Audio Video News

In the world of video-on-demand broadcast over the Internet, MPEG-4 video codec DivX (not to be confused with the previous Circuit City fiasco of the same name) has emerged as one of the more popular video compression technologies. Last week, DivXNetworks announced that DivX 4.0, the newest version of the codec (compressor/decompressor), is now available for download at its website.

DivXNetworks claims that the new release features improved performance, faster encoding speed, and better "near-DVD" visual quality than previous versions. The company released a "beta" of the codec in mid-July and reports that "in just one month of beta testing, we received an overwhelmingly positive response from the digital video community, with over three and a half million downloads of the beta codec recorded on DivX.com. Thanks to the input of thousands of beta testers, DivX 4.0 is now virtually bug-free and ready for consumer usage."

DivXNetworks says that, in addition to faster encoding and decoding speeds, improved DivX 4.0 features include multi-pass encoding and two different variable bit rate modes. The company adds that DivX 4.0 is also a highly scalable codec, going from 16x16 pixels to 1920x1280 pixels (HDTV) with all even integer dimensions in between.

The company says that the DivX 4.0 codec will serve as the core of its video-on-demand (VOD) product, the Open Video System, scheduled for release this fall. According to DivXNetworks' Jordan Greenhall, "The Open Video System is a complete end-to-end solution for the delivery of secure, cost-efficient digital video over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. I strongly encourage anyone interested in the future of digital video to visit our website, download the codec, and see the quality for yourself."