DivX To Offer Online Video [DivX Unveils Boxee-like Platform, Looking For Partners]

DivX Inc. and their codec is already well-known for it’s ability to compress video and maintain a high quality, and it’s become a de facto file format for many… ahem, less than legal video sources on the internet. The DivX format is playable on many digital media set-top boxes and now DivX is expanding into a new market.

DivX is looking to partner with streaming set-top manufacturers to offer their own IPTV platform. The platform, which, based on screenshots and descriptions, would be similar to the popular open-source Boxee. Not only would users be able to stream content from several channels offered by DivX, but they would also be able to stream their own media. Several desktop-style widgets were also shown, like sports and weather.

Such a product would obviously compete with popular services like Roku, VUDU and Boxee. LG and Viewsonic have already signed on with DivX and DivX has gotten a nice starting stable of channels for launch, including CNET, Revision3, TED and Pandora Internet Radio. These are just the ones a TFTS reader might be interested in – DivX says they have 70 content partners signed up and ready to provide content to the device.

DivX, who before this, rarely ventured outside of their media player and codec, is showing real initiative with this. Their press release even mentions they wouldn’t mind expanding their DivX TV platform to embedded TV systems, Blu-Ray players, game consoles and even mobile phones. One legal note to keep in mind – DivX might be less than willing to license their file format to certain set-top makers if they decline to offer the DivX format.

At any rate, the DivX TV platform is far off, but looks to be a solid competitor to Roku and Boxee.