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Is it Worth Installing the Plug-In for DivX Formatted Content?
A friend asked me to check out a demo video on the DivX site showing off what can be done using DivX these days. Here's what I saw when I went to the link:
 My questions for you are:
Does DivX formatted content justify installing the plug-in?
Am I missing out on great content that's ONLY available in DivX? What is the market share for DivX's plug-in these days?
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2. Posted by: Ed Kohler on October 18, 2006 8:17 PM:
Bruce, thanks for stopping by. You make a compelling argument. I did install the plug-in and it was fairly painless. I had to download, open, and run the install followed by restarting my browser, which is fairly routine. I believe upgrades to the Flash player are generally a bit simpler, but not sure about the initial install.
My home cable modem can't keep up with the bandwidth on this video:
http://stage6.divx.com/content/show/987?user_id=3
Is that the price I have to pay for high quality resolution like this? There's no question that it blows away what I see on sites like YouTube where I never has buffering issues.
Thanks again for helping explain DivX's value proposition.
3. Posted by: Alastair on October 19, 2006 12:49 AM:
I would ask myself these two questions:
1 - "When I watch video on the Internet, how valuable is to to me as a viewer to see video with quality comparable to, or better than DVD, instead of something that looks like it's been recorded via a webcam, and then shrunk?"
2 - "When I publish video on the Internet, how much do I value the presentation of my work and the experience of my viewers?"
The demo you refer to shows that the DivX Web Player is capable of playing 1080p video with surround sound live over a fast broadband connection - and that is as good as the next generation HD DVD format, which hasn't even really reached us yet!
Of course, such files, while currently atypical, do take more bandwidth and if you have a slower connection it might be a better idea to download them to disk and watch them using DivX Player. Note that both Stage6 itself and the DivX Web Player allow you to download to disk - a freedom not so easily enjoyed when using some other services and players.
That being said, if you take the "Featured Videos" page as an example you can find a lot of content that demonstrates execellent quality at far lower bandwidths - media that you should have no problem streaming over any standard broadband connection. The choice of presentation on Stage6 currently resides with the publisher, and this has produced a wealth of engaging media that I feel highlights the importance of this service.
The DivX Web Player continues to improve and better buffering is likely to be addressed in future versions. Certainly its capabilities today already leave its competitors standing in the dust in many other aspects.
Take a look through the featured list, and if you're curious about a videos resolution, switch the plugin into "Windowed" mode. You will notice that the Diggnation video that you had problems streaming was another HD clip.
Hope this helps the discussion.
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1. Posted by: Bruce on October 18, 2006 7:57 PM:
I saw your question on the usefulness of the DivX install, and just wanted to respond briefly from the DivX perspective.
DivX is a very, very common install (over 180 million and counting) and is entirely free. For most users it's quick, easy, and painless, both on PC and Mac. We don't see it as any different from the installation of the Flash player necessary for many other video community sites.
What DivX can also offer, however, primarily through our Stage6 website, is some uniquely compelling content. And because of the DivX plugin, that content can be presented in much higher quality than on other online video sites. As you can see in your screen shot, the particular clips shown are in full 1080p resolution with surround sound.
And, unlike every other site, the video on Stage6 can be taken off of the PC and watched in the living room on one of the over 46 million DivX Certified consumer electronics devices out in the market today.
Thanks!