People with high-speed connections may soon be able to download a DVD-quality
movie in less than 30 minutes and do it without fear of breaking copyright
laws.
Project Mayo, a group of Internet and video technologists behind the next
generation of the DivX video-compression format, have come to terms on a new
identity: DivXNetworks Inc.
DivX, sometimes referred to as 'video Napster,' is a baseline technology
designed to send compressed DVD-quality video via the Internet. The difference
is that DivX plans to offer video content securely using a digital
rights-management technology, which assures that title playback is limited to
the person who purchased it.
The onus on DivXNetworks, meanwhile, will be to build a business model around
the technology and to develop a standard for high-quality broadband video,
essentially moving it from the 'underground to mainstream.'
To that end, Project Mayo's Web site
will serve as an open-source DivX technology-hosting site for Internet and
video zealots.
DivXNetworks' platform will 'deliver pure viewing satisfaction to movie
enthusiasts, while allowing the film and video industries to profit from a new
distribution channel for their high-quality content,' company co-founder and CEO
Jordan Greenhall said in a press release.
DivXNetworks said it will launch a new distribution system later this year,
providing a secure delivery platform for top-flight video content. That system
will enable users to download movies over a cable or digital-subscriber-line
modem in 25 minutes or less, the company added.
