DivX is a digital file compression format, or codec, allowing DVD quality video to be greatly compressed with minimal loss of quality. It is a variation of Mpeg 4, the quality lies between DVD and VCD for the video and the audio is of Mp3 quality. Many new home DVD players are beginning to support Divx file playback and it is becoming a third option to DVD and VCD. Original criticism of DivX was that it was CPU labour intensive, however the latest version 5 is three times faster than its predecessor. DivX now also functions properly with late model CPUs and is being supported by leading video card manufacturers for better optimisation. Divx now works with video playback and editing software such as the popular PowerDVD and PowerDirector Pro 2.5. (Cyberlink, 2004)
The official DivX codec was created by Jerome Rota who founded DivXNetworks Inc. Rota originally hacked Microsoft’s Mpeg-4 layer video codec, however DivXNetworks now have a clean room design. A typical DVD movie is around 5-6 Gigabytes in size, with the latest DivX format such a file can be compressed down to approximately 700 Megabytes, small enough to fit on a single CD. (Wikipedia, 2004) The introduction of Divx is affecting the film industry in similar ways Mp3 did in recent years. It is now feasible to download full-length titles from the Internet with DivX opening doors for both sales opportunities and illegal trading. The creators of DivX claim it is the most popular file compression format in the world, citing over 120 million downloads of the codec. (DivX.com, 2004) In an interview with Rota in 2000 he said that he intended DivX to be seen as an opportunity for legal gains. He mused that it could be used for transmitting footage of a wedding to distant friends or as a means for film companies to release trailers for upcoming features. (Gomes, 2000) It is now apparent that DivX is used rampantly for the trading of illegal copies of films on networks such as Kazaa and in IRC.
Daniel Fisher 00:54, 9 Sep 2004 (EST)
