ie8 fix

divx

Zoomy player

Zoom Player Max from Inmatrix is an excellent example of PC/media convergence. It combines the full functionality and ease of use of a DVD player with the ability to play most file types, and it has enough extras to serve as your default media player as well as command central for a complete home theater and entertainment network.

Zoom Player's installer offers a Web link for additional interface skins, a side benefit of a large and active users' forum. In fact, the program's easily reaccessed Install Center offers many more choices than other wizards, such as file … Read more

Save 50 percent on DivX Pro, MPEG-2

Hi, it's Catherine Hwang again, and I'm here to bring you special offers from our developer community on CNET Downloads. As a Partner Manager, I reached out to our readers to see what kind of software deals you all wanted to see, so today, I bring you an exclusive offer from DivX, where you can get 50 percent off two of its most popular products, DivX Pro and MPEG-2.

DivX Pro unlocks the full version of the DivX Plus converter and the DivX Plus Codec pack, which lets you play your videos not only on your PC or … Read more

HD hero

With the advent of high-definition video, many people are finding that programs like Windows Media Player just aren't going to cut it for viewing HD content. HD video demands a player that can do it justice, and DivX Plus 8 for Windows is perfectly suited to handle this task.

DivX Plus 8 is a whole suite of utilities, including a desktop player, a converter, a Web player, and the necessary codec pack to handle the content. We put each of the applications through its paces and found them all to be intuitive and well designed. The player is specially … Read more

Download 'Terminator Salvation' for free (legally)

I've always been a fan of the "Terminator" movies, even the much-maligned third one. But having wasted considerable hours on the generally awful "Terminator" TV series, I never bothered to go see "Terminator Salvation." Just figured I'd rent it someday.

Well, I'm glad I waited. CinemaNow and Divx are offering the movie absolutely free. After downloading it, you can play it on your PC, burn it to a DVD, or watch it on any Divx-certified device (like a PlayStation 3).

To get your freebie, follow these steps:

Head to the "Termination Salvation" promo page. … Read more

HD hero

With the advent of high-definition video, many people are finding that programs like Windows Media Player just aren't good enough anymore. HD video demands a player that can do it justice, and DivX 7 for Windows handles this task formidably.

DiVX 7 for Windows is actually a whole suite of utilities, including a player, converter, codec, Web player, and DirectShows filter. We put each of the applications through its paces and found them all to be intuitive and well designed. The player is specially designed to maximize the appearance and audio of high-definition video, and the converter allows users … Read more

Cowon iAudio 9 first impressions

Some people just can't stand the iPod. Maybe an iPod Mini ran over their dog or burned down the family farm, or maybe they just feel fundamentally offended by the idea of using iTunes. Whatever the rationale for rejecting the iPod, companies such as Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, Creative, and others are all jumping at the chance to be your iPod rebound.

And then there's Cowon. A small company whose products are often available only through online retail channels, Cowon has maintained a niche following with customers who value sound quality and extensive format compatibility above all other concerns.

Cowon's latest portable media player, the iAudio 9, is the company's spin on the Apple iPod Nano. Sharing the Nano's same basic shape, with a 2-inch screen and 8GB ($129) and 16GB ($169) capacities, the arrival of the iAudio 9 probably won't be giving Apple any heartburn, but audio connoisseurs have good reason to take notice.

You can read up on my previous blog posts if you're looking for spec info. For the remainder of this piece, I'll just be giving my initial personal impressions.

Right out of the box, the first thing I noticed about the iAudio 9 was how light it feels. At just 1.4 ounces, you can barely tell this thing is in your pocket. Another impression I got right away was how much more masculine the iAudio 9 looks next to the latest candy-coated, rainbow-hued line of iPod Nanos.… Read more

Cowon teases iAudio 9 overseas

For years, the Korean brand Cowon has steadily churned out some of the best sounding, most format-friendly media players on the planet. And if the latest round of iPod and Zune coverage had you asking "Where's the XviD support for all my torrents of 'Rock of Love'?" then Cowon may have a new player that's perfect for you (actually, it already does).

The Korean version of Cowon's Web site is showing some teaser images and specs for a new media player called the iAudio 9. Presumably a radical makeover of the iAudio 7 (winner of … Read more

Database for cataloging media

Want to manage your collection of DVDs, videos, laser disks or CDs but don't have the time or patience to master Access? This preformatted app is ready to use for entering data about your collection--either by entering information manually or importing it from online sources or other files.

Ant Movie Catalog launches a large window with several fields ready to receive info about the DVDs or CDs you want to inventory. The large number of fields may be intimidating at first, but because of the range of info you can enter into each record, both novices and completists will … Read more

DivX 7: H.264 w00tage and Blu-ray p0wnage

We'll admit it, we've got a soft spot for DivX. The much-used video codec started as a hack of Microsoft's proprietary MPEG-4 codec, and was born out of frustration with Microsoft's video-playback lameness. DivX quickly became an important ingredient of Internet video, but in an HD era, something with a little more power is needed. Oh look, here's DivX 7. Just the ticket.

Although the origins of DivX are as a codec, the future is likely to be very different, and revolves around device certification. For example, you might notice that virtually every DVD player … Read more

PlayStation 3 moves one step closer to becoming self-aware

So it looks like the PlayStation 3 is about a couple years away from becoming self-aware, taking over the world, and making us all its human slaves--if a few of us aren't already.

Sony announced that the v2.60 firmware update for the PS3, released Wednesday, will include many enhancements to the system's media capabilities.

The key feature, according to Sony, is the new photo gallery app, which allows your digital pictures to be organized by criteria including the camera used; event date and time; colors in the photos; and the number, ages, or facial expressions of the … Read more