Divx Disks

Purcon

Guest

Ok I have downloaded Divx and updated the Codex... it think.

My question is the DIVX that came out with DVD players where you “purchased” a disk that would work for 48 hours.

I have a handful of these movies around and cannot open or play the files on any of my PCs or current DVD players.

Is there any software out there that lets you play the DIVX disks that were sold in the 98 time frame?

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If these 'disks' only worked for 48 hours, wouldn’t they not work now? If so, then there’s no way to get them to work since the disk is damaged and will never be able to be read again.

I really wasn’t aware that there was any disk around in the 98 that had DivX on them. There certainly weren’t ANY DVD players capable of playing the format.

Maybe you’ve got something mixed up. Are you talking about DVD’s that can only be read for 48 hours?

Purcon

Guest

That is one thing I was wondering, if the DIVX codecs is compeletely different than the DIVX Disks released.

These disks are not bad or damaged. They contain VOB movie files very similar to todays DVDs and Video CD format. The players had a phone line connection, which authenticated the Disk, and allowed it to be played for 48 hours. They closed up some time around 2000, and people who purchased DVD players with DIVX capabilites recived a $100 rebate years after the purchase.

If it helps place time frames, a few of the disks I have in this format are Phantoms (Dean Koontz book), Con Air, Scream (one or two), Eddie Murphy’s Dr. Doolittle.


Several of the disks I have were never played (authenticated). My thought was the company no longer exists, I never had my use out of them... so if they are just a different flavor of video file, someone probably has a program to at least view them on a PC by now.

Purcon

Guest

just found his post on Ebay. The DVD / DIVX player is the same as the one I purchased in late 98 or 99. Look at the picutre of the disks (over 100 DIVX movie titles).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3073932542&category=50600

If anyone know of any player or software that can play these, I’d appreciate it.

Thanks,
Purcon

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Interesting. I didn’t know DivX players has been around for that long, hhmm.

Are these disks, just like regular CD’s? Or is it actually a DVD? What kind of rom have you got on your PC (DVD/CD)?

You say that they won’t play in your PC, but can you browse through the files on the CD/DVD?

Try playing them using VideoLAN (www.videolan.org), or maybe you can copy the files to the PC, then play them in VideoLAN.

Purcon

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Frightfo0,

Thanks for the possible players. I will try downloading and put the files directly on the hard drive.

As far as the disks themselves. They are more DVD in strucutre. The one I have in now reads at 4.17 GB. The drive is a DVD ROM.

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Hhmm, these DivX-DVD’s are extremely interesting to me. So there’s 4 to 6 movies per DVD?

I’m interested to know what TFO’s Codec Finder says about the files. Try copying one movie to the PC, then drop it into TFO’s Codec Finder:

http://tfo.57host.biz/codecfinder/index.htm

PemiPop

Guest

The original DivX disks were sold by Circuit City as an alternate format to standard DVD’s. You buy the disk for cheap ($4.50) and when you want to watch it, the player dials up to authenticate it for about $1 and it’s good for 48 hours.

It was a dumb idea and now there are lots of people around with useless disks.

hump

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yeah i remember those. FLOP. you had 48 hours to watch after authentication. after that, throw them out. i believe the encoding was completely proprietary, even if developed by DivX — remember, part of the whole point of this flop was anti-piracy. doubtful u’ll be able to retrieve anything from the discs...

sucess probability rating:

i give it a one, out of five