What is XviD ?

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XviD is DivX spelt backwards. Is XviD the opposite of DivX? Yes and No.

What is it ?
XviD is another MPEG-4 based codec just like DivX (both can output files that are not MPEG-4 compatible, but can also easily output files that are), and in fact, both are based on the same source code developed under Project Mayo.

Is it free ?
DivX is a commercial closed-source codec, while XviD is open-source. Both are free for personal use, while there are currently no plans I am aware of for XviD to have commercial license agreements.

User Friendliness
DivX is probably more user friendly, one of the things necessary to become a successful commercial application. XviD is more technical with greater room for tweaking, and therefore, a favorite of more experienced users.

Performance
Performance wise, I can't really tell which is better on my PIII-1GHz machine.

Which is better ?
XviD 1.0 now is more MPEG-4 oriented than DivX 5, and hence, has more MPEG-4 options.

Which is better depends on your personal preference, although some have suggested XviD gives a sharper image (but this depends on what settings you used under XviD).

What about the audio ?
XviD is a video only codec - you'll need to use another codec (eg. MP3, WMA) for the audio (this goes for both playback and encoding).

Where can I download XviD ?
Download the installable binaries for XviD here :
http://www.divx-digest.com/software/xvid.html

Where can I read more ?
Have a look at my XviD Setup/Reference Guide :
http://www.divx-digest.com/articles/xvid_setup.html

OR the official XviD development site :
http://www.xvid.org

OR Koepi's XviD Options Explained Document :
http://www.divx-digest.com/software/xvid.html

OR search the net for XviD using Google :
http://www.google.com