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DivX;) Goes Legit
ZooB writes: "There is an article running on CNET right now about DivX and how,(and I'm sure this comes as no surprise to anyone reading this here), such a technology used so frequently for piracy can be used in a legitimate manner. The article is interesting enough, but take careful note of the comment by an MPAA representative. "We are aware of DivX and similar technologies, but it's not the technology that's the issue, it's how it is applied," said a spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America, who declined to comment specifically on DivXNetworks. "Our concern is with technology that is marketed, promoted and used as a tool for piracy." His first sentence seems to fly in the face of the DMCA as the law is currently written and then, perhaps realizing what he has just said, the spokesman back pedals and contradicts his previous statement! It is nice to know that someone besides a politician can speak out of both sides of their mouth."
Try http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-202-7093278.html for a fast-loading, flash-free version of the article.
Withdrawal before climax is very ineffective and those who try this are usually called "parents."
SSSCA Resources:
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Text of SSSCA
Additional Information Regarding Implications of SSSCA at politechbot.com
"There ought to be limits to freedom"
It uses patented technology
Prove it. It may be based loosly on the MPEG-4 standard, but it is decidedly not MPEG-4.
which needs per-copy license fees which haven't been paid by anyone
Hunh? No patent, no fees. If they were walking on someone else, you better bet they'd have been sued by now.
got with replacing all of Microsoft
They never had Microsoft's code. It was a binary hack that killed some quality issues. Also, that was another version.
and MoMuSys's code
Which was a sample implementation, free for all to look at and play with. Just like the sample code that started LAME.
Methinks you should start paying attention, mukund.
.sig: Now legally binding!
DivX as it stands has poor playback on Macs and at best decent playback on x86 Linux (people using Suns or LinuxPPC machines still have to wait). But there is a much better option, it's called VP3.2 and it was released last Friday (Sep 7) under a modified Mozilla Public License 1.1. Yes folks you read correctly, there is a decent video compression codec that is open source. Quicktime 5, Real Player and Windows Media Player can already read the movie files with the codec installed, and a Linux port is on the way. This codec beats the snot out of DivX in the streaming arena. Playback quality is good, and will get better with more work. Get it at:
http://www.vp3.com
Is this real? Two senators introduce something, is that really sufficient to call it a threat?
Yes it is a nuclear bomb that has already been launched!! Do you think it is an accident that two Senators introduced this? One of them is the chairman of the commerce committee, for Christ's sake. Good God, man, are you really in denial this bad? Wake UP!!!
Right now the score is 0-2 in the Senate. Game is 51 (including the VP).
We have to act NOW to defeat this piece of fascism.
You need to write and call your representative and senators NOW. If you haven't done this in the next 48 hours, then you are a chump who deserves to have your computer given to the MPAA. The big media are preparing a heavy lobbying campaign to get this passed.
Talking points:
1) The bill is fascist. Keep the government's hands off my computer.
2) A mandatory security standard will direct all security applications to a single point of failure
3) Consumers hate "Digital Rights Management" and won't buy it. PC sales will stagnate even more.
4) Trusted client is provably crackable. If you try to shove this down consumer's throats, I guaranty it will be cracked quickly.
5) The "Copyright Industry" is harming America, because they are clinging to business models that require a police state to work.
6) Copyright is teetering dangerously close to illigitimacy because the government isn't listening to the people.
7) Reject Copyright Fascism.
It uses patented technology. The MPEG-4 standard collectively as a whole is not patented. Various algorithms which form the MPEG-4 visual FCD are patented. OpenDivX uses these algorithms. Go through the source code, if you want proof. MPEG-4 AAC Audio also contains many patented processes. FAAC (a similar but audio project) stopped distribution after Dolby complained.
FYI, Microsoft's source code is available as a reference implementation from CSELT. Divx
MoMuSys's code is a reference implementation, which is one among two reference implementations of the MPEG-4 FCD (the other one is Microsoft's). Both are copyrighted (please go through the comment headers of files in the source code for proof). FYI, the dist10 "sample code" reference implementation which started LAME was also copyrighted, which is why LAME was distributed as a patch for so long.
"Hunh? No patent, no fees. If they were walking on someone else, you better bet they'd have been sued by now."
Maybe you haven't been paying attention. Project Mayo is a commercial company, and they intend to release OpenDivX as "DivX Deux" (a formal product), once the quality of source code reaches a certain stage. They might license the patented technology involved. Still, DivX
ProjectMayo is a wrong project for an opensource developer to spend time on. It is plagued with various issues.
Regards,
Mukund
Banu
The Software patent issues are only valid if you live in a jurisdiction where said software patents are valid. As long as the developers live in a jurisdiction without the oppressive laws of the USA, it's perfectly legal.
...si hoc legere nimium eruditionis habes...
I'm relatively sure that the DivX that could ever be legit is not based off of MS's MPEG4 v3 codebase.
;-)" called "3.x" was built off of this code, and is extremely illegal to have/use/download/etc. because it's stolen from Microsoft.
:)
The version of "DivX
The version of DivX (no smiley, I think...) called "4.x" or known as "OpenDivx" is completely legal to use, and is probably the one that is "going legit."
Interesting to note that OpenDivx (4.x) aims to be completely MPEG-4 ISO standard compatible, whereas M$ MPEG4 v3 is not by any means.