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 Microsoft video codec. In a single masterstroke, he managed to not only reverse engineer the codec for himself, but then proceeded to expand and improve upon it.

Emboldened and inspired by Rota’s evident skill and ability, shortly after the news of Rota’s deed had been broadcasted there was a plethora of different skilled hobbyists across the world all determined to make compact, lightweight and efficient plugins and expansions to the basic DivX codec (or DivX ;-) 3.11 Alpha codec as it was known as back then).

Just three years after he had made his mark on the software industry, Rota then established his own software development company, and so the founding of the company was not the only fresh start that Rota introduced. Rather than continue retailing and distributing the DivX ;-) 3.11 Alpha codec, especially given that it was for all intents and purposes an illegally acquired and distributed copy of a legitimate software program, Rota designed what he called DivX 4.0.

To some cynics, both in 2001 and even to this day contend that DivX 4.0 codec was nothing more than the DivX ;-) 3.11 Alpha codec with a new moniker. However, the key difference here is that the DivX 4.0 codec was designed entirely anew and no longer relied on the input of the Microsoft based codec thereby meaning that the DivX 4.0 codec could safely be promoted and distributed without fear of legal backlash or censure.  Thus seemingly small change to the name, would herald in a significant amount of further improvement for the codec.