What version of DivX does Toshiba support?

[supe]

Hello,

I may purchase a Toshiba DR6 DVD Recorder soon, and it supposedly support DivX playback. However, there is no documentation anywhere about what version of DivX is supports.

Where might I find this info?

In your experience, how well do vendors keep up with DivX versions (presumably via firmware updates)?

Thanks.

[jagabo]

I don't know that particular device but generally Divx certified players play all versions of Divx. Some may have problems with very old versions (divx 3 alpha for example). Divx decoding has been the same since Divx 5. That is, any Divx 5 player can play Divx 6.x.

Divx Ultra certified players support advanced features like menus, chapters, and embedded subs. These players will typically have a Divx Ultra logo printed on them.

[jman98]

jagabo is correct, but do note that the following options may or may not be problems for playback on any DVD player that supports Divx:

1) GMC (Global Motion Compensation). Some support it up to 1 warp point. Some don't support it at all. If it's used during encoding, it probably has 3 warp points and no standalone DVD player at this time appears to support that. Despite some claims to support it, I've seen reviews where 3 warp point GMC was tested and it always failed.
2) QPel (Quarter Pixel)
3) Packed bitstream.
4) Resolutions greater than 720x576.
5) Video bit rates higher than 2000 Kbps. With some Divx playback chips, if your audio is anything other than MP3, you may have to drop the video bit rate as low as 1400 Kbps or you may have audio playback problems.

If your player has issues with any of those 5 things, only #3 can be fixed without re-encoding. MPEG4Modifier can remove packed bitstream without re-encoding. All the others require re-encoding to get rid of.

[jagabo]

Just so the guy isn't too scared: most of the features jman98 refers to can be handled my recent players. GMC (except Xvid's 3 warp point variation), QPel, packed bitstream, and high bitrates aren't much of a problem any more. Resolutions over 720x576 will require High Def Divx player.