I would like to know if most generic dvd players are more compatible with DivX codec or XVid codec. If a dvd player says it works with DivX, does it mean that it will work with XVid as well. Thanks.
I have a DVD player marked Divx and usually when I make my rips I use Xvid because it looks better to me. I think that they would play both due to the similarity in the coding. I've had two Philips Divx players and they both were able to to play Xvid.
This is a VERY sensible question to ask, but I'm not sure there is an absolutely definitive answer. At least I have never got one! However, I can say that my two DivX compatible DVD players, a Yamada and a Philips, have never given the slightest bother with Xvid, neither with finalised nor with unfinalised avi filed disks. For people considering purchase of a DVD player, I would suggest doing what I did at Currys on my last visit. Just like most other retailers, they were unable to guarantee that the DivX player in which I was interested, would actually handle XVid files as well as DivX. Therefore I took the player on the EXPRESS CONDITION that, if it was problematic with XVid, my money would be refunded. They did not hesitate to give me this assurance. As it happened, there was absolutely NO problem in playing XVids. An interesting addition to the tale is that I had also Emailed Philips directly for a straight answer to the same question - will it play XVids? Their prompt (full marks for your customer relations, Philips) reply was that it would NOT play XVid! So, you see, even the manufacturers aren't too sure and, in this case, they were wrong! I think the chances of a DivX player not playing an XVid file are actually very small, but cover yourself by extracting the express condition, as I did.
While that seemed a very admirable promise by Currys I would have liked to have seen their reaction if you did return with the player....
