Does anything like Xvid or Divx exist for OS X, or is almost everything something of Quicktime format? I do a lot of DVD ripping and what not in those two formats, and I'm wondering if anything like that exists on Apple systems.
First of all, I think you are confused on this "format" issue as a whole.
There are two main parts when you describe a video file: the container and the codec.
AVI and MOV are containers. They are both playable in QuickTime. These containers hold metadata about the video and then the video data itself.
DivX, XviD, MPEG-4, Sorenson, Pixlet, and the like are video formats used by specific codecs. Codec is short for "coder/decoder" and it basically the engine with the unique compression algorithm that converts the raw video data into a data type of a smaller size.
Both AVIs and MOVs can contain videos in DivX and other video formats.
That said, yes, QuickTime can play videos encoded in the DivX and XviD formats. Most likely, you are looking at a way to play AVI files, yes?
The links Zapchud posted will let you download QuickTime plugins that will allow QuickTime Player to read files containing video in said formats. 3ivx is particularly good. Here is some info about the 3ivx codec:
Quote:
The Video Decoder has been compatibility tested with various MPEG-4 implementations. It can play back footage encoded with 3ivx D4, DivX 3, 4 and 5, Apple MPEG-4, Philips MPEG-4, XviD, Sorenson MPEG-4, Dicas MPEG-4, MPEGSolutions MPEG-4 and others.
However, QuickTime Player does have a tendency to mangle syncing with certain audio codecs in AVI files that pirates tend to use. You can use the tool DivX Doctor that will fix the syncing by moving the data into a MOV file. Alternatively, you can forego QuickTime altogether and play then in a different player such as VLC.
Hope this helps.
(FWIW, I recommend MacUpdate over VersionTracker any day. )
Yes yes my wording was horrible, and made me look like an idiot, but I know very well what a codec is, and that xvid and divx are not formats. Anyways, next question, and what I really MEANT to ask--is there any software available for macs that can rip DVDs and encode them, etc etc?
I would suggest using ffmpegX for DVD ripping. It can be confusing at first, but bear with it and it should work great. There are a lot of settings you can adjust with the program. First, though, you will probably have to remove the encryption by using DVD Backup.
Comments
handbrake.m0k.org
www.3ivx.com
Generally: www.versiontracker.com/macosx
They do indeed exist. :-)
There are two main parts when you describe a video file: the container and the codec.
AVI and MOV are containers. They are both playable in QuickTime. These containers hold metadata about the video and then the video data itself.
DivX, XviD, MPEG-4, Sorenson, Pixlet, and the like are video formats used by specific codecs. Codec is short for "coder/decoder" and it basically the engine with the unique compression algorithm that converts the raw video data into a data type of a smaller size.
Both AVIs and MOVs can contain videos in DivX and other video formats.
That said, yes, QuickTime can play videos encoded in the DivX and XviD formats. Most likely, you are looking at a way to play AVI files, yes?
The links Zapchud posted will let you download QuickTime plugins that will allow QuickTime Player to read files containing video in said formats. 3ivx is particularly good. Here is some info about the 3ivx codec:
The Video Decoder has been compatibility tested with various MPEG-4 implementations. It can play back footage encoded with 3ivx D4, DivX 3, 4 and 5, Apple MPEG-4, Philips MPEG-4, XviD, Sorenson MPEG-4, Dicas MPEG-4, MPEGSolutions MPEG-4 and others.
However, QuickTime Player does have a tendency to mangle syncing with certain audio codecs in AVI files that pirates tend to use. You can use the tool DivX Doctor that will fix the syncing by moving the data into a MOV file. Alternatively, you can forego QuickTime altogether and play then in a different player such as VLC.
Hope this helps.
(FWIW, I recommend MacUpdate over VersionTracker any day.
b) did you even try looking at versiontracker.com or macupdate.com
c) handbrake