For a long time there were a number of studios that announced they would release films to Divx with no mention of what was to come for standard DVD. This further angered early adopters of the format as they were now faced with the fact that their expensive machines may never get a chance to see the light of many studio films. Eventually, all DVD hold out studios came around to announcing support for the format.

DIVX could be interpreted as being designed to put video rental companies out of business. It was expected for companies like Hollywood Video and Blockbuster to retaliate by being quick to point out the higher cost of DIVX discs compared to current rental costs of the time. With these companies offering video rentals in the $1-3 range, it was likely they would be quick to jump on the ANTI-DIVX/PRO-DVD bandwagon simply because they could show for lower rental costs on DVD then could DIVX. Blockbuster later began a national rollout of DVD rentals.

Retailers were generally very unenthusiastic about DIVX as indicated in an article in the L.A. Times. Studios admired DIVX simply because it transfers rental revenue straight to their pockets. There was little in it for the retailers (other than Circuit City, which was of course an investor in the technology). In an interview, the head of Tower Records claimed he could see absolutely no reason why they would want to carry DIVX discs.

Paramount, Fox, and Dreamworks were originally a worry regarding possible exclusivness to DIVX. However, they would later announce their plans to release on OPEN DVD.

The prevention of sales of standard DVD players in the fourth quarter of 1997 can be suggested as the reason why the DIVX announcement was made at that time. For those against the idea of Divx succeeding, buying a standard DVD player was a step in the right direction for voicing your opinion against DIVX.

May we have a moment of silence for the playing of Taps. <*Taps*> After announcing support for Circuit City's Divx, Zenith would file for Chapter 11. Looks like even Cicruit City's $120 million couldn't help carry them along.

At the ABC NEWS website, of the nearly 4,000 votes tallied on the question, "Would you pay $449.99 for a DIVX player?", roughly 98.2% aanswered with a NO and 1.8% with a YES.

With the obvious points aside, many Divx supporters were confused by why so many people decided to take such a powerful anti-Divx stance and not incorporate more of an "open mind" with their beliefs regarding this new technology. Clearly, many of these Divx supporters were not present during the initial Divx unveiling back in mid-to-late 1997. Circuit City/Divx would CHANGE their attitude after some time -- but many of us did NOT forget. Those of you who weren't supporting the DVD technology back at this time (which without us - Divx would never have existed at all), were not subject to the arrogant attitude expressed via Circuit City/Divx/Richard Sharp. Those early adopters were basically told to in so many words to stuff-it where the sun don't shine. Divx also introduced the idea of a "Gold" Divx disc which was a disc you could purchase directly from the retailer which allowed unlimited viewing. Clearly, if Divx was designed to co-exist with DVD, this was certainly no attempt to take a step down that path. If Divx was designed for the rental market, why was it necessary for a "competitive" disc such as this? In the final few months, Circuit City/Divx put the "Gold" disc on the back burner. The details surrounding this disc fueled much of what had become a large Anti-Divx campaign.

In conclusion, Divx was a technology to be embraced for the right reasons and benefits. If you are a person who primarily rents their movies and greatly dislikes the trips back to the video store and any potential late fee's, then Divx was for you. But, the buyer was to be wary of the limitations. You may have thought you "owned" what was called a "Silver" (Divx disc converted to unlimited viewings) disc from Divx, but when you were unable to play this disc on ANY other player or account -- that was a fairly limited definition of "owning".

When Divx folded, R. Sharp stated the technology did not have enough financial backing and market acceptance. They pulled down their Divx signs and dropped a $100 off all of their Divx machines in stock. They offered a $100 rebate to anyone who had purchased a Divx player to cover the additional cost of the Divx hardware in a unit that otherwise played DVDs just fine. All pre-purchased Divx discs of any kind would be usable until June 30th, 2001. Divx discs will otherwise never play again.