02-05-2009, 06:53 AM
Since 99% of downloadable video on the internet is in the divx format...
99%, really? (a better guess might be, around 40-50%, and that's generous) Since that statement is blatantly misleading, it's hard to know where to start. To speculate that Apple would increase their ATV sales by a factor of "10x" is a very peculiar fantasy. The views expressed here about DivX are subjective, not realistic. One can only assume that a person making such claims has invested countless hours collecting or formatting video in DivX, and doesn't want to admit that the investment was pointless or unwise.
On my Oppo player, in my office, connected to a small LDC, I have an HD connected with batches of movies formatted this way (only because DVD players like this only recognizes AVIs and VOB files in storage connected via the USB port) and when I want to watch a movie with a good image but poor sound, I'll watch a DivX AVI. It's a secondary format, inferior to more advanced codecs like H.264.
DivX has its benefits (compression, file size, bandwidth, internet convenience on a computer screen) its great for delivering an acceptable picture while saving hard drive space. But has no serious role in the future of Home Theater. Apple TV is essentially a Home Theater device. DivX's audio limitations alone (dual channel mediocre mp3 encoding) exclude it from a surround-sound Home Theater environment. There's not exactly a gold rush toward the bright future of DivX. It's just there because it's there.
One of the great benefits of the Apple TV is that it's not a computer, it's not a geek toy, it's not part of computing. It uses the technology, but it's purely an appliance, an entertainment appliance for a Home Theater. But this isn't a Stereo forum, or a Home Theater forum, is it?
99%, really? (a better guess might be, around 40-50%, and that's generous) Since that statement is blatantly misleading, it's hard to know where to start. To speculate that Apple would increase their ATV sales by a factor of "10x" is a very peculiar fantasy. The views expressed here about DivX are subjective, not realistic. One can only assume that a person making such claims has invested countless hours collecting or formatting video in DivX, and doesn't want to admit that the investment was pointless or unwise.
On my Oppo player, in my office, connected to a small LDC, I have an HD connected with batches of movies formatted this way (only because DVD players like this only recognizes AVIs and VOB files in storage connected via the USB port) and when I want to watch a movie with a good image but poor sound, I'll watch a DivX AVI. It's a secondary format, inferior to more advanced codecs like H.264.
DivX has its benefits (compression, file size, bandwidth, internet convenience on a computer screen) its great for delivering an acceptable picture while saving hard drive space. But has no serious role in the future of Home Theater. Apple TV is essentially a Home Theater device. DivX's audio limitations alone (dual channel mediocre mp3 encoding) exclude it from a surround-sound Home Theater environment. There's not exactly a gold rush toward the bright future of DivX. It's just there because it's there.
One of the great benefits of the Apple TV is that it's not a computer, it's not a geek toy, it's not part of computing. It uses the technology, but it's purely an appliance, an entertainment appliance for a Home Theater. But this isn't a Stereo forum, or a Home Theater forum, is it?