If a DVD player says DivX-compatible, can I assume it plays XviD too?

[vion]

I have a heap of XviD AVIs, and I want to watch them on my TV. I was browsing for Xvid-compatible DVD players, and I was wondering... if a player says it's DivX-compatible, can I assume it's XviD-compatible too?

[Anonymouses]

I have a heap of XviD AVIs, and I want to watch them on my TV. I was browsing for Xvid-compatible DVD players, and I was wondering... if a player says it's DivX-compatible, can I assume it's XviD-compatible too?

Yes, they will play things encoded with any mpeg-4 asp codec as long as features aren't used that the player isn't able to handle (such as GMC, QPEL, etc.).

[Sharktooth]

Ok, let's punctualize: it's not safe.
It will play xvid if the encode was done with certain restrictions (the DXN HT profile ensures it will be playable).
Also DIVX-compatible does not mean DivX Certified!

[celtic_druid]

Don't think you can even say DivX compatible if it isn't certified. Take: http://www.zensonic.com.au/z340.php for example, no mention of DivX at all, even though it will handle the DivX media format fine.

I have the previous model. Don't think I have any DivX stuff though really other than some old DivX 3 encodes.

Wasn't there a player that couldn't handle XviD's fourCC? What would be safe to say is that if it is DivX certified then you are fine if you encoded with a Home Theatre profile and change the fourCC to DX50 (excluding any user data tag issues).

[Nudnik]

When Sharktooth comments, "It's not safe," what does this mean? Potential damage to the disc? :scared:

[Anonymouses]

When Sharktooth comments, "It's not safe," what does this mean? Potential damage to the disc? :scared:

No nothing will happen to the disc. I'm assuming he meant that its not safe to assume that all XviD files will play in a DivX certified player.

[DigitalDeviant]

He means unless the player says "DivX Certified" then there is a chance that it may not play any XviD encode, though that's a slim chance. If it says "DivX Certified" then it should play XviD encoded with 1 b-frame and no GMC or Qpel. I guess according to previous posts you may need to use DivX's fourcc (DX50.)

And to quote the DivX faq
There are products without the DivX® logo that imply they support DivX playback. What's up with that?

Only products officially certified by DivX are capable of playing all DivX video content at the high level of quality DivX video affords. If the product is not certified, the product may not playback DivX video to your full satisfaction. Check out the official list for yourself.

So I guess they do let people use their name and logo without being certified or at least are aware of it.

[Anonymouses]

If it says "DivX Certified" then it should play XviD encoded with 1 b-frame and no GMC or Qpel. I guess according to previous posts you may need to use DivX's fourcc (DX50.)

Yeah GMC and QPEL are definitely out on almost all players, but I've never had a problem with XviD's with 2 or more b-frame option and never had to use DivX fourcc at least on the Phillips DVP-642 and RJTech RJ-1500DVXII.

[mod]

If you can, I suggest you to read ALL the specs of the players you are interested in, and then (as I did) go to the shop with a few Xvids, encoded by yourself with various settings, and TRY them. I've discovered that some models, supposed to be highly compatibles, weren't..
I made some videos with only 1 option enabled (GMC, QPel, Bframes 1,2, etc) and some others with 2 or more options all together, and then tryed.
In the end.. I have a Waitec Vision HTX, which reads GMC, QPel and Bframes, and in the last 1.5 years it couldn't read only 9 movies I encoded with Packed Bistream if I remember.. and with original firmware.