Audio Video News

Read it and weep, fans of open DVD: more than one million Divx discs have been sold since the official launch of the pay-per-view format on September 25, 1998. The magic number was reached over the weekend of February 20-21, according to an announcement released last week by Digital Video Express.

The number was racked up in only five months of sales, which is a firm rebuttal to critics who predicted that the format would tank immediately. "Exceeding the one million mark by this date is extraordinary," says Paul Brindze, president of Divx Entertainment. "Our customers clearly are taking advantage of the convenience and affordability of Divx movie discs."

The success comes as a surprise in view of Divx's delayed debut---it was originally expected nationwide last summer---and promotional cutbacks by corporate parent Circuit City after hoped-for financial partners failed to materialize. Divx's growth might be partly attributable to rising prices for new movies in the competing open-DVD format. For example, Universal Studios Home Video recently announced 12 DVD titles scheduled for April release, with prices ranging from $26.98 for Meet Joe Black to $34.98 for a DTS edition of Born on the Fourth of July.

Divx discs are sold at 742 retail locations, including all Circuit City, The Good Guys!, Ultimate Electronics, Audio King, SoundTrack, Nationwide, 6th Avenue, DOW Stereo/Video, and Future Shop U.S. stores; they're also available online at DivxFlix. More than 350 titles are now available in the Divx format. Recent additions include Antz, There's Something About Mary, Deep Impact, Out of Sight, and Six Days/Seven Nights.