The Divx Owners Association Archived News Page Vol. 1

The Internet's Only Divx Resource Site

Not affiliated with Circuit City or Divx

January 23, 2000

Site News: I received the titles list today. In the interests of expediency, I've posted it without any special formatting.

January 22, 2000

Divx News: In a recent Home Theater Forum thread, a prominent anti-Divx cyberspace personality bestowed upon me the unofficial title of president of the "Divx fan club". Now if only Divx would grant me the same recognition, I think this site would start to go somewhere!

Site News: The Digital Disc World Forum, which serves as the discussion area for this site, will be shutting down. I'm not yet sure what I'm going to do about this.

On a happier note, the list of Divx-compatible players is up. Right now, it is text-only, but I will be adding pictures of the five units on the list. Also, my search for a comprehensive list of Divx titles may have met with success. If so, I'll be posting it within a couple of weeks.

January 19, 2000

DVD News: An interesting news story on a proposed scheme for disposable rental DVD's. Unlike Divx discs, which can be reused indefinitely, these discs self-destruct after the viewing period (which starts when the package is opened) ends.

January 18, 2000

Site News: The DOA now shows up on AltaVista searches. This should help a lot in making the site available to those seeking information in the Divx system. Also, I've decided that the next page I'll do is a quick summary of the 5 models of Divx-compatible players that were produced during the format's brief life. Once in a while, players are offered for sale on eBay, and I think it would be helpful for potential buyers to have a place to turn to for impartial reviews.

January 16, 2000

Site News: The DVD versions of French Kiss and House of Yes are shipping from Reel.com, and I have removed them from the list of Divx exclusives.

January 12, 2000

Site News: The Resources, Exclusives, and Links pages are up. I'll fine tune them at some point, but at least there's something there. Have a look at the "World's Oldest Television Recordings" link - it's about Phonovision, which predated the mid-50's Ampex system by about thirty years.

DVD News: Another Image update. This latest one includes Splendor in the Grass, and Aloha, Bobby and Rose.

January 7, 2000

Site News: I've flipped around the news articles, so that the newest ones are at the top. Also, I'm still working on the exclusives list - this one should be interesting. At last count, there are still over 100 titles digitally exclusive to Divx, and no doubth they will remain that way for a long time to come (there's little value to the studios in releasing many on Open DVD).

DVD News: A reliable source on Home Theater Forum says that a big reason Star Wars Episode I won't be appearing on Open DVD this year is that George Lucas is afraid of piracy, due to the recent DVD copy protection crack.

January 6, 2000

Site News: The About page is up, and the list of Divx exclusives is in the works. Incremental progress adds up!

Vampyros Lesbos update: At long last, I got my copy - definitely worth the wait! Thanks to Don May, Jr. of Synapse Films for persevering, and getting this cult classic to DVD!

DVD News: The big news of today was that Fox announced that Star Wars Episode One will not be released on DVD this year. Apparently Fox's intention is to force DVD owners to buy a VHS version today, then sell them a DVD at some point in the future. The best thing for DVD fans to do in this situation is to boycott such tactics, and settle for nothing less than a DVD release. Remember, this is all about profit, and if Fox sees tens of millions in revenue lost to other studios, because several million DVD owners refuse to be coerced into buying titles on obsolete formats, maybe they'll refrain from similar tactics in the future.

January 4, 2000

Site News: Progress on the site is slow, but steady! I found a partial listing of Divx discs, and by adding the missing titles from my archived DivxDirect e-mails, I should be able to fill in the gaps.

DVD News: Image has updated their DVD Announcements Page - for your information, one of the new announcements is called D.O.A. - no relation to the site, though!

January 2, 2000

Site News: The DOA FAQ is now online - check it out!

December 31, 1999

Divx News: Well, it had to happen - the ProDivx site is down and gone. That leaves only one site other than mine (that I know of) with a pro-Divx theme. On a happier note, I ran into a gentleman with 3000 Divx discs for sale! If you're looking for something on Divx, feel free to contact him via e-mail.

Site news: the FAQ is almost finished, and I will be posting it soon. After that, I'll be working on the About and Links pages (something nice and easy).

Vampyros Lesbos update: My pre-order at Reel has once again had its status changed to "In Progress". Also changing to "In Progress" was my long-backordered copy of Plague Of The Zombies, a mid-sixties Hammer title. Looking good!

Oh, and before I forget, have a happy new year, and welcome to the new millenium! Have a good time, and drive safe!

December 27, 1999

As there's very little in the way of news, I'll be concentrating my efforts on filling out the pages, especially my Divx FAQ. Seems a lot of people are getting ripped off on eBay by unscrupulous sellers who pass Divx discs off as DVD's. I've also found some interesting links to other film and video-related sites, which I'll be putting up in the near future.

Vampyros Lesbos update: Things are back to normal - it's back on pre-order, with the new street date being January 4, 2000. I wonder what kind of odds Las Vegas is giving on this date actually being met?

December 25, 1999

Merry Christmas and seasons greetings to all! Not much happening in the world of DVD today, so I'll close this update by thanking Reel.com, CD Now, and MyFamily.com for getting my December disc orders out on schedule, and the U.S. Postal Service and UPS for getting them here before Christmas. A job well done!

December 24, 1999

I've finally started on the site content. I'll be doing it in stages, starting off with the Discs for Sale page. I got around to cataloguing the Divx discs I rescued from the two good guys! stores, and it turns out that the inventory consists of 146 different titles, a much better variety than I'd originally thought! I'll be putting them all up for sale at $1.00 apiece, with shipping fees dependent on the number of discs ordered.

In Open DVD news, Fox has announced that there will be no Star Wars DVD's released in 2000. Not a surprise, as George Lucas has stated repeatedly that he intends to delay until 2005 the DVD release of the crown jewels of his motion picture empire, so he can do something really "special". One wonders what he means by "special" - it can't be image or sound quality, because he continues to cheerfully release his works on the crude, antiquated VHS format. Regardless of his original intent, his actions translate into a "special" snub towards those who seek to advance the state of home video and the viewing experience.

Vampyros Lesbos update: I just checked my account status, and my pre-order of Vampyros Lesbos is now "In Progress". Could it be the year-long saga of the DVD version of Jess Franco's cult classic is finally over?

December 20, 1999

Welcome to the first install of the Divx Owners Association news column! The DOA is intended as a DVD and Home Theatre site for owners of Divx-compatible players, with one of its main goals being to assist Divx users during the Divx phase out period that ends on June 30, 2001. I'll be reporting any Divx-related news I find, offering advice on machine activation, and suggesting sources for discs.

Good news for existing Divx customers - we can still add players to our accounts. I added a Proscan to my account the day after Thanksgiving. Also, back in September, when I added my Panasonic X410, Divx Customer Service told me I could add as many players as I liked.

Not-so-good news where discs are concerned. They have vanished from retail stores; Circuit City destroyed their remaining inventory back in the late summer, and I don't think good guys! stocks fared any better. I acquired the remaining disc stock of two good guys! stores (about 600 discs) just before they were to have been destroyed, and will be reselling them as a service to Divx owners.