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The DivX 6 codec sets a new standard for DivX video quality.
Working carefully within the constraints of DivX Certified device
compatibility, the intrepid members of the DivX Advanced Research
Centre (DARC) have significantly raised the bar over the DivX 5. The
DivX 6 codec is capable of producing equivalent quality to DivX Pro
5.2.1, and DivX Pro 6 delivers at least a 20% improvement above that.
The free version of DivX codec has changed such that it now produces
only DivX Certified video, and we've added some nice features to the
free version like bi-directional coding so that anyone can create high
quality DivX Certified content. All features remain available in DivX
Pro, and we're continuing the 6 month DivX Pro trial offer for
everyone, which you can optionally select during installation on the
Installation Components screen.
Here's a feature rundown for the tech-heads among us:
- Support
for the DivX Media Format is enabled in third-party media players. In
this first rev of our DivX Media Format filters we have tested against
Windows Media Player 6.4 through 10. "What the *&#!?" I hear you
cry. We have also begun development for several other popular players,
but many of these are not directly compatible with our filters yet.
Better support in other players will follow as we release the DivX 6
SDK. If you are a developer please get in touch so we can hook you up with what you need.
When
you play DivX media files you should see a DivX toolbar icon popping up
in your system tray where it is possible to select audio tracks,
subtitles, chapter points, video tags, and change playback settings.
From the toolbar you can also access the DivX Menu Navigator control.
The DivX Menu Navigator makes it possible to use both mouse and key
control for navigation in most players.
- The DivX 6 decoder includes enhanced post-processing that is both optimized for PSNR and faster than that of the DivX 5 decoder.
- We've
redesigned the DivX codec encoder interface to better group related
items and enable easier navigation. Gone are the popup wizard dialogs
of yesteryear! The encoder window also has smaller dimensions, which
will be a real boost for those of you still crazy enough to be running
at 800x600
- The
encoding mode breakdown has been reworked to include modes ranging from
Fastest through Insane quality to better balance encoding rate versus
video quality. Most modes feature rate-distortion optimization and
visible quality differentiation.
- We have added Extreme
and Insane quality modes to the encoder. Extreme quality will give you
production quality video, but for those who always want the absolute
best, Insane mode enables all the internal bells and whistles to
guarantee the maximum video quality.
- DivX codec now includes PSNR optimized H.263 quantization for superior retention of detail when compressing the picture.
- 4MV
search is enabled in Portable, Home Theater, High Definition and
Unconstrained profiles, allowing for better quality at lower
resolutions, improved sharpness and reduced ringing artifacts.
- Multiple
consecutive bi-directional coding is enabled in High Definition
profile. All bi-directional coding now uses the packed schema. Up to
two consecutive B-VOPs are enabled in High Definition profile, and up
to three are enabled in Unconstrained profile.
- The VBV
for Portable profile has been changed to take advantage of real-world
DivX Certified portable devices enabling higher video quality. Video
created under Portable profile in DivX 5 codec is fully compatible with
the new VBV model.
- The Encoder Feedback Window now
includes a Lite version that consumes less space on the desktop and
allows you to monitor progress during encoding. It's possible to switch
between the Lite version and the full Feedback Window, and from the
Feedback Window Lite you can set the process priority incase you want
to do some other work while encoding. The Feedback Windows does
introduce some impact on encoding rate, and we will be addressing this
in future.
br>The entire team would like to thank
all of you who helped us with the Plasma and Fusion programs; your
contributions have helped make DivX 6 what it is today. For the
adventurous among you, we're keeping things rolling with DivX Helium,
a future research codec which can be installed atop the DivX 6 codec to
enable experimental optimizations for dual core, HyperThreaded, and SMP
CPUs. For more information check our our preliminary results over at
the DivX Labs website.
DivX codec is featured in the DivX 6 Create Bundle.
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