SOFTWARE

Video codecs

This is the original DivX codec, which makes it possible to play and make DivX movies. After you've installed the DivX codec on your computer Windows Media Player will be able to play movies which need a DIV3 or DIV4 decompressor. For information how to install the DivX codec for Windows, goto the DivX codec section. There you will also find links to the DivX codec for other operating systems.

This is the latest version of the DivX codec. It's completely re-written to improve performance and visual quality. The code base is different from all earlier versions, including the open-source OpenDivX codec. After you've installed the DivX codec on your computer Windows Media Player will be able to play movies which need a DIVX decompressor. We recommend users who don't create their own movies to wait before installing this release, since all movies still are released using the DivX codec v3.11 alpha.

If you have a movie with SMR in the file name you need to install this patch on your system if you want to view the movie. It is a hack of the MPEG4-encoder (mpg4c32.dll) and the only difference between the original encoder and SMR is that the FOURCC (four bytes in the header, which identify the video stream) has been changed to MP43. After you've installed the SMR patch on your computer Windows Media Player will be able to play movies which need a MP43 decompressor. The patch should only be installed if you know you need it.

SVCD is a new video format which provides better quality then regular VCDs. SVCDs utilize the MPEG-2 codec (same as DVD movies). While the compression isn't as good as what you can achieve with the DivX codec, this format has become popular because it's possible to view burned SVCD movies in many stand-alone DVD players. If you want to watch SVCD movies directly on your computer you first need to install this codec. After you've installed the SVCD codec on your computer Windows Media Player will be able to play SVCD movies.

DivX player

Windows Media Player is the most commonly used DivX player, primarily because it is the default media player in Windows and it is capable of playing pretty much any video format with the right codecs installed. People using Windows Media Player v7.0 have reported problems when playing DivX movies so we recommend sticking with v6.4. The player requires that the DivX codec is installed in order to play DivX movies.

BSPlayer is one of the best DivX players out there. It is capable of playing back all kind of media files, including AVI, MPG, ASF, WMV, WAV, MP3, etc. If you prefer to view movies with subtitles then this is the player for you. It supports all the most popular subtitle formats such as MicroDVD, Subviewer and SubRip. The player also supports custom subtitle options for position, color, font and transparency. Another great feature is that the player is fully skinnable, so you can download new skins to change way the player looks and feels. Finally, this player offers the most efficient CPU and memory usage, so if you're having problems with skipping you should give this player a try. The player requires that the DivX codec is installed in order to play DivX movies.

The Global DivX Player is a Windows Media Player replacement player designed for watching DivX movies, but capable of playing most windows video formats, including normal AVI, nAVI, MPEG, VCD (DAT), WMV, and ASF. Features include a slicker, and easy to learn interface, less CPU and memory usage, external subtitle support. If your computer isn't fast enough to play DivX movies using Windows Media Player you should give this player a try. The player requires that the DivX codec is installed in order to play DivX movies.

Encoding tool

FlasK MPEG is a simple and easy to use MPEG conversion program which takes MPEG-1/2 movies and converts them to DivX format, while trying to achieve the maximum possible quality. It can also be used quite easily to rip and encode DivX movies. If you are a beginner we recommend using this program. For more information how to use the program, goto the Guides section.

MPEG2AVI can be used to rip and encode DivX movies. It is about twice as fast as FlasK MPEG while still maintaining close to the same image quality. The biggest downside to MPEG2AVI is that you have to add the audio to the video separately which can lead to audio synch problems. Recommended for advanced users that want to encode movies faster.

Editing tool

VirtualDub is a video editing program that comes with a lot of features. It is possible to crop and resize movies, join together movies into one, change the video/audio settings and apply different filters. This program is a must have.

Nandub is a modified version of VirtualDub with support for Smart Bitrate Control (SBC). The first pass of the two phase process encodes the movie at the maximum bitrate the DivX codec allows (6000kbit/s). By analyzing the results of the encoded movie it is able to determine a near optimal setting of bitrate and adjusts it throughout the movie. It also inserts keyframes in appropriate positions. The process takes more time than regular encoding but the results are incredible. Recommended for advanced users that want to push the DivX codec to its limits.

MiscellaneousDivFix v1.08   NEW

DivFix makes it possible to rebuild the missing index part of partially downloaded (incomplete) DivX movies so that it is possible to view them in Windows Media Player. Just remember to strip the index before you resume the download or the file will be completely corrupted and impossible to repair.

DivX AntiFreeze is a small DivX codec addon, which once installed will avoid the permanent freezings that sometimes occur during playback of DivX movies in Windows Media Player. However, it does not fix the invalid frames in the clip. For more information about this type of error, see section 4.5 of the DivX FAQ.