DivXNetworks has announced the release of DivX 5.0.5 Video Codec for Mac.
The release provides Mac users with a way to encode and play back DivX-encoded video on their Mac. DivX is an MPEG-4 compatible video compression technology that sports broad support on Windows and Linux. The developer claims that the DivX codec produces DVD-like quality in a format that is 1/10th the size of an equivalent MPEG-2 file.
DivX for Mac is distributed as a QuickTime component, and it’s compatible with Mac OS X and Mac OS 8.6 or higher. It’s available with an optional MP3 encoder, to make sure your cross-platform audio is compatible.
If the terminology confuses you, bear in mind: DivXNetworks’ technology — once known by its code-name, “Project Mayo,” has nothing to do with now-defunct and similarly named DIVX (Digital Video Express) media format once sold by Circuit City. DIVX was an inexpensive DVD-like format that required users to pay to watch after a certain period — a format that didn’t catch on with consumers and was pulled off the market in 1999 in an unsuccessful challenge to the now-dominant DVD format.
DivX for Mac has been released in two versions: DivX Pro 5.0.5 for Mac, which includes an advanced application for professional users with high quality encoding and decoding — available for US$19.99, and also distributed as a 15-day free trial. A free version of DivX for Mac is also available, which includes the original encoder and decoder (without the MP3 encoder).