PS3 to play DivX

Support for popular file-transfer codec to be added to Sony's console as part of future firmware update.

In June, Sony tweaked its firmware 1.8 update for the PlayStation 3 to include AVC High-Profile format video. The file-compression technology allows files to be played using the form-fitting MPEG-4 format, and allows for faster streaming of high-quality video.

Today, DivX Inc. announced that its eponymous technology will also soon be supported on Sony's PlayStation 3. DivX video compression and decompression technology has become a popular medium for transmitting media files over the Internet due to its ability to balance quality with low bitrates leading to smaller file sizes. The functionality will be added to the PS3 "in the future" as part of an upcoming firmware update.

Although PS3 owners were already able to stream videos from their PCs to their PS3s, the latest update will enable the system to view clips in the DivX-encoded format. No specific uses for the codec were noted as part of today's announcement, but DivX did say that support was included in the PS3 software-development kit version 2.0, which was released to development houses on November 2.

327 Comments

  • GeneralEz

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 3:24 am PT

    gud

  • Tebbit

    Posted Nov 15, 2007 7:49 pm PT

    Wait, so DivX is on my playstationright now?
    Not just in the dev kits?

    This I gotta see.
    .
    Also, I worry about how they are gonna incorperate an ingame XMB, because occasionally when I have music playing, a game downloading and an web page up, it'll tell my I dont have enough ram. Some clever memory allocation ahoy!

  • mark_unix

    Posted Nov 15, 2007 6:02 am PT

    felshs in the winter i can leave my heater off in my small PS3 room, because it heats up an entire room "that's how good the cooling system in the PS3 is getting hot air out".

    it's wicked silent especially when you compare it to the first PS2 and Current xbox360.

  • felshs

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 10:05 pm PT

    maybe its just mine, but my PS3 is make 5 time less noise than PS2, but the hot air flow from the back as soon as its start running, feel like a portable heater run on low settting.

  • felshs

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 10:02 pm PT

    its take so long to download an update for PS3, it take almost 1 hours, installation only take like 5 minutes.

  • xophaser

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:58 pm PT

    I just tested some old divx videos and it worked.

  • hovanPS3

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 8:52 pm PT

    PS3 is an incredible machine and slowly but surely non-belivers are finding out the many functions and amazing games it has and will have...Just keeps getting better and better...
    Now I wish we (US/Canada) could have the DVR function that the asians have....did you guys see the IPTV video for the PS3...maaannnn, I wish we could do that here...stupid north american cable companies...all a monopoly!!! Imagine using your PS3 as a PVR as well...WOW...lucky koreans!!!

  • tiago97

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 6:10 pm PT

    PS3 is getting better and better......

  • renatito15

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 4:14 pm PT

    this is nice and all but i think that most people will rather get in game XMB

  • drewcal58

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 3:24 pm PT

    Why are there so many reposts?

  • drewcal58

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 3:21 pm PT

    About time I hear some good news for the PS3. Wish my Xbox 360 would play DivX, I have to use my old Xbox for DIvx still. XBMC is pretty sweet though.

  • Nerkcon

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 3:13 pm PT

    Great! DinX is awesome! Sony fanboys/M$ hateers be good Sony loyalist and download this NOW! A great website to play DinX movies is Stage6.com!

  • goliath98

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 2:22 pm PT

    NICE! i always use DivX!

  • m14c79 posted Nov 14, 2007 2:01 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    m14c79

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 2:01 pm PT (hide)

    DivX = Pirated Movies and Porn. Congrats Sony on teh Blu-Ray tech.

  • jagstar73

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 1:58 pm PT

    ABOUT TIME!

  • jagstar73

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 1:56 pm PT

    ABOUT TIME!

  • lamprey263

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 1:18 pm PT

    Why is GameSpot site so ****ing terrible lately?! I post and that little wheel of circle dots shows up and keeps going around and around and around... then I hit refresh to see the post finally made it up. What's up with that? Everybody must be on vacation 'cause they finally got rid of the last poll after it'd been up for almost 2 weeks.

  • NinjaMunkey01

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 11:41 am PT

    good thing people picked up on the fact the submit button dosent work, otherwise I would have submited that like 5 times.

  • NinjaMunkey01

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 11:39 am PT

    this is great, even more functionality to the ps3.

  • eViL_kA

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 11:11 am PT

    Yuck_Too: "I've been streaming content from my PC to 360 including DivX."

    Yeah, the difference will be that you WILL NOT need a PC to do that with the PS3. Once, you connect the PC to the 360, it's not really a 360 feature anymore because it is not supported by the 360 on it's own. Yeah, thank your PC for those extra features.

  • Autolycus

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 10:59 am PT

    hey moderators, you need to fix your submit button. people keep double posting because it doesnt show anyone that its alrady been submitted, the little java progress things just keeps cycling.

  • StillWingless

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 10:53 am PT

    yay! think of all my new pirating possibilities!

  • StillWingless

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 10:52 am PT

    yay! think of all my new pirating possibilities!

  • Autolycus

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 10:39 am PT

    phew, maybe sony is starting to see that blu-ray isnt needed.

  • Autolycus

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 10:37 am PT

    Good move on Sony's part. I would sense a lot of people pulling their pud on their couch now, instead of on their desk chair!

  • enoslives7 posted Nov 14, 2007 10:37 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    enoslives7

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 10:37 am PT (hide)

    Since there are no good games out, at least ps3 owners can watch porn.

  • enoslives7 posted Nov 14, 2007 10:37 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    enoslives7

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 10:37 am PT (hide)

    Since there are no good games out, at least ps3 owners can watch porn.

  • Get_Shorty

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 10:24 am PT

    Alright! Now some of my porn files will work!

  • lrsp

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:46 am PT

    This is sweet!

  • darkride66

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:45 am PT

    thekey. That's funny, I understood that Mircosoft didn't officially support DivX. Oh, that's right. They don't. Yeah, you can do it if you really wanted to, but at this point DivX support on the 360 is something that has not been confirmed by Microsoft (although it's been rumored). I've seen some of the "easy" step by step guides to make this happen. Yeah, quite a bit different from actaul support for the format.

  • lrsp

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:45 am PT

    This is sweet!

  • grosgrostas

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:33 am PT

    Wow finally I have such a large librairie of Divx content ,that would be awesome!!!

  • thekey posted Nov 14, 2007 9:31 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    thekey

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:31 am PT (hide)

    This is good PS3 news but this is old news to 360 owners who been doing this 2005.

    Phazevariance "Microsoft is falling behind on codecs at this point in time, so hopefully they will have a 360 update to add things like DivX and x264 (WITH 5.1 audio and not stereo only) but in the mean time, good going Sony, something right for a change."

    What ever that means?

  • Macri

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:28 am PT

    Finally!! I no longer have to scared to hit a button on the controller for fear of losing my place and starting the video over (Tversity on-the-fly conversion). We'll be able to fastforward and rewind!! WOO HOO!!!

  • grosgrostas

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:27 am PT

    Wow finally I have such a large librairie of Divx content ,that would be awesome!!!

  • grosgrostas

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:27 am PT

    Wow finally I have such a large librairie of Divx content ,that would be awesome!!!

  • grosgrostas

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:19 am PT

    Wow finally I have such a large librairie of Divx content ,that would be awesome!!!

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:16 am PT

    Not sure what you mean by MS is falling behind...I've been streaming content from my PC to 360 including DivX.

    And if you have Vista or MCE it's got even more features.

  • Phazevariance

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:09 am PT

    Microsoft is falling behind on codecs at this point in time, so hopefully they will have a 360 update to add things like DivX and x264 (WITH 5.1 audio and not stereo only) but in the mean time, good going Sony, something right for a change.

  • Paul_TheGreat

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:07 am PT

    Good news

  • Phazevariance

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:06 am PT

    Microsoft is falling behind on codecs at this point in time, so hopefully they will have a 360 update to add things like DivX and x264 (WITH 5.1 audio and not stereo only) but in the mean time, good going Sony, something right for a change.

  • Paul_TheGreat

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:06 am PT

    Good news

  • eViL_kA

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:05 am PT

    @blowoutcomb333

    yea, i remember the boring times with my 360 and what Live was like 5 years ago.

  • Phazevariance

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 9:03 am PT

    Microsoft is falling behind on codecs at this point in time, so hopefully they will have a 360 update to add things like DivX and x264 (WITH 5.1 audio and not stereo only) but in the mean time, good going Sony, something right for a change.

  • eViL_kA

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 8:56 am PT

    Keeps getting cooler...

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 8:56 am PT

    --blowoutcomb333 --
    "ASSASSIN'S CREED REVIEWS PS3 PWNZ 360 IN FRAMERATE"
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    There are few differences between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. PS3 owners are blessed with a slightly more solid frame rate, although the 360 version features a little more contrast in the lighting, so it's pretty much a wash.

    --GS Review
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Here is the new's flash though...this is all about the PS3 supporting DivX...go blather on about that stuff in the forums instead of off topic posts here.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    --Pudgieluv --
    If you're streaming content from your PC why in the world would you buy a external HD to do the same thing...pointless

  • VanGriffin

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 8:55 am PT

    nice addition. Is a PS3 DVR system soon to come?

  • cspiffo

    Posted Nov 14, 2007 8:46 am PT

    That's cool.

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