AfterDawn: News

DivX makes distribution deal with Sony for TV shows

It looks like television shows produced by Sony Pictures may be available in a new form soon. That's because DivX, Inc, creators of the the well-known DivX video codec, have made a deal with Sony Pictues Television International (SPTI) which will allow online retailers to offer downloads in DivX format.

Although better known as the company that spread MPEG-4 video beyond the video enthusiast community with their popular codec, the DivX Certification program has been arguably a much more important development for consumers. Not only are certified DVD and media players capable of playing MPEG-4 video encoded with a wide variety of tools, they're also compatible with the company's own VOD system (and DRM), which is presumably a key factor in the deal with Sony.



"The extension of our relationship with the Sony family will enable consumers around the world to easily and securely access and enjoy high-quality, premium content from the Sony library on a variety of devices beyond the PC," said Kevin Hell, CEO of DivX, Inc. "We are pleased that Sony Pictures Television International recognizes the value of the DivX digital media solution and we look forward to partnering with international retailers to bring this solution to market."

So far there has been no word on where or when Sony programs might be available.

Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 25 Jun 2008 12:54

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• 25 comments

• bdoggie08

  I sure hope the prices aren't going to be gouged...that'd be sweet if it was free, like Stage 6 was..RIP Stage 6 :(

  25.6.2008 13:21 #1

• nobrainer

  Oh how wonderful, another sony venture riddled in DRM, joy!
  
  i would gather that the reason that sony has choosen divx is because their DRM is linked to one person and with the patent that sony applied for and the totally anti-consumer approach to the PSN sale of warhawk, it would make perfect sense.
  
  SONY WARHAWK STATEMENT Originally posted by hyper: In order to protect our investment....Only that registered PSN account will be authenticated for gameplay...... sony, blah blah blah screw over the customer!you are not allowed to sell lend or even give their media away as its licenced to YOU and ONLY YOU!
  
  Sony denies snafu over used PS3 games Originally posted by hyper: We reported yesterday about a rumored message from Sony to retailers to warn them that selling used PS3 titles is "illegal." Sony has come out today and denied the rumor, telling GamesIndustry.biz "It's false speculation. We don't have any further knowledge about this topic - either officially or unofficially, to be frank."
  
  Last November, a Sony patent was unearthed that would prevent PS3 games from working on more than one console -- that rumor was also denied.and here is an extract from the sony patent.
  
  Originally posted by hyper: "A device and method for protection of legitimate software against used software and counterfeit software in recording media… A specific title code is read, and if this title code has been registered, the main unit shifts to a normal operation. If the code has not been registered, verification software is initiated… If matching does not occur, the disk is processed as illegitimate software… Since only titles for which legitimate software has actually been purchased and which have been initially registered in the machine table can be used, resale (so-called used software purchase) after purchase by an end-user becomes practically impossible."so basically they lied and now with the divx drm we see them step even further down this road!
  
  and then you have the sony DRM on mass effect that allows you to install the game 3 times then the licence is revoked and you are left with a £40 place mat. so where is all this anti consumer approach of limited licensing going exactly SONY?

  25.6.2008 14:25 #2

• Hunt720

  Ahh... nobrainer. Your scare tactics and paltry speculation have yet to convert anyone to your side.
  
  To be fair though, you seem like a smart guy. I would think that you could do something to actually defend others from the Sony DRM that will still be bought by many despite your ranting. I'm thinking Sony would benefit less if you helped people free these Divx files and other media from the restrictions and make them available to others.
  
  For instance:
  
  You HELP by figuring out a way to play the games on multiple consoles. Then Sony doesn't restrict how many friends houses I get to play one of these titles that has this (yet to be implemented) DRM you speak of.
  
  Hey, if you are right about this restricted future then help find a way around it. DVD and HD-DVD both have/had DRM and it has already been circumvented.. along with the DRM on the Blu-Ray discs you hate soo much.
  
  The point is that people are still buying these Blu-Ray discs and other sony affiliated products... you may think you are cautioning people... but it has little significance in comparison to others who have found a way around these obstacles.

  25.6.2008 15:37 #3

• sssharp

  There is one thing about nobrainer's saying the ps3 used games will be useless. If that is true then they will not get me to purchase the ps3 because I am waiter for the games and dont need them at initial release. There will also be lots of store closings if they cant give money/credit to consumers for exchanging for a new game. Also just thought about the game rental program, that would also be a "barn burner".

  25.6.2008 17:45 #4

• P51ride

  It looks like Stage 6 puckered up and kissed Sony's 6 o'clock.
  
  "Not only are certified DVD and media players capable of playing MPEG-4 video encoded with a wide variety of tools, they're also compatible with the company's own VOD system (and DRM), which is presumably a key factor in the deal with Sony."
  
  Notice the DRM. It means that Sony will still control what you do with that file and if they decide to change the rip off scheme er DRM, anyone who purchased the video will be left with megabytes or gigabytes of useless data. This reeks of what Major League Baseball did as well as what MSN's music service. When are they ever going to learn that the consumer is tired of paying for the same thing over and over again.
  
  Best Regards

  25.6.2008 17:59 #5

• bdoggie08

  hey its nobrainer, oh he's laying some useless Sony insults yet once again, having nothing better to do but put down Sony...again and again..well why don't you stop spending time complaining about Sony and start spending time fixing what could be done to solve the problems you have with them.

  25.6.2008 18:16 #6

• JRude

  I am on nobrainer's side. YOU should be! Peeps who blast nobrainer for his scathing attacks of DRM do not have a CLUE! Do YOU do anything to further the DRM fight? Besides buy the latest riddled product? Many do, but can't publicly speak of it. One day you will wake up to a world where everything is pay by the play. And YOU will yell the loudest that you didn't see it coming! I have a preponderance of Sony products. But I know what I'm doing. Do you?

  25.6.2008 19:06 #7

• Hunt720

  Originally posted by JRude: I am on nobrainer's side. YOU should be! Peeps who blast nobrainer for his scathing attacks of DRM do not have a CLUE! Do YOU do anything to further the DRM fight? Besides buy the latest riddled product? Many do, but can't publicly speak of it. One day you will wake up to a world where everything is pay by the play. And YOU will yell the loudest that you didn't see it coming! I have a preponderance of Sony products. But I know what I'm doing. Do you?But wouldn't it be more proactive to come up with anti-DRM methods to get around the things you both are complaining about. I too hate DRM and think it soils the integrity of many companies. Virtually EVERY DVD that you buy has DRM.. but many of us know how to get around it. Nobrainers opinions haven't stopped people from buying the Blu-Ray discs.. especially not on a level that counts for anything within the realm of "taking sony down". If more effort was spent on showing SONY that we don't fear the DRM and can find ways around it they may want to stop wasting r+d funds on the thing.
  
  ... otherwise you are just annoying others.

  25.6.2008 20:58 #8

• varnull

  There is a solid gold way to beat drm... don't buy the shit in the first place!! So maybe you have to .. oh the humanity.. go without something.. Tough.
  
  I can hack the drm out of just about everything, but why the hell should I help the lazy and thick to do the same? That's not in anybodys interest because they will keep buying the drm filled crap, encouraging more and more drm, while I give my time and skills for free and risking my neck every time I break another lockout method... I don't think so!!
  
  Anyway.. this is US only by the looks of it.. so I don't give a toss.
  
  Death to the cartel and their anti-consumer tactics.
  
  

  
  
  Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work. Im going outside now.. and I may be some time........

  25.6.2008 21:51 #9

• JRude

  Proactive? What does THAT mean! lol! I'm not going to post to the world and every major label what I do. Idiocy! Don't you think the AA's monitor these forums? The voice of the few. but PERHAPS at some point peeps will remember what was said. The majority of peeps who post in here are tech savvy...the general population is NOT! I post all over! If those who do believe we are about to be locked out of most media and devices didn't rant, where would you get your info? PR releases from The Industry about ''enhancing'' the ''user experience''? SONY DRM is called an enhancement. FISTA's 30 times a second check on copyrightable file extensions is an enhancement also! It's here and it's going to get worse. The answer? Probably NONE! The public just wants their Spears vid and ringtones. btw, this has probably been run through the NSA/AT&T filters, so I guess I'm on the ''list''! lol!

  25.6.2008 22:41 #10

• Hunt720

  Originally posted by varnull: There is a solid gold way to beat drm... don't buy the shit in the first place!! So maybe you have to .. oh the humanity.. go without something.. Tough.
  
  I can hack the drm out of just about everything, but why the hell should I help the lazy and thick to do the same? That's not in anybodys interest because they will keep buying the drm filled crap, encouraging more and more drm, while I give my time and skills for free and risking my neck every time I break another lockout method... I don't think so!!
  
  Anyway.. this is US only by the looks of it.. so I don't give a toss.
  
  Death to the cartel and their anti-consumer tactics.
  .. good idea.
  
  If the average consumer doesn't even know about the DRM... then why would they not buy it to begin with? Why did they even enter the discussion?
  
  Let me know how successful your boycott is.

  26.6.2008 01:27 #11

• kyo28

  nobrainer, I think you're being a tad bit paranoid there. I'm certainly not in favor of limiting end-users' rights of use but just a few side notes to your post:
  
  1. Did it ever occur to you that this patent of Sony might be only to protect games that are downloaded through the PSN store? Because currently, some users are 'sharing' purchased games by logging into each others store and downloading those games. I think this patent is designed to prevent this rather than prevent used sales of BR games.
  
  2. All (and I really mean ALL) Japanese developers have expressed their dislike of the used game market, claiming it hurts their sales. They have tried (all together) to put out a legislation in Japan that forbids those sales but that movement was unsuccessful, thankfully. It's not just Sony doing this but the entire industry
  
  3. Mass Effect ... you really lost me there. The game is on PC and distributed by EA. If consumers want to complain, it should be addressed to EA, nobody else, because the end decision to include this DRM was theirs (whether or not the DRM code was created by Sony and sold to EA is irrelevant, the decision to incorporate it into the game was EA's)
  
  I'm all in favor of fighting the good fight for consumers but sometimes I feel you're a bit one-sided or even biased against certain brands.

  26.6.2008 08:32 #12

• Oner

  Originally posted by kyo28: nobrainer, I think you're being a tad bit paranoid there.....I'm all in favor of fighting the good fight for consumers but sometimes I feel you're a bit one-sided or even biased against certain brands.That is an understatement. The continual misinformation that is spewed on a DAILY basis is simply amazing. For example:
  
  Quote:Sony denies snafu over used PS3 games
  
  We reported yesterday about a rumored message from Sony to retailers to warn them that selling used PS3 titles is "illegal." Sony has come out today and denied the rumor, telling GamesIndustry.biz "It's false speculation. We don't have any further knowledge about this topic - either officially or unofficially, to be frank."
  
  Last November, a Sony patent was unearthed that would prevent PS3 games from working on more than one console -- that rumor was also denied.So lets break it down a little to show the real info shall we....he tries to prove some sort of "point" about used PS3 games not working, but the article he grabs/quotes this misinformation is from 2005! and is NOT current nor truthful since used PS3 games do work ~ That is lie #1...so far in this thread alone, on to #2.
  
  Warhawk. Lets again break down the absolute awful amount of misinformation and omitance of key facts.
  
  Quote:Only that registered PSN account will be authenticated for gameplayDo you see what he did there? Probably not as he left out the most important parts of the statement to twist the information into supporting his biased point
  
  Quote:SCE will be utilizing an alternative Digital Rights Management (DRM) policy for the downloadable version of Warhawk. The downloadable version of Warhawk, which will be available from the PLAYSTATION Store on Thursday 30th August, will be directly tied to the registered PLAYSTATION Network (PSN) account that purchased the game. Only that registered PSN account will be authenticated for gameplay. You will still be able to download the game to up to five PS3 systems.So here he tries to make it SEEM like it applies to ALL Sony PS3 games (somehow) but that is pure and blatant lies & more misinformation. Warhawk (the downloadable version) is playable/sharable on up to 5 different PS3's while the Blu Ray version is not affected by this in ANY way. Plus not to mention what about all the used PS3 games available at Gamestop and similar stores that totally goes against his mindset?
  
  I could go on but my point is made and he will only try to twist my words and make it SEEM like I am picking on him in an attempt to get me in "trouble" with aD when all I am doing is making sure people get the REAL truth (that is what aD is for is it not) after the BS he spews in weak attempts to confuse people and spread more lies. So while he may beleive this is "personal" it is not. I am just doing my part in making sure the people who come to aD to make their own conclusions get the truth and FULL clear information needed/required without just snippets, conjecture or misinformed biased OPINIONS as their basis.
  
  I have warned you before nobrainer about doing this and you just don't listen, learn or think the rules don't apply to you. But they do and will. Understand this, you can post all you want about DRM and everything else you so vehemently appose (which is good as I agree certain forms of DRM are just unnecessary & restrictive but I as many others have no problem bypassing it and moving on) but if you keep on posting blatant lies and misinformation that is nothing more than fanboy drivel your posts will continue to be dis proven, edited, removed or more....though I have not gone that far yet as it is unnecessary, since to properly clear things up & disprove your posts they are left intact to show people your faulted informational record history.
  
  
  
  But that aside, on to the topic at hand. The DiVx deal probably has something to do in line with Sony's Bravia Internet Video Linked TV's and/or offering distributable content as part of their business model
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Props & Credit for the pictures to Sev over at PSLS.net
  

  
  
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  26.6.2008 09:33 #13

• nobrainer

  i see as usual its protect sony from criticism and a complete failure to read my post,
  
  Originally posted by my post: i would gather that the reason that sony has choosen divx is because their DRM is linked to one person and with the patent that sony applied for and the totally anti-consumer approach to the PSN sale of warhawk, it would make perfect sense.btw oner i did state that it was the PSN title that is locked to 1 account that you are not allowed to sell, lend or even give away.(FACT) that type of licencing is the exact same type of anti consumer DRM that is used with divx(FACT), the patent is valid and sony lied about applying for it but it is in face real and current (FACT) can you please stop calling me a fanboy and constantly accusing me of providing misleading information when what i provided is FACTUAL and stop twisting my posts to your means, thank you.
  

  The BPI Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
  The RIAA Soundexchange Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
  The IFPI Are: The same anti consumer lot as listed above!
  The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.

  26.6.2008 10:01 #14

• Oner

  So because you put PSN makes what you said factual? What about EVERYTHING else? If you don't like your posts to be critiqued and shown to have misinformation then post CURRENT proper full articles. But you don't as you pick and choose certain misleading text constantly which I have shown here & as you have done many times before. (FACT)
  

  
  
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  26.6.2008 10:38 #15

• Hunt720

  High five ONER!
  
  I think the acceptance of the "info" presented by nobrainer is above and beyond a tolerant level and you get as much respect for that as you do for re-researching all the crap posts.
  
  
  .. I would have replied to them earlier, but I was playing my friends copy of Uncharted that he bought used at Gamestop.

  26.6.2008 11:01 #16

• LOCOENG

  @ nobrainer
  
  You do realize that there is more to AD than news. I've looked through your posts and 98% of your posts are in the "news discussion" section. Why don't you find somewhere on this vast site to actually help someone that needs help instead of trolling the news looking for a reason to argue with other members or mods? Your posts are well thought out, but whether twisted, turned, factual, biased, fanist, anti consumer, antiDRM or manipulated they all wreak of a piss poor attitude. Move on buddy, you've made your point (many times) and everyone knows where you stand so give it a rest.
  

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  26.6.2008 11:09 #17

• bdoggie08

  Yay!! Finally somebody ended the reign of Nobrainer's misinformed retarded information that nobody cares to read, because of the mislead and run on information about Sony. Sony Sony Sony....Sony does this..Ahhh I am going to slander and insult Sony some more. Now I can post about Sony so that everybody can read what I think of them.
  
  Dude, you have so much fanboyish comments about Sony. I am so sick of reading your posts, they're all the same. Say something positive, sick of negative. How about you commend them something, or say something that contributes to the thread. Thank god the moderators said something, so what now? What do you say?

  26.6.2008 13:18 #18

• SDF_GR

  nobrainer i told you before and i will say it again, see a physcho-doctor cause you are becoming a maniac.
  LOCOENG said that your post are all in news, acctually is all in sony news threads.
  There is another solution tho,get your self a job(if you are not working for M$) so you can buy your self a PS3 and original movie copies so you wont have to copy them.
  
  I have 2 PS3's a 60gb & a 40gb,PSP S&L,Sony w580i, stand alone Sony DVD-r , Bravia TV, and about 50 BD movies, (how sony is that?)
  and that bs that you speak all the time about drm and sh**t, is only at your nobrained head (FACT).
  
  ....but of course YOU without any sony device and with 100years articles you know better.

  26.6.2008 13:44 #19

• bdoggie08

  Originally posted by SDF_GR:
  I have 2 PS3's a 60gb & a 40gb... Hey man, just was wondering...
  Why do you have 2 PS3's? I am just curious. One is enough for me, the 60 gig is sufficient and superior, but the 40 isn't...just wondering..thx

  26.6.2008 14:09 #20

• Oner

  Alright guys enough. This is not a personal thing towards nobrainer just clarification of misinformation, no need to jump on him as he is a good contributor and a member of aD just as everyone else. Please try to be respectful and mindful of what you say and how you say it and get back on topic, Thank You.
  

  
  
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  26.6.2008 15:02 #21

• bdoggie08

  Yea you're right, but hopefully the criticism helps this individual out for the future, so as not to post obscene off the wall information about Sony. What was said was a wake up call, a learning experience for all people that post misleading or monotonous, fanboyish comments and information that ramble on and on about nothing in the end.

  26.6.2008 15:10 #22

• JRude

  I have a SONY VAIO PC, a SONY BIG screen TV and receiver, game console, DVD players, SONY replaement burner in my PC. I like the SONY products. However, I do NOT like SONY's policies! Nor do I like to see SONY ads placed in posts for any reason. I'll probably get slapped for this but this is how I feel.

  26.6.2008 18:46 #23

• bdoggie08

  Dude just let it go.

  26.6.2008 19:22 #24

• SDF_GR

  offtopic
  Quote:Originally posted by SDF_GR:
  I have 2 PS3's a 60gb & a 40gb... Hey man, just was wondering...
  Why do you have 2 PS3's? I am just curious. One is enough for me, the 60 gig is sufficient and superior, but the 40 isn't...just wondering..thxI went out one day to buy a stand alone BD player and i got back with a 40gb PS3 and the blutooth remote control.
  (Not advised to people that live with their girlfriends) womans can handle 1 PS but 2... is an act of war! 2TV's + 2PS3's + friends = BOOM!
  When i watch movies i use the 40gb is a lot quiter than the 60, especially when the 60 upscales DVD's it does a lot of noise, this is why i went out to buy a stand alone BD player at first place... and alomost end up to a hospital lol

  26.6.2008 19:43 #25