Why does DivX suck?

[thomsbrain]

<< divx sucks because it doesn't have special features of the quality of dvd. sure for a 2-3 cd rip it might look pretty close even on a good tv if you have a pc with very nice outputs(unlikely), but flipping discs? good god hell no. >>



It's called "playlists."



<< lack of surround sound.. choice between dd and dts, >>



Actually, DivX movies CAN have surround sound. They just usually aren't encoded that way because picture quality is more important than surround sound.


<<
commentary tracks, special features etc really blows. plus with dvds rental now is perfect, you pay 3 bux and get the same experience as when the disc was new. no dirty crunched worn videos and stuff well as long as you don't go to blockbuster with their special cuts and pan and scam only(they are trying) policy
>>


What would be really perfect (but illegal) would be if you could copy those rentals. Oh wait, it's called DivX. I've also never seen a DVD with "special features" that were worth my time. (With the exception of commentary tracks, I admit those are cool).




<< it has its purposes, if i want to watch something on my laptop or say a pda then divx is fine, but for true movie experiences your just robbing yourself i guess the basic arguement is that you can't beat the quality for something thats free, but your times not free >>



I don't have a $3000 TV so a multi-disc DivX rip looks as good as DVD. I also don't have surround speakers because I can't justify the expense for a gimic. So DivX is very very close to DVD for my use.

 

[chibchakan]

I love Divx

 

[MikeO]

<< DIVX sucks for those of us who would rather download MPEGs or VCD's and play them on our DVD/VCD players. >>



Huh? You're saying DivX sucks because it's not MPEG and you want MPEG?




<< divx sucks because it doesn't have special features of the quality of dvd. >>



And what does DVD's special features have anything to do with DivX codec, if I may ask? You propably mean the DivX releases you have suck because special features are not included..




<< sure for a 2-3 cd rip it might look pretty close even on a good tv if you have a pc with very nice outputs(unlikely), but flipping discs? good god hell no. >>



2 CD rip looks really, really close on my 28" TV, I'm playing them through ATi Radeon's tv-out. And as already said, playlist's are invented.




<< lack of surround sound.. choice between dd and dts, commentary tracks >>



All of these could be included, all you'd have to do is rip the different audio tracks and when you're about to watch the movie just pick the audio track you want, very simple. Again you're saying that DivX sucks for a reason that has absolutely nothing to do with the codec.




<< plus with dvds rental now is perfect, you pay 3 bux and get the same experience as when the disc was new. >>



Yeah, I really want to pay $3 every single time I want to see the movie. I've watched several movies 20+ times, renting them every time is not an option, I purchase those movies.




<< Without streaming, DivX is not an ideal format for distributing motion picture over the Web. >>



I hate streaming, so DivX is ideal format for me.




<< Encoding is very CPU intensive. >>



No sh*t, so is encoding mp3 but does it suck because of that?




<< Video encoding is a complex procedure. >>



It's only a bit more complex than encoding mp3. I learned how to encode DivX in 15 minutes.




<< Divx is the best video type there is out there. >>



It sure is.

 

[konichiwa]

The reason DivX sucks is that I can't play them on my Set Top DVD player. As soon as that can happen, DivX no longer sucks

 

[Nefrodite]

2 CD rip looks really, really close on my 28" TV, I'm playing them through ATi Radeon's tv-out. And as already said, playlist's are invented.


um ok, i and everyone else just loves to waste hd space on divx files. backing em up not an option eh?

And what does DVD's special features have anything to do with DivX codec, if I may ask? You propably mean the DivX releases you have suck because special features are not included..



i don't think the movie industry will ever release movies with special feature in divx, so i don't know waht your point is.

All of these could be included, all you'd have to do is rip the different audio tracks and when you're about to watch the movie just pick the audio track you want, very simple. Again you're saying that DivX sucks for a reason that has absolutely nothing to do with the codec.


yes sure but once you do you use the whole point of divx, size. lets see 3 discs for a decent long movie at good quality with plain jane 128kbs mp3 stereo audio is already 2 honking GB. replace the audio with dts and it probably jumps atleast another cd, add dd and it jumps more, commentary, special features etc. its basically dvd sized again hm, well no point in using divx is there.

Yeah, I really want to pay $3 every single time I want to see the movie. I've watched several movies 20+ times, renting them every time is not an option, I purchase those movies.


so whats your point? thats only logical. but how many movies do you watch 20+ times? thats 40+ hours of entertainment. personally i can't watch a movie more then once unless theres commentary or it is REALLY REALLY good. maybe 3 times max then.


It's only a bit more complex than encoding mp3. I learned how to encode DivX in 15 minutes.






oh, did you learn nandub sbc two pass? the best method around or did you use the crappy method.

The reason DivX sucks is that I can't play them on my Set Top DVD player. As soon as that can happen, DivX no longer sucks


well actually it still sucks, only more conveniently. it becomes super duper vcd.

 

[manly]

<<


<< Encoding is very CPU intensive. >>



No sh*t, so is encoding mp3 but does it suck because of that?




<< Video encoding is a complex procedure. >>



It's only a bit more complex than encoding mp3. I learned how to encode DivX in 15 minutes.

>>



Look, I'm not knocking DivX ;-) at all. Your comparison between encoding DivX and encoding MP3 is completely silly. All I'm saying is that with today's hardware, it takes an extreme amount of time to do DivX encoding; this is to be expected considering the complexity of the task.

And secondly, you're wrong that it's just "a bit" more complex than encoding MP3. Anyone else who has seriously dabbled in DVD to DivX encoding wouldn't agree on that point. If you learned in 15 mins that's great, but like I said before, 90% of the DivX encodings out there are of poor quality and give the codec a bad name. IVTC alone is one concept that most people will never understand.

 

[virtuamike]

DivX sucks because I can't use it to switch camera angles when I'm watching my Pr0n. But the fact that it's free makes up for it I guess.

 

[LocutusX]

<< The reason DivX sucks is that I can't play them on my Set Top DVD player. As soon as that can happen, DivX no longer sucks >>



May I introduce you to my good friend, SVCD?

Check VCDHelp for set-top player compatibility lists and then when you want to encode one yourself, have a read of one of the guides at Doom9.




<< And secondly, you're wrong that it's just "a bit" more complex than encoding MP3. Anyone else who has seriously dabbled in DVD to DivX encoding wouldn't agree on that point. If you learned in 15 mins that's great, but like I said before, 90% of the DivX encodings out there are of poor quality and give the codec a bad name. IVTC alone is one concept that most people will never understand. >>



So true. Anyone who claims to have learned everything about DVD to DivX encoding in 15 minutes is either an idiot, or an..... umm... idiot!

 

[Jerboy]

<< DivX sucks only if you compare it to DVD. However, in a size for size comparison, DivX can definitely hold its own. Besides, almost all DivX encoded files are illegal to some extent, so, for something free, it's pretty damn good. >>




How does it compare to S-VHS taped at SP mode?

 

[tops2]

u get what u pay for..and we paid nothing

divx is awesome for something thats free

 

[LocutusX]

<<

<< DivX sucks only if you compare it to DVD. However, in a size for size comparison, DivX can definitely hold its own. Besides, almost all DivX encoded files are illegal to some extent, so, for something free, it's pretty damn good. >>




How does it compare to S-VHS taped at SP mode? >>



It's difficult to compare a pure digital computer format (DivX) to an analog format such as SVHS because it's like comparing apples to oranges.

One is meant for computer playback, the other for Television. There are too many variables on the TV-Out side of things to influence the quality of the final output.

OTOH, a better comparison would be comparing a pure digital television format such as SVCD, to SVHS.

 

[Oreo]

<< There are a number of deficiencies with DivX 4.12 that are common to all codecs based on ISO MPEG-4 code. You will notice that MPEG-2 (DVD, SVCD, etc.) does not suffer from those deficiencies. >>

Care to explain?

 

[Jerboy]

<<
It's difficult to compare a pure digital computer format (DivX) to an analog format such as SVHS because it's like comparing apples to oranges.

One is meant for computer playback, the other for Television. There are too many variables on the TV-Out side of things to influence the quality of the final output.

OTOH, a better comparison would be comparing a pure digital television format such as SVCD, to SVHS. >>



Well by looking at it, you can tell which has better picture quality by looking at it and what you can see/hear is all it matters, right?

 

[LocutusX]

<<

<< There are a number of deficiencies with DivX 4.12 that are common to all codecs based on ISO MPEG-4 code. You will notice that MPEG-2 (DVD, SVCD, etc.) does not suffer from those deficiencies. >>

Care to explain? >>



Simply said, MPEG2 handles many types of noise far better than the ISO MPEG4 implementation (which both divx3.11a and DivX 4.x is based on).

These include:

- color gradients
- moving textures (i.e. a textured wall while the camera is panning, or a close-up on an old person's wrinkled face and the camera makes very slight movements)
- contrast of dark objects in dark contrasted scenes; inconsistent "blackness"
- generally speaking, the type of noise you find on DVDs of old movies (i.e. The Godfather, The French Connection) or even new movies where they purposely make it noisy (Saving Private Ryan, Tigerland)

Many people seem to agree that DivX is meant for 1 or 2CD rips. However, in many of these "hard" cases (and there are quite a few of them, especially if you are a cinemaphile with taste as opposed to someone who is only interested in the latest Hollywood trash) you need to use such high bitrate, that you are better off with an SVCD rip - which looks the same or better and is more versatile since you can play it easily on both computers and standalone DVD players.




<< Well by looking at it, you can tell which has better picture quality by looking at it and what you can see/hear is all it matters, right? >>



Well the problem is, maybe you still have an ATI 3D Rage Pro for TV-Outputting and divx might look really sh!tty on that (compared to a SVHS "copy") but maybe on a new Radeon AIW 8500, divx looks so much better. I dunno. It's still an apples to oranges comparison, IMO.

 

[TallBill]

hehe, i cant believe that dialup users would download divx... days of download time just to save 3 bucks.. jeesh

 

[Oreo]

Yea, I've noticed that some dark scenes are always blocky no matter how many bits you throw at them with DivX/DivX4. So basically DivX is good for low-mid bitrate while MPEG2 is good for mid-high bitrate.

 

[FrogDog]

<< hehe, i cant believe that dialup users would download divx... days of download time just to save 3 bucks.. jeesh >>

3 * number of times watched.

It looks like there's some pretty knowledgeable people in this thread so I'll pop the question - What do you guys find is the best method for encoding divx from dvd? Programs you use, settings, I need anything! I've encoded about 4 or 5 movies now and haven't got the perfect method yet.

 

[TallBill]

<<

<< hehe, i cant believe that dialup users would download divx... days of download time just to save 3 bucks.. jeesh >>

3 * number of times watched. >>

uh yeah.. in grainy format... compared to a rented movie that actually looks good and doesnt requrie anything with my pc whatsoever

 

[FrogDog]

<<

<<

<< hehe, i cant believe that dialup users would download divx... days of download time just to save 3 bucks.. jeesh >>

3 * number of times watched. >>

uh yeah.. in grainy format... compared to a rented movie that actually looks good and doesnt requrie anything with my pc whatsoever >>

Hehe. I think this thread thoroughly covers this debate already.

 

[Nefrodite]

Yea, I've noticed that some dark scenes are always blocky no matter how many bits you throw at them with DivX/DivX4. So basically DivX is good for low-mid bitrate while MPEG2 is good for mid-high bitrate.

yup, divx sometimes has the ickyness of a jpg compressed too far you get that ugly 256color like artifact whatever it would be called. it simply isn't meant for high end, after about 2000kbs there is no improvement in quality.

3 * number of times watched.

lol, so your time is worth that little? personally i'd rather watch the special features/commentary the 2nd time i watch a good movie. if its crap why bother in the first place. and if its good why cheap out.
[/i]


It looks like there's some pretty knowledgeable people in this thread so I'll pop the question - What do you guys find is the best method for encoding divx from dvd? Programs you use, settings, I need anything! I've encoded about 4 or 5 movies now and haven't got the perfect method yet.


nandub sbc. 15 minutes to learn



i kid, depending on your knowledge base it might take hours for you to truely understand and learn. it is SO not like mp3 encoding.

the true usefulness of divx? ultra capacity tivo perhaps. but then again with hd capacities increasing so quickly it might not matter

 

[kami333]

<<

<< hehe, i cant believe that dialup users would download divx... days of download time just to save 3 bucks.. jeesh >>

3 * number of times watched.

It looks like there's some pretty knowledgeable people in this thread so I'll pop the question - What do you guys find is the best method for encoding divx from dvd? Programs you use, settings, I need anything! I've encoded about 4 or 5 movies now and haven't got the perfect method yet. >>



I second nandub. Settings can differ from movie to movie, unless you are really going for quality, mess around and see what works for most movies then stick with it. Gordian Knot pack is a nice way to start, it'll give you pretty good quality without having to mess around too much.

 

[MikeO]

<< um ok, i and everyone else just loves to waste hd space on divx files. >>



I don't consider storing DivX's on HD wasting space, but I guess that's just me.




<< but how many movies do you watch 20+ times >>



You'd be suprised, I'm a moviefreak.




<< oh, did you learn nandub sbc two pass? the best method around or did you use the crappy method. >>



Nandub is the best only if you are willing to spend hundreds of hours of learning every damn thing about it. If you don't know what you're doing you get crap. No, I used the easier method that gives you SBC quality but is easier and faster. I've compared some of my encodings with those done with Nandub (by "professionals"), the quality is very similar -- not enough difference to justify spending hours and hours and hours to learn Nandub throughoutly. But hey, that's just my opinion, if you think Nandub is *the* thing and everything else sucks then fine, you use Nandub and I use the crappy method.




<< So true. Anyone who claims to have learned everything about DVD to DivX encoding in 15 minutes is either an idiot, or an..... umm... idiot! >>



When did I say I learned *everything* about it in 15 minutes? I still don't know *everything* about it, propably never will. I said I learned how to encode DivX in 15 minutes and if I'm an idiot because of that.. I guess you're right.




<< What do you guys find is the best method for encoding divx from dvd? >>



GordianKnot, it's pretty easy and straightforward, but gives you that SBC quality.

Gordian Knot is a frontend for SBC encoding. In its current version it is a frontend for pretty much everything related to SBC encoding, including ripping, creating DVD2AVI project files, resize, calculate bitrate and encode audio and video.