DIVX
This article is about the videodisc format. For the video codec, see DivX.
DIVX (Digital Video Express) was an unsuccessful attempt by Circuit City and the entertainment law firm Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca and Fischer to create an alternative to video rental in the United States.
Contents
[hide]
1 Format
2 History
2.1 Launch
2.2 Demise
2.2.1 Opposition
3 List of films available on DIVX
4 See also
5 References
[edit]Format
DIVX was a rental format variation on the DVD player in which a customer would buy a DIVX disc (similar to a DVD) for approximately US$4, which was watchable for up to 48 hours from its initial viewing. After this period, the disc could be viewed by paying a continuation fee to play it for two more days. Viewers who wanted to watch a disc an unlimited amount of times could convert the disc to a "DIVX silver" disc for an additional fee.[1] "DIVX gold" discs that could be played an unlimited number of times on any DIVX player were announced at the time of DIVX's introduction, but no DIVX gold titles were ever released.
Each DIVX disc was marked with a unique barcode in the Burst cutting area that could be read by the player, and used to track the discs. The status of the discs were monitored through an account over a phone line. DIVX player owners had to set up an account with DIVX to which additional viewing fees could be charged. The player would call an account server over the phone line to charge for viewing fees similar to the way DirecTV and Dish Network satellite systems handle pay-per-view.
In addition to the normal Content Scramble System encryption, DIVX discs used Triple DES encryption and alternative channel modulation coding scheme, which prevented them being read in normal DVD players.[2]
DIVX players manufactured by Zenith Electronics, Thomson Consumer Electronics (RCA and ProScan), and Matsushita Electric(Panasonic) started to become available in mid 1998. Because of widespread studio support, manufacturers anticipated that demand for the units would be high. Initially, the players were approximately twice as expensive as standard DVD players, but price reductions occurred within months of release, due to economies of scale.
[edit]History
[edit]Launch
The initial trial of the DIVX format was run in the San Francisco and Richmond areas starting on 8 June 1998.[2] Initially only a single Zenith player was available, along with 19 titles. A U.S. wide rollout began three months later on 25 September with players and 150 titles available in 190 stores. In total 87,000 players were sold during 1998, with 535,000 discs across 300 titles being sold.[2]
DIVX was sold primarily through the Circuit City, Good Guys, Ultimate Electronics, and Future Shop retailers. The format was promoted to consumers as an alternative to traditional video rental schemes with the promise of "No returns, no late fees." Though consumers could just discard a DIVX disc after the initial viewing period, several DIVX retailers maintained DIVX recycling bins on their premises.
By March 1999, around 420 titles were available in the DIVX format.
[edit]Demise
The format was discontinued on 16 June 1999 because of the costs of introducing the format, as well as its very limited acceptance by the general public. Circuit City announced a 114 million dollar after-tax loss,[3] and Variety estimated the total loss on the scheme was around 337 million dollars.[2] Over the next two years the DIVX system was phased out. Customers could still view all their DIVX discs and were given a $100 refund for every player that was purchased before June 16, 1999. All discs that were unsold at the end of the summer of 1999 were destroyed. The program officially cut off access to accounts on 7 July 2001. The players' Security Module, which had an internal Real-Time Clock, ceased to allow DIVX functions after 30 days without a connection to the central system. Unsold players were liquidated in online auctions, but not before being modified to remove the DIVX Security Module. As a result, certain player models demonstrated lockups when DIVX menus were accessed.
DIVX appeared on PC World's list of "25 Worst Tech Products of All Time" in 2006 (as a "dishonorable mention").[3]
[edit]Opposition
There was a movement on the Internet, particularly in home theater forums, against DIVX. The DIVX catalog of titles were released primarily in pan and scan format with limited special features, usually only a trailer. This caused many home theater enthusiasts to become concerned that the success of DIVX would significantly diminish the release of films on the DVD format in the films' originalaspect ratios and with supplementary material. Many people in various technology and entertainment communities were afraid that there would be DIVX exclusive releases, and that the then-fledgling DVD format would suffer as a result. Dreamworks, 20th Century Fox, andParamount Pictures, for instance, initially released their films exclusively on the DIVX format.[4] DIVX featured stronger encryption technology than DVD (Triple DES), which many studios stated was a contributing factor in the decision to support DIVX first.[5]
In addition to the hostile Internet response, competitors such as Hollywood Video ran advertisements touting the benefits of "Open DVD" over DIVX, with one ad in the Los Angeles Times depicting a hand holding a telephone line with the caption, "Don't let anyone feed you the line." The terminology "Open DVD" had been used by DVD supporters in response to DIVX's labeling of DVD as "Basic DVD" and DIVX/DVD players as "DIVX-enhanced."
Privacy advocates were concerned that the players "dial-home" ability could be used to spy on people's watching habits.[1]
Allegations of anti-competitive vaporware, as well as concerns within the software industry prompted David Dranove of Northwestern University and Neil Gandal of Tel Aviv University and University of California, Berkeley to conduct an empirical study designed to measure the effect of the DIVX announcement on the DVD market. This study suggests that the DIVX announcement slowed the adoption of DVD technology. According to Dranove and Gandal, the study suggests that the "general antitrust concern about vaporware seems justified."[6]
[edit]List of films available on DIVX
101 Dalmatians
Air Bud: Golden Receiver
Alien Resurrection
Antz
Apollo 13
Armageddon
Army of Darkness
At First Sight
Beloved
Blown Away
Born on the Fourth of July
Brubaker
Bulworth
The Boxer
A Bug's Life
Con Air
Courage Under Fire
The Crow: City of Angels
Dante's Peak
Daylight
The Day of the Jackal
Deep Impact
Deep Rising
Dragnet
The Edge
The Eiger Sanction
Enemy of the State
Ever After
Evita
Father of the Bride Part II
The Flintstones
For Richer or Poorer
The Full Monty
Gang Related
George of the Jungle
GoldenEye
The Ghost and the Darkness
G.I. Jane
Good Will Hunting
Holy Man
Hope Floats
The Hunt for Red October
The Impostors
The Jackal
Jane Austen's Mafia!
Kissing a Fool
Kiss the Girls
Liar Liar
A Life Less Ordinary
Mrs. Doubtfire
Mouse Hunt
Mulholland Falls
Nothing to Lose
The Object of My Affection
Oscar and Lucinda
Patriot Games
The Peacemaker
Rising Sun
The River
The Rock
Rollerball
Scream
The Shadow
Six Days, Seven Nights
Sling Blade
Slums of Beverly Hills
Small Soldiers
Sneakers
Speed 2: Cruise Control
Spy Hard
Star Trek Generations
That Thing You Do!
There's Something About Mary
The Thin Red Line
Twelve Monkeys
Ulee's Gold
Wing Commander (canceled)
The X-Files
