DivXNetworks Inc. has released DivX for Mac v5.1, a new version of its video compression technology. The company said the new version is up to 100 percent faster in decoding, and offers higher quality and improved compression capabilities as well.
Billed as “the MP3 of video,” DivX is an MPEG-4-compatible video compression technology that boasts DVD quality at 8 to 10 times the compression of MPEG-2 files. This is not DivX’s first appearance on the Mac; it’s been available on the Mac for a while, but DivXNetworks indicates that DivX for Mac v5.1 offers the same functionality as its recently-released Windows counterpart, a point reiterated in a statement by the company’s chief marketing officer and managing director, Kevin Hell, who said that this Mac release has “no limitations.”
The improved decoding performance was made by using a complete re-architected video decoder, according to the developer. Other new features include a new feedback mode, which provides better control over video compression, new “psychovisual modeling” that enables better compression and encoding, two new high-quality modes, and a new user interface.
“The release of DivX for Mac 5.1 is an important milestone for Mac users who want to create, view and distribute truly high-quality digital video across a range of devices,” said Hell.
Users who wish to view content encoded using DivX can install a free QuickTime component — it runs on Mac OS X or Mac OS 8.6 or higher. Users who want to encode content using DivX can also buy DivX Pro v5.1 for $19.99 (a 15-day free trial is available).