By now you've probably heard about the digital
video disc, or DVD: the gorgeous picture, the surround sound, the
efficient way you can jump from scene to scene with a click of the remote.
Perhaps you've seen a new DVD section at your local Blockbuster.
And maybe you've read that this hot new technology is catching on fast,
with 1.4 million DVD players sold since the debut two years ago, that
every consumer electronics manufacturer you can think of is making them
now and that prices have fallen -- on the low end to a bearable $300. So
if you love to watch movies at home, perhaps the time has come to make the
switch from plain old videotape. It should be an easy decision. Nothing
should give you pause ... unless, of course, you wander into Circuit City
and get hit with this sales pitch: "If you buy a DVD player, you should
buy one with Divx."
Huh?
Good question.
Divx (rhymes
with civics, short for Digital Video Express) is a feature on selected DVD
players that -- paradoxically -- allows you to rent movies you'll never
need to return. Divx discs are encrypted DVDs that can be decoded and
played only on a machine that has the Divx chip; the deck also has a modem that uses your home's regular phone line to communicate with a sort of "Divx Central." The player dials in the first time you want to use it, then again once a month to take care o
f the billing.
We found that setting up a Divx account is fairly straightforward. You connect the player to your TV using the same video jacks and cables you'd use for a regular DVD player. Push the power button; use the remote to select the "register" option. Next,
call a toll-free number and wait for a live person to come on the line.
Then recite the player's ID number (displayed on your TV screen) and offer
up your credit card, name, billing address, etc., just as you would when
purchasing anything over the phone.
The Divx operator will take it all down and then tell you to hang up and
connect your player to a nearby phone jack so that it can dial in and
complete the process. (Most Divx players come with a cord for the phone
connection.) A few minutes later you're
ready to watch your first movie.
DIVX: A FEW MORE TO CHOOSE FROM Zenith, first out of the gate last fall with a DVD player that could also play Divx discs, expands its line this spring to include a $450 model with a built-in Dolby Digital decoder. Thomson,
close behind, sells this $400 RCA and a Proscan that offers remote features for $100 more. JVC will soon roll out its first Divx players - a high-end model priced at $700.