Hey Microsoft—DivX Already Supports H.264 with HTML5 in Firefox
DivX HiQ provides H.264 support for Firefox on Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7 and Mac OS
We know not everyone sits around thinking about video formats, but at DivX, we do. This means we’re not much fun at parties—but it also means that we’re always working on solutions to offer the ideal playback experience. For example, HTML5 <video> tag support has been a hot topic over the past year. The problem? Internet browsers support different video codecs and containers and there isn’t a consistent standard that works across all of them. The solution? Install DivX HiQ (which is powered by the DivX Plus Web Player) and get consistent video support on every major web browser, including H.264—even on a Mac.
When we launched the DivX HiQ beta program back in early September at IFA, we never imagined that the likes of Microsoft would pay homage to our HTML5 <video> tag solution with an attempt of their own. We think Microsoft’s approach is pretty cool, but their plug-in only works for Windows 7 users, which poses a bit of a problem for more than 80% of computer users on the planet.
With the DivX HiQ solution powered by the DivX Plus Web Player, users aren’t limited to a single OS or browser—they can have a consistent and high performance video experience everywhere, whether on a Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or even on a Mac.
As a couple of added benefits, DivX Plus Web Player provides better H.264 playback performance (ie: significantly less CPU usage) than any native HTML5 <video> tag implementation. It also includes free hardware acceleration support for H.264 video for DirectX capable graphics cards on all Windows operating systems.
We know that a plug-in isn’t the perfect solution, and this approach generated a lot of debate when we launched DivX HiQ at IFA 2010 in Germany. But thanks to Google Translate, we were able to follow the discussion and conclude that there is a lot of support for a solution that works for web publishers today and provides free playback support to any user that has issues with HTML5 video in their preferred browser. Check out the table below for an illustration, and take a look at our HTML5 <video> tag demo to try it out for yourself.
If you can choose your web browser or desktop media player, why can’t you choose your web video player?
Beyond HTML5 support, DivX HiQ also offers an alternative to the Flash player on popular video sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion and more. DivX HiQ beta users have reported big improvements over their Flash player experience, including smooth, stutter-free video even in full screen mode, and less power usage for longer battery life. DivX HiQ also includes hardware acceleration for PCs with DXVA-enabled graphics cards. Don’t take our word for it—see what the world is saying about DivX HiQ over the last three months.
We are thankful to all of our users that have been participating in our thriving beta release program. We’re always open to more feedback, so if you haven’t done it already, please try our DivX HiQ + Web Player Beta 3 and tell us what you think in our forums at DivX Labs.
