DIVX

DIVX is an obsolete video format that existed briefly when DVDs were just being introduced. It was developed and heavily promoted by the now defunct Circuit City store chain. The format is unrelated to the video codec called DivX (originally DivX ;-) , which was deliberately named after DIVX as a joke.

This format was similar to DVD, but required a special "DIVX-enhanced" DVD player. It incorporated a form of DRM which limited playing of a disk to 48 hours unless a special fee was paid to "convert" the disk into an unlimited play disk. The disks were priced around $5, comparable to a rental. The Internet wasn't quite as big back then, so players had to connect to the company's servers over a phone line.

The format was introduced in 1998, officially discontinued on June 16, 1999, and the DRM servers were permanently shut down on July 7, 2001. The Triple-DES encryption used has not been cracked, so all disks are useful only as collectors' items.

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