Expect even higher quality
DivX playback from Blu-ray players, HDTVs and other devices, now that NEC has signed a deal to implement DivX Plus HD (aka
h.264 in an MKV container with AAC audio) support in its
EMMA chipset family. The company has already signed up chipmakers Sigma and Trident, anything rocking the appropriate logo should be able to handle content at resolutions up to 1080p, or older DivX encoded files, so feel free to plug those USB sticks and network cables into home theater equipment anywhere.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Lucas Coberly @ Aug 21st 2009 9:20PM
This will revolutionize how I watch my illegally ripped DVDs.
squiggleslash @ Aug 22nd 2009 8:05AM
Why? Are you planning to upscale them before you recompress them? ;-)
Rob @ Aug 22nd 2009 2:17AM
As always, it's the audio that suffers so that people can more easily fling things across our limited bandwidth infrastructure.
squiggleslash @ Aug 22nd 2009 8:18AM
AAC is a pretty good codec. I think the number of people who can tell the difference between 128kbps AAC and the CD it was ripped from is very, very, small (much smaller than those who can tell the difference when using MP3 or AC-3 at the same bitrates), and HE-AAC reduces the bandwidth without noticeably impacting on the quality even further. AAC has full support for surround (discrete 48.16 if you have that many speakers and subwoofers!) and supports 24bit and 96kHz audio. About the only downside is the lack of hardware support in most receivers (becoming less of an issue with HDMI taking over from S/PDIF) and the patents situation.
It's also an open standard, and while patented, no royalties are due for creating, distributing, or playing content, only making encoders and decoders, unlike AC-3 or MP3.
I'd like to see a genuinely patent free codec that does surround sound, but AAC is probably the next best thing at the moment.
EatingPie @ Aug 22nd 2009 10:11PM
Rob.
I have streamed 30mbps AVC with lossless 24/48 LPCM over Ethernet to my PS3, and it plays flawlessly. FLAWLESSLY. There is absolutely no sacrifice in quality whatsoever. I've never seen a single stutter on the many, many Blu-rays with lossless audio I've streamed.
What are you using, 10baseT still? (Posts like yours make me wonder if I'm the only person on EHD that actually streams HDTV over a network.) Sheesh.
Maybe you're talking about 10baseT? Or Wireless G. Even then, if you stream HD content WITHOUT AUDIO AT ALL, G still can't provide the bandwidth needed for just the video.
I wish people would actually use technologies before making blind statements attacking it.
Sheesh.
-Pie