DixV's challenge to Microsoft

In today's San Jose Mercury News, Mike Langberg takes a look at DivX, a startup in San Diego that I devote a chapter to in Darknet. Excerpt from the article:

Everyone in Silicon Valley and Hollywood believes movies will soon be sold and consumed online, and everyone recognizes huge profits will come from being the codec of choice. That's why Microsoft is spending heavily to develop and promote its Windows Media codec. And, no surprise, Microsoft's deep pockets are very attractive to Hollywood. DivX, so far, can't get past the studio gates.

But Hollywood just might take notice of DivX version 6, introduced Wednesday. The upgraded format allows for the full DVD experience -- including menus, scene selection, multiple audio tracks and subtitles -- in one file. Windows Media and earlier versions of DivX only provide a single stream of audio and video with none of these interactive features.

You can see for yourself, if you've got a computer running Windows XP or Windows 2000 and broadband Internet service. A software package called the DivX Play Bundle is available free on the Web. It's a relatively small file, 7.5 megabytes, that's easy to install and lets you watch DivX video.

The company Web site is also offering a free download of ``Star Wars Revelations,'' a 47-minute movie created by fans of the ``Star Wars'' series on a $20,000 budget. The 396-megabyte DivX 6 version of ``Revelations,'' when viewed with the DivX 6 player, presents a full DVD-like menu where you can jump to specific scenes and listen to commentary by the director. Video and audio quality is good enough that you'd think you were watching a DVD on your computer. ...

DivX is an easy and effective way to reduce the size of your personal video files, if you're willing to shell out $20 for the DivX Create Bundle. And DivX 6 points the way to DVD-like downloads. The quality of DivX compressed video appears roughly comparable to Windows Media. But none of that matters if Hollywood doesn't get behind DivX, and that looks like a long shot.

That may be. But I think that columnists like Langberg invariably overlook the world of digital media beyond Hollywood. It's not about grade-B movies. As my videoblogging colleague Jay Dedman says, the stuff we're already seeing on Ourmedia is better than summer reruns on the tube. Don't underestimate the personal media revolution. DivX's challenge is getting regular people to use its codec rather than QuickTime or Windows Media. The company might consider returning to its open source roots for that.