encore2 code and developed it into DivX 4.0, initially released in July 2001. Other developers who had participated in OpenDivX took encore2 and started a new project—Xvid—that started with the same encoding core. DivX, Inc. has since continued to develop the DivX codec, releasing DivX 5.0 in March 2002. By the release of version 5.2.1 on 8 September 2004, the DivX codec was substantially feature-complete.[10] Changes since then have tended to focus on speed, and encouraging wider hardware player support, while the company has also focused its time on the formats and next generation codecs.
DivX formats
DivX Media Format (DMF)
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| Filename extension | .divx |
|---|---|
| Type code | DIVX |
| Developed by | DivX, Inc. |
| Type of format | media container |
| Container for | MPEG-4 Part 2–compliant video |
| Extended from | AVI |
DivX 6 expanded the scope of DivX from including just a codec and a player by adding an optional media container format called "DivX Media Format" ("DMF")[11] (with a .divx extension) that includes support for the following DVD-Video and VOB container like features. This media container format is used for the MPEG-4 Part 2 codec.
- DivX Media Format (DMF) features:
- Interactive video menus
- Multiple subtitles (XSUB)
- Multiple audio tracks
- Multiple video streams (for special features like bonus/extra content, just like on DVD-Video movies)
- Chapter points
- Other metadata (XTAG)
- Multiple format
- Partial backwards compatibility with AVI
This new "DivX Media Format" also came with a "DivX Ultra Certified" profile, and all "Ultra" certified players must support all "DivX Media Format" features. While video encoded with the DivX codec is an MPEG-4 video stream, the DivX Media Format is analogous to media container formats such as Apple's QuickTime. In much the same way that media formats such as DVD specify MPEG-2 video as a part of their specification, the DivX Media Format specifies MPEG-4-compatible video as a part of its specification. However, despite the use of the ".divx" extension, this format is an extension to the AVI file format. The methods of including multiple audio and even subtitle tracks involve storing the data in RIFF headers and other such AVI hacks which have been known for quite a while, such that even VirtualDubMod supports them. DivX, Inc. did this on purpose to keep at least partial backwards compatibility with AVI, so that players that do not support the new features available to the .divx container format (like interactive menus, chapter points and XSUB subtitles) can at least play that primary video stream (usually the main movie if the DMF file contains multiple video streams like special features like bonus materials). Of course, the DivX codec and tools like Dr. DivX still support the traditional method of creating standard AVI files.
DivX Plus HD
DivX Plus HD is a marketing name for a file type using the standard Matroska media container format (.mkv), rather than the proprietary DivX Media Format. DivX Plus HD files contain an H.264 video bitstream, AAC surround sound audio, and a number of XML-based attachments defining chapters, subtitles and meta data.[12] This media container format is used for the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec.
DivX profiles
DivX has defined many profiles, which are sets of MPEG-4 features as determined by DivX. Because the grouping is different from what is specified in the MPEG-4 standard, there is a DivX-specific device certification process for device manufacturers.[13] DivX's profiles differ from the standardized profiles of the ISO/IEC MPEG-4 international standard.
| Handheld (deprecated) | Portable (deprecated) | qMobile | Mobile | Home Theater | High Def | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Version | 5+ | 3.11 | 4+ | 5+ | 5+ | 3.11+ | 4+ | |
| Max. resolution | (px×px×Hz) | 176×144×15 | 352×240×30, 352×288×25 | 720×480×30, 720×576×25 | 177x144x15 | 320x240×30 | 720×480×30, 720×576×25 | 1280×720×30; 6.5: 1920×1080×30 |
| Macroblocks | (kHz) | 1.485 | 9.9 | 40.5 | 40.5 | 108 | ||
| Max. average bitrate | (Mbit/s) | 0.2 | 0.768 | 4 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 4 | 4 |
| Max. peak bitrate | (Mbit/s) | 0.4 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 20 | ||
| Min. VBV buffer size | (KiB) | 33 | 128 | 384 | 65 | 384 | 768 | |
DivX Video on Demand
DivX Video on Demand (DivX VOD) is DivX's version of digital rights management (DRM), which allows content owners to control distribution in an effort to thwart piracy. DivX, Inc. has received format approval from major Hollywood studios including Sony, Paramount and Lionsgate, which has allowed content retailers to sell protected videos that will play on current and previous generations of DivX certified devices.[14]
DivX software
The DivX codec, DivX Plus Software for Windows and DivX 7 for Mac are available as free downloads at the DivX website.
On the 6 January 2009, DivX 7 was released, which added H.264 video, AAC audio and Matroska container support, surpassing the restrictions of the previous formats.[15]
DivX Plus Software for Windows
On the 16 March 2010, DivX Plus Software (version 8) for Windows was released, which introduced the DivX Plus Codec Pack and DivX to Go integration in the DivX Plus Player.[16]
DivX Plus Player
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| Developer(s) | DivX, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 8.0.1 / 4 June 2010 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | Media player |
| License | Freeware |
| Website | http://www.divx.com/software/divx-plus/player |
DivX Plus Player (version 8) is a standalone media player.[17] This player is a successor to DivX Player (versions 6 and 7) and Playa (version 5), made by the Project Mayo team that later became DivX, Inc.
DivX Plus Player also features DivX to Go as an additional panel on the right side of the interface with four buttons targeting consumer electronic devices. When a user drags a video file onto one of the icons, a transfer wizard is invoked, which walks the user through the steps needed to convert and transfer a video file that's compatible with their DivX Certified device, via USB or optical disc.
DivX Plus Player also features a media library as well as a set of Digital Rights Management features that help authorize purchased commercial contents for the consumer's computer and his DivX Certified devices.[17]
Supported formats
DivX Plus Player supports the following media formats:[17]
| File formats | Video compression algorithms | Audio compression algorithms | |
|---|---|---|---|
| — Native support — | |||
| Advanced Systems Format | .wmv, .asf | H.264 | Advanced Audio Coding |
| Audio Video Interleave | .avi | MPEG-4 ASP | MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 |
| DivX Format | .divx | Windows Media Video | Windows Media Audio |
| Matroska | .mkv | Vorbis | |
| MPEG-4 Part 14 | .mp4 | ||
| QuickTime Format | .mov | ||
| SubRip | .srt | ||
| SubStation Alpha | .ssa, .ass | ||
| — Extended support — | |||
| MPEG-1 | .mpg, .mpe, .mpeg, .m1v | MPEG-1 Video | MPEG-1 Audio Layer I |
| MPEG-2 | .vob, .ts, .m2v | MPEG-2 Video | MPEG-1 Audio Layer II |
| RMVB | .rmvb | RealVideo | RealAudio |
| M2TS | .m2ts, .mts | Dolby Digital(AC-3) | |
| DTS | |||
| L-PCM | |||
- Legend
Has native support in DivX Plus Requires external components installed
DivX Plus Converter
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| Developer(s) | DivX, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 8.0.1.49 / 4 June 2010 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | Video converter |
| License | Converter: Freeware Converter Pro: Proprietary commercial software |
| Website | http://www.divx.com/software/divx-plus/converter |
The DivX Plus Converter (version 8) introduced a dramatically changed interface from its predecessor. The former had a small round interface that allowed for little more than selecting the type of output and displayed the number of videos in the queue. The DivX Plus Converter interface contains a large window that exposes each video that has been added in a row with drop-down options for quality, size, audio, subtitles and more. Another notable change is while both the previous and DivX Plus versions have 15-day trials, the DivX Plus Converter still allows users to create DivX Plus HD files for free after the trial is complete.[18]
DivX Plus Converter can convert AVI files (.avi), MP4 files (.mp4), QuickTime Video files (.mov), Windows Media Video files (.wmv), AVCHD video files (.mts and .m2ts) and RMVB files (.rmvb) to DivX Plus HD format (.mkv files). When a DivX Pro license is purchased, it can also convert video files to DivX Media Format (.divx files). In addition with the purchase of an "MPEG-2/DVD Plug-in", the input support range of DivX Plus Converter will be extended to support MPEG video, MPEG-2 video, DVD Video and Video CD.[18]
DivX Plus Codec Pack
The DivX Plus Codec Pack is an upgrade to the former DivX Community Codec, which enables system-wide playback of MPEG-4 ASP and H.264 video (DivX Plus files) via DirectShow and Media Foundation components. This pack includes a free H.264 decoder with optional DXVA hardware acceleration that can be activated in the control panel.
Customers that pay for DivX Pro can access additional features of the DivX codec in Video for Windows applications.
DivX Plus Web Player
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| Developer(s) | DivX, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 2.0.2 / 16 March 2010 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows / Mac OS X |
| Type | Media player |
| License | Freeware |
| Website | http://www.divx.com/software/divx-plus/web-player |
DivX Plus Web Player (formerly known as DivX Web Player and DivX Browser Plug-In) is a web browser plug-in for playing embedded files hosted on a publisher's HTTP web server, and is capable of HD and surround sound playback inside major browsers for Windows and Mac OS.[19]
Features
- Windows browser plug-in for Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome
- Mac OS browser plug-in for Safari (32-bit) and Firefox
- Plays embedded DivX/Xvid encoded .divx or .avi files with MP3 audio
- Also plays embedded DivX Plus HD, or H.264 video with AAC audio in .mkv
- Supports multiple audio tracks and muxed UTF-8 subtitles
- Video file can be saved locally upon completing of full-length buffer
- JavaScript interface for web developers: DivX Developer Portal
DivX 7 for Mac
DivX Player for Mac
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| Developer(s) | DivX, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 7.2.3 / 17 November 2009 |
| Operating system | Mac OS X |
| Type | Media player |
| License | Freeware |
| Website | http://www.divx.com/en/software/mac/ |
DivX Player for Mac, first introduced with DivX 6.5 on the 25 May 2006, is a standalone player that plays DivX encoded files and DivX Media Format features such as subtitles, multiple audio tracks, and DivX VOD content. The DivX Player for Mac also can play DivX Plus HD compatible files — namely .mkv files encoded with H.264 video and AAC audio. Unlike the DivX 7 and DivX Plus (version 8) Windows counterparts, DivX Player for Mac does not include a burn engine or a utility for moving videos to USB.
Features
- Bundled playback of MPEG-4 ASP video with MP3 audio (.divx/.avi) and DivX Plus files (Matroska with H.264 video and AAC audio)
- Mouse gestures to control video
- Media manager via a video library window
- Play any QuickTime supported file
- Play video as desktop background
- Manage certified DivX devices to enable playback of purchased/protected content
- Playback of purchased/protected video content
DivX Converter for Mac
DivX Converter for Mac has remained virtually unchanged since DivX 6 for Mac, which is most apparent in its small and round interface and lack of ability to generate DivX Plus HD files.
DivX Plus Web Player for Mac
As of DivX Plus Web Player version 2.0.2, DivX Plus Web Player for Mac has feature parity with the DivX Plus Web Player for Windows.
Community applications
Dr. DivX OSS
Dr. DivX is an application created by DivX, Inc. that is capable of transcoding many video formats to DivX encoded video. The original closed source Dr. DivX terminated at version 1.06 for DivX 5.21, that was the last version of DivX capable of running under Windows 9x/Me. An open source version has been made, which supports DivX 6. Dr. DivX offers greatly expanded features over the free DivX Converter application, that was bundled with the codec from version 6 onwards.[20] Dr. Divx is not compatible with DivX Plus HD.
DivX H.264 encoder
DivX has released a command line interface (CLI) for the divx264 encoder used in the DivX Plus Converter as beta, free for non-commercial use.[21] Since it can only create raw H.264 streams a Matroska muxer must be used.
DivX AAC encoder
To complement the CLI divx264 encoder released on DivX Labs, DivX has also released a DivX AAC encoder CLI as a Windows beta binary.[21] Since it can only create raw AAC streams, a Matroska muxer must be used.
DivX MKV Mux
The DivXMKVMux is a free Windows CLI available through DivX Labs with documentation on the DivX Developer Portal; DivX describes the release as a reference mux to demonstrate DivX Plus MKV extensions like World Fonts and Smooth FF/RW.[22]
Hardware support
DivX, Inc. markets a certification program to consumer electronics and IC manufacturers for the purpose of guaranteed compatibility and playback of video files that fall within DivX profiles. Devices that have been DivX certified usually brandish one of the following marks:[23]
- DivX Certified
- DivX Certified for HD 720p and 1080p
- DivX Certified for DivX Plus HD
- DivX Connected
- DivX Certified for DivX Ultra
DivX certified devices have included DVD players, car stereos, mobile phones, televisions, blu-ray players, and even alarm clocks.[24]
Aside from verifying proper decoding of DivX files, the certification also confirms the device can play back DivX Video on Demand content, which includes Hollywood content that can be purchased from Internet retailers.[25]
Gaming system compatibility
On 4 December 2007, native MPEG-4 ASP playback support was added to the Xbox 360,[26] allowing it to play video encoded with DivX and other MPEG-4 ASP codecs.[27]
On 17 December 2007, firmware upgrade 2.10 was released for the Sony PlayStation 3, which included official DivX Certification. Firmware version 2.50 (released on 15 October 2008) included support for the DivX Video on Demand (DivX VOD) service, and firmware version 2.60 (released on 20 January 2009) included official DivX Certification and updated Profile support to version 3.11.[28]
With introduction of DivX to Go in the DivX Plus Player for Windows, a PlayStation 3 icon is readily available on the interface, which will invoke a transfer wizard for freely converting and copying video files in DivX format via USB or optical disc.[29] The output from DivX to Go's PlayStation 3 preset is also playable on the Xbox 360.
Competitors
The main competitors in the proprietary commercial video compression software market are Microsoft's Windows Media Video series, and Apple Inc.'s QuickTime.
While the DivX codec has long been renowned for its excellent video quality, the free and open source Xvid codec offers comparable quality. Both the DivX encoder and the Xvid encoder are compliant with MPEG-4 Part 2 (MPEG-4 ASP). However, the most commonly used DivX encoding profile (Home Theater)[30] does not employ the same MPEG-4 ASP features enabled in the most commonly used Xvid encoding profile (home).[31] In a series of subjective quality tests at Doom9.org between 2003 and 2005, the DivX encoder was beaten by the Xvid encoder every year.[32] Similar tests were not undertaken for newer versions.
The open source library libavcodec can decode and encode MPEG-4 video that can be encoded and decoded with DivX (and other MPEG-4 codecs, such as Xvid or libavcodec MPEG-4). Combined with image postprocessing code from the MPlayer project, it has been packaged into a DirectShow filter called ffdshow, which can be used for playback with most Windows video players. This library is highly customizable and offers a great variety of features to advanced users.
See also
- Related technologies
- Audio Video Interleave (.AVI)
- Matroska (.MKV)
- MPEG-4 Part 2
- H.264/MPEG-4 AVC
- Xvid
- FFmpeg
- ffdshow
- General Topics
- List of codecs
- Comparison of video codecs
- Container format (digital)
- Comparison of container formats
References
- ↑ "The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time". 26 May 2006. http://www.pcworld.com/article/125772-7/the_25_worst_tech_products_of_all_time.html. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
- ↑ "DivX Trademarks". http://www.divx.com/en/company/trademarks.
- ↑ "An Intellectual Property Case Study" (PDF). http://davidgrossman.name/Publications-Patents/DIVX%20IP%20Case%20Study.pdf.
- ↑ "VirtualDub documentation: codecs". www.virtualdub.org. http://www.virtualdub.org/docs_codecs.html. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ↑ "Video Codec Definitions". www.FOURCC.ofg. http://www.fourcc.org/codecs.php. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ↑ "DivX ;-)". AfterDawn. http://www.afterdawn.com/glossary/term.cfm/divx. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Escaping the Napster trap". http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/03/15/divx_part1/index.html. Retrieved 15 March 2001.
- ↑ "Project Mayo". Archive.org. 20 March 2003. Archived from the original on 2003-03-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20030320172758/http://www.projectmayo.com/. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ↑ "DivX CEO on Video, YouTube, iPod". http://www.redherring.com/Home/20135. Retrieved 8 December 2006.
- ↑ Answer
- ↑ "DivX Ultra Certification Program". DivX, Inc.. http://investors.divx.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=210522. Retrieved 07 April 2010.
- ↑ "DivX Plus HD". DivX Developer Portal. DivX, Inc.. http://developer.divx.com/docs/DivX_Plus_HD/. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
- ↑ "DivX Profiles from support forums". http://support.divx.com/cgi-bin/divx.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1709.
- ↑ "DivX inks film distribution deal with Lionsgate & Paramount". Businessofcinema.com. 4 August 2009. http://www.businessofcinema.com/news.php?newsid=13956. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ↑ "DivX Announces Release of Next-Generation, H.264 Based DivX(R) 7 Software". DivX, Inc.. 6 January 2009. http://investors.divx.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=357661. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ↑ "DivX Plus software". DivX Labs Blog. DivX, Inc.. 16 March 2010. http://labs.divx.com/divx-plus.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "DivX Plus Player – Video player for DivX, AVI, MKV, MP4 & MOV". DivX, Inc.. http://www.divx.com/en/software/divx-plus/player. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "DivX Plus Converter". www.divx.com. DivX, Inc.. http://www.divx.com/en/software/divx-plus/converter. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
- ↑ labs.divx.com: Web Player's blog.
- ↑ "DivX Video Converter". DivX, Inc.. http://www.divx.com/divx/windows/converter/. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 "DivX H.264 Encoder Beta 1 & Tutorial". DivX Labs blog. DivX, Inc.. 29 April 2009. http://labs.divx.com/node/6992. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
- ↑ http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=155633 Doom9.org - New DivX Plus Documentation
- ↑ "Program Details". Partner Solutions: Certified Programs. DivX, Inc.. http://www.divx.com/en/partner/certified-programs/program-details. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ↑ "Philips Digital Photo Frame Alarm Clock". UK Gadgeteer Website. 23 November 2007. http://gadgeteer.org.uk/2007/11/23/philips-digital-photo-frame-alarm-clock/. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ↑ Bond, Paul (26 August 2009). "Film Fresh, DivX sign DVD agreement – Deal allows users to back up their downloads". www.hollywoodreporter.com. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i63041d69a51cc0fd1b49c6c35c2f61b5. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ↑ Xbox.com | Personalities - A Fistful of Features in the December 2007 System Update
- ↑ "Xbox 360 DivX/XviD Playback Tested (Verdict: It's Almost Perfect)". Gizmodo. http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/xbox-360-divx%5Cxvid-test/xbox-360-divxxvid-tested-it-plays-almost-everything-329769.php. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
- ↑ "Firmware 2.60 brings photo gallery, Divx 3.11". PS3Fanboy. http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2009/01/20/firmware-2-60-brings-photo-gallery-divx-3-11/. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
- ↑ "New DivX Plus Software Update Targets PS3 via MKV Conversion - PS3 NEWS". ps3news.com. 26 March 2010. http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation-3/new-divx-plus-software-update-targets-ps3-via-mkv-conversion/. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ↑ "Home Theater". Dr. DivX User Guide: DivX Certified Profiles. DivX, Inc. 22 February 2007. http://labs.divx.com/node/74. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ↑ "Xvid Solutions Product Certification". XvidSolutions.com. 2009. http://www.xvidsolutions.com/Product-Certification.36.0.html. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ↑ "Codec comparisons". Doom9. http://www.doom9.org/codec-comparisons.htm. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
External links
- DivX Labs Community DivX website, with betas and ongoing projects
- DivX resources at the Open Directory Project
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