High compression files don’t have to mean low quality with DivX (Digital Video Express) files. They reduce videos to a fraction of their original size, without compromising the sharpness of the visuals. It’s no wonder the DivX format has been a go-to file type for viewing, sharing, and streaming movies since the early 2000s.
Discover how DivX files work and how you can use them for your next project.
DivX files are a proprietary file format of DivX, Inc. They offer a high level of compression without any noticeable loss of quality. In fact, DivX files can support resolutions of up to 1080HD, at up to 12x compression rates.
DivX files require a DivX codec but are widely compatible and accessible on common Mac and Windows media players. You shouldn’t confuse DivX files with DIVX, which is a defunct video disc rental system that once rivalled the DVD format.
Jerome Rota, commonly known as Gej, created DivX in 2000 from a reverse-engineered MPEG-4 codec. The name poked fun at the infamous DIVX disc format, a doomed movie industry attempt to create uncopiable video rentals for the mass market.
In fact, the original DivX styling even contained a winking face emoticon ;-) in sly reference to the failed system and its unpopularity. But why did Gej taunt the movie industry?
It was perhaps due to the unrivalled capabilities of his format. The quality and size of DivX were set to revolutionize the world of film, just as the MP3 had done to the music industry.
DivX soon had the Hollywood bigwigs flocking. By 2009 DivX, Inc had signed distribution deals with Lionsgate, Sony, and Paramount, licensing its technology to a range of household names in electronics.
DivX remains a giant of video processing, encoding, and compression. It inspired a generation of new formats during the streaming era and several major platforms have licensed the technology.
Movie downloads.
With their small file size and great quality, DivX files were a mainstay of P2P file sharing and movie downloads.
DVD rips.
DivX can compress files to the extent that a DVD movie can fit on a CD. In fact, consumer electronics giants like LG, Panasonic, Sharp, and Sony PlayStation enabled DivX use for their devices. Electronics brands have distributed over 1.7 billion DivX-enabled devices.
Distribution.
DivX was widely favoured for on-demand video services before the advent of the streaming era. Though other streaming technologies have overtaken it since, it still retains popularity as a distribution format.
Streaming.
DivX signed an IP licensing agreement with the Walt Disney Company in 2022. This enabled DivX technology on major streaming platforms like Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN.
Find out which container file types are supported by Adobe Premiere
You can open and play DivX files on a number of Mac and Windows programs. Here’s how to do it.
Open a DivX file on Windows.
1. First, download the DivX Player for Windows.
2. Then, select your DivX file from your desktop.
3. Your file should open automatically in DivX Player.
Open a DivX file on Mac.
1. Either download the DivX Player, or QuickTime Player with DivX codec.
2. Use the Finder app to locate your DivX file.
3. The video will open and play automatically.
DivX files are a highly compressed, delivery-only format for viewing, sharing, and streaming video. They’re not designed for editing.
However, if you want to work with a DivX file on Premiere, you could convert the file to a compatible format such as .MOV or .WMV. Once you have your file ready, you can create a new project in Premiere and begin editing it from there.
A standard container file type adapted by DivX. Discover how this hugely popular format works.
Find out more about AVI, another ubiquitous video file format — learn how it works and how it connects to DivX.
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