Divx Now Adware Supported Only

bogomip_bandit writes "The divx codec is no longer free, no strings attached. Until recently, when downloading the codec from divx.com, one could select Dr Divx for a price, Divx Pro for a price, the divx codec for free, or the divx codec with bundled adware to help support divx development etc. Recently the site has changed. Now when one visits the download page, the only free codec you can download is adware supported. This means even to just watch divx movies and not do any actual enncoding, one has to install adware on their machine. I for one will be finding a different video codec." Sounds like a good reason (if you needed one) to look curiously at Ogg Theora. Update: 08/20 20:04 GMT by T : Correction: As several readers have pointed out, the bare codec is still available, it's just listed below the payware / adware versions.

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How to get around the Adware

[Izago909]

You need to have a compiler that can make DLL's. Just create a program that exits as soon at it starts. Run adaware and compile it to a DLL. Copy and rename it to the ones adaware just removed. I can only get it to work with the decoder only. It won't work if you want to encode video.

windows media player?

[golgotha007]

ok, here's a rant; mod be into oblivion if you like, but i think some users will agree with me here.

windows media player seemed to be the best player for all kinds of video content while any linux player was, well lacking, mainly with codec support. i remember when windows media player would auto-download a codec and everything worked great.

lately, i'm having a hard time playing many video files in windows media player and the auto-download codec thingie is a freakin joke. i don't know how many different codec installers i've been thru trying to make sure all codecs are covered (god knows how much adaware software has been deployed on my xp machine in the process).

frustrated, i've turned to linux for video viewing. i installed mplayer with the gmplayer front end and the w32 codec file.

now, i can play any codec thrown at me. quicktime? windows formats? no problem.

also, there's no better satisfaction then when my friends say to me, 'hey, i can't seem to play this video file you gave me.. how did you see it?'

'with linux.' (did their job just drop? yep, it sure did!)

Gotta hand it to the editors

[Lord_Dweomer]

This isn't a troll.....but I'm just sayin......ya gotta hand it to the editors to not even check the facts on something as major as this. The story is not ONLY completely wrong, because the free/ad free version is still available, but it also just is a lame attempt to grab eyeballs. I know I immediately checked this out when I read it, because it would have been devastating to my pr0n/anime/borrowed-from -MPAA-movie viewing habit. Seriously, the editors are getting more and more careless here....I hate to say it, but Slashdot is fast approaching the trustworthiness of the NY Times, and thats NOT a compliment.

Wrong

[axxackall]

Unless you use Linux, right?

Wrong. Unless you use Linux/x86. Linux users of non-x86 platforms are not welcome:

$ tar -zxvf divx4linux-std-20030428.tar.gz
divx4linux-2003042 8/
divx4linux-20030428/libdivxencore.so
divx4lin ux-20030428/libdivxdecore.so
divx4linux-20030428/ DivX MPEG-4 Codec and Its Interface.htm
divx4linux-20030428/encore2.h
divx 4linux-20030428/install.sh
divx4linux-20030428/po rtab.h
divx4linux-20030428/decore.h
$ file divx4linux-20030428/libdivxencore.so
divx4linux-2 0030428/libdivxencore.so: ELF 32-bit LSB shared object, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), not stripped
$ file divx4linux-20030428/libdivxdecore.so
divx4linux-2 0030428/libdivxdecore.so: ELF 32-bit LSB shared object, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), not stripped
$

And as you can see the source code is not available.

Re:XviD

[Alan Partridge]

"that no serious group has ever used for a release"

What are you insinuating? That Divx is something other than a DVD pirate's codec of choice? You're not seriously suggesting that it's a commercial video encoding proposition are you? I do video compression professionally and NOT ONE of my clients has EVER expressed an interest in Divx.

NOT ONE.