DivX versus Xvid
When conducting a search for information about the DivX codec, it would seem that the person leading the search will have to wade through quite a considerable amount of confusing and sometimes misleading information concerning the DivX codec and its history.
One area that never ceases to confuse people is the history and bad blood that exists between the DivX company and its rival, Xvid. Eagle eyed readers will have probably noted that there is a striking degree of similarity between the name of the two companies and this is entirely intentional, serving as a reminder of the close bond that the members of both organisations once had. The bitter irony here is that it is precisely that closeness that now drives them further apart.
The DivX codec initially began its life as a ripped file from the Microsoft MPEG-4 Version 2 video codec and then later was remade entirely from scratch (allegedly) by the DivX company. Up until this period of time, DivX codec had been entirely free of charge, and the proposals to make it a commercial product infuriated many of the development team. Therefore, in order to maintain true to the original roots of the program, they left the DivX project and sought to develop the software on their own.
The key difference between the DivX and Xvid companies is that where as the DivX seeks to charge a fee for their services (and a rather steep one at that) the Xvid company is quite content to offer their services for free. If you are wondering as to why on earth the Xvid company would provide their hard work for nothing, the answer is simple: to prove themselves superior to their former friends and colleagues at DivX as well as cut into their profit margins. Revenge is sweet!
Jerome Rota: the man who betrayed them all
in DivX codec, Jerome Rota
as DivX, DivX codec, Jerome Rota
. In some circles, dubbed the “Judas Iscariot of the Digital Age”, Rota has managed to alienate himself from a significant proportion of the people who assisted him in reaching his lofty position that he enjoys to this day. In an appalling and audacious act of sheer greed and personal vanity, Rota has turned his back on the very people who helped him create his beloved DivX codec, and has monopolised their hard work.
Rota is hailed as an inventor, indeed, THE inventor of DivX. However, beneath this superficial truth lies a much darker and altogether unpleasant reality, in that whilst yes, Rota did have a part to play in the process, he was by no stretch of the imagination the lynchpin upon which the DivX codec stands so resolutely upon.
Starting off with an illegally obtained software program that he “borrowed” from Microsoft, Rota then proceeded to seek to effectively launder his ill gotten toy and then in 2001 released a brand new version of the stolen work. Up until 2001, Rota had been assisted to a very significant degree by the open source community with collaborators from across the world all pitching in in order to ensure the timely completion of the DivX codec.
As the work reached near completion, how did Rota reward his faithful subjects? He closed down access to the sites upon which all work for the DivX 4.0(as it would later become known as) and then proceeded to commercialise work that was not his. It seems that Rota has made a career of profiting from other peoples hard work and products. It would seem that his victims have had the last laugh however, for whilst his precious DivX codec has struggled to keep up with the times, open source options have managed to do just that.
DivX Codec – First Steps
In a prime example of the student surpassing the master, the DivX codec initially began its life as a legitimate video codec package released by the world’s leading software company, Microsoft. An innovative and inquisitive French software cracker by the name of Jerome Rota was somewhat disgruntled with the limited features on offer with the [...]
DivX codec overview
The DivX codec quickly captured the hearts and minds (not to mention wallets and balance sheets) of webmasters across the globe, due to the fact that the DivX codec manages to achieve what was previously believed to be impossible: 1) It allows for a highly efficient compression process which shrinks large video files into extremely [...]