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From the Grab Bag: "Winnebago Man"


“From the Grab Bag” is written by various members of the DivX team and highlights under-the-radar movies that are available in DivX format.
There are a lot of awesome movies you can purchase and download in DivX format. Do you want to catch up on the Harry Potter films before heading to the theater for the latest adventure? Go for it. Want to get your Iron Man fix? Download away. But what about all those films that don’t have trailers playing during every single commercial break of “Dancing With the Stars”? While browsing around websites such as WB Shop or Film Fresh, I started finding a lot of under-the-radar films that intrigued me.

Last week while perusing Film Fresh, I saw a new documentary titled “Winnebago Man.” My first thought was, “Is this a documentary about THE Winnebago man from youtube?” A quick youtube search yielded this trailer (NSFW language):

After watching that trailer, how can a YouTube-browsing, meme-loving geek like myself NOT watch the full movie? The documentary was a lot of fun to watch. It digs beyond the foul language-riddled outtakes of a 1980’s commercial and unearths a story that is emotionally compelling. I particularly enjoyed the banter between Ben Steinbauer (the filmmaker) and Jack Rebney (the Winnebago man). By the end of the film, it was apparent they had formed a connection (albeit a strange one) through the film-making process. Ben is pushy and straight-forward. Jack is old, crotchety, and foul-mouthed. They deserve each other.

The production value of this film may not be up to par with some of the documentaries that are produced by mainstream filmmakers such as Michael Moore or Morgan Spurlock, but that doesn’t inhibit the story in the slightest. If you find yourself looking for a good human-driven story, I highly recommend this documentary.

Get Your Scared On (and Test Your Scary Movie Knowledge)


Department stores are starting to sell Christmas decorations, which can only mean one thing: Halloween is right around the corner.
There are several ways one can celebrate Halloween. You can carve pumpkins, wear crazy costumes, or beg your neighbors for candy (which APPARENTLY is socially unacceptable at my age…). Our friends at Film Fresh are celebrating the scary season by offering 20% off all movies through midnight on Halloween (Oct. 31). To get the deal, just use the coupon code FFHWEEN2010 during checkout.
This promotion could not have come at a better time, because our favorite DivX Halloween tradition is watching scary movies. So, every day for the next 10 days, we will be recommending a different film that we think would be perfect for this time of year. Each movie can be purchased (sorry, U.S. only*) and downloaded immediately from Film Fresh for playback on your DivX Certified device. This means that you can not only enjoy your scary movie on your computer, but you can play it on your DivX Certified portable DVD player or mobile phone and watch it while camping in a haunted forest or roaming around graveyards at night. (You do that, right?)
Click through the break to see if you can guess our movie recommendations and even win a prize. Continue reading “Get Your Scared On (and Test Your Scary Movie Knowledge)”

And There Was Much Rejoicing (DivX TV is Here!)

How often does a device get better after you buy it? A couple of days ago, tons of LG Blu-ray players across the U.S. had a free firmware update that gave them access to DivX TV. This means that current (and future) owners of supported LG Blu-ray players now have access to the best Internet shows from a wide variety of genres. Out of the box, DivX TV lets you use your remote to explore shows from all over the web with the ease of flipping channels, without the need for a PC.
In addition to the huge number of existing channels, you can even create personalized channels based on your interests. For example, you can save a search for “bacon” or “unicorns” or “unicorn bacon” and videos relating to these disturbing topics will appear. A video walkthrough as well as a list of supported LG Blu-ray players is posted after the break. Continue reading “And There Was Much Rejoicing (DivX TV is Here!)”

DivX, Blender and Dragons…. Hell Yes


is a proud sponsor of the Blender Foundation’s latest film, Sintel. We’re continually amazed at what a creative group of talented collaborators can accomplish. Building on the success of Elephant’s Dream and Big Buck Bunny, Sintel takes you on a journey with amazing landscapes, struggles for survival and, yes, dragons. The full video is available for streaming and download after the link. Continue reading “DivX, Blender and Dragons…. Hell Yes”

Next Stop: Boston


2010 has been a great year so far. It has given us the World Cup, inception cat, and jeggings are coming back in style. We have also had the opportunity to meet a lot of awesome DivX users during the gdgt live tour. Next week, the tour will continue in Beantown, USA and we will be there with a couple of our favorite DivX Certified Devices. If you live in or around Boston and you love gadgets, you will not want to miss this event.
Did we mention that we will also be giving away Seagate’s new DivX Certified FreeAgent GoFlex TV HD Media Player, and a DivX Certified Philips Blu-ray player? We’re pretty sure we just did.
Details after the break. Continue reading “Next Stop: Boston”

Let the Tablet Wars Begin


Heads up Apple, there’s a newer, smaller (and DivX Certified) tablet in town. Last week Samsung announced their new GALAXY Tab, and the web has been buzzing about it ever since. The tablet boasts a variety of awesome features, but our favorite would have to be that it guarantees DivX playback up to 720p HD (perhaps we are a bit biased). This miniature powerhouse also has a 7-inch touch screen, Flash 10.1, a 1GHz processor, and ships with Android™ 2.2 (froyo).
There has been a plethora (BAM! Scrabble score of 13) of stories and articles, but we decided to pick out a few of our favorites to list below after the break. Continue reading “Let the Tablet Wars Begin”

Samsung Galaxy S Preview


A short while ago, a new DivX 720p HD certified Galaxy S phone from Samsung found its way in to the DivX headquarters. Ever since it arrived it has been passed around from employee to employee. Everyone has read the hype around this phone and wants their own chance to see it for themselves. I was finally able to track it down and hold on to it long enough to do a quick video preview of this phone. After having a little bit of time to play around with this phone, I have to say: its pretty sweet. I love the super AMOLED screen (and I am a huge Android™ fan). DivX 720p videos on this phone look stunning. Check out the full video preview after the break: Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy S Preview”

DivX + Seattle + gdgt Live = Awesome


If you live in the Seattle area but always thought the gdgt live events in Austin and Chicago were just too darn far away, then July 27th is your lucky day. DivX will be traveling to the Emerald City to show off our latest gadgets, give out some free swag, and sample some of the city’s best expresso. If you are in the area and you love gadgets, this is not an event you will want to miss. Details after the break. Continue reading “DivX + Seattle + gdgt Live = Awesome”

A Recap of gdgt Live in Chicago


This was the 2nd stop on the gdgt live tour 2010. The tour kicked-off in Austin, TX during SXSW and this time we were headed to Chicago, IL. Hundreds of tech enthusiasts came out on a rainy night to check out the latest gadgets. DivX showed off some new devices that play DivX video, including the recently launched 1 TB Iomega Director multimedia hard drive and the LG Arena mobile phone. Attendees also had a chance to demo one of the first DivX Plus HD devices that play back MKV video (the Philips Blu-ray player BDP 5100).
We had a great time hanging out with all the DivX users that came by our booth to catch up on everything DivX. There are three more stops left on the gdgt live tour 2010. In July, we will be in Seattle, so if you are in the area, make sure to check back to get all the details. Continue reading “A Recap of gdgt Live in Chicago”

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