DivX has announced the release of DivX 7 for Mac, the latest major version of its video encoding software. The decoder is free — a Pro version with encoding tools is also available for $20.
DivX is commonly used to encode video distributed over the Internet, and the Divx 7 for Mac software makes it possible for you to play .divx and .avi videos using QuickTime. DivX 7 supports High Definition (HD) H.264 .MKV (Matroska) files. Matroska is an open standard for audio and video file “containers” — it’s not an encoder — and is often used for subtitled video content.
The free download includes a six-month trial version of the DivX Pro codec and a 15-day trial of the DivX Converter application. The codec itself, however, does not expire — you can use it indefinitely without having to pay.
System requirements call for Mac OS X 10.4 or later, QuickTime 7 and an Intel-based Mac.
[Editor’s note: DivX shares only a name with a now-defunct pay-per-view DVD system. Unlike that DIVX, this DivX is actually useful to end-users.]
[Editor’s Note: After this article was posted, DivX updated its system requirements for DivX 7 to read for Intel Macs only. The article has been updated accordingly.]