DivX Free comes packing all the great features of the DivX Pro bundle; however this may come at a cost for your comfort as this version pops out various advertisements in your browser as you browse the web. Other than that, it is the tool you can go with in order to encode DivX movies as well as watch MPEG-4 streams.
All of these are packed into DivX Free and the personalised installation helps you choose exactly what you want to deploy to your system. Even though the available installers appeal to Windows environments up to XP, it can be installed on later editions, too.
Amongst the provided components, DivX Free offers the option to install the DivX Codec alongside various other software such as DivX EKG (a tool that allows you, during multipass, to optimize bitrate allocation to specific parts of the video for unparalleled precision and control to refine visual quality to the highest level).
It also delivers generic MPEG-4 playback capabilities, DivX YV12 Pass-through or DivX Media Playback support. Moreover, the integrated converter, player and web player can also be easily deployed by selecting them in the same step of the installation wizard.
Starting with this particular iteration, DivX expanded its territory by entering the DMF (DivX Media Format) optional media container format supporting the new coming DVD-Video and VOB container specifications. As a side note and although the pack comes for free, certain components such as the converter are only trials.
The included DivX Player gets the job done on most of the formats that have the DivX codec on their requirement list. Its simple look and metallic finish make a good team, while the utilized space is neatly organized.
On the other hand, the Converter only takes a fraction of your workspace, featuring a drag & drop solution with four predefined output formats: Home Theater, High Definition, Handheld or Portable. You cannot set them up in any way and that means you can only guess what format you should go with before the encoding process starts.
All in all, the DivX Free is a real aid for those of you still running an edition of Microsoft’s Windows no newer than XP, packing the power of the DivX codec as well as its versatility and speed of execution. With DivX Free, the time it takes to encode a video depends only on the hardware you provided it, as its true force can make it happen really fast.

What's New in This Release:
New:
· Installer option to enable generic MPEG-4 playback component
· Support for Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2
· Includes DivX Player 2.5.5
Fixed:
· The update application to allow update checks when system locale is not supported
· The registration application to notify the user when they are already registered
Fixed (Encoder):
· A long pause which occurred after opening the codec configuration dialog
· A 1-pixel vertical wobble when de-interlacing source
· An issue where the codec could forget its '6 month trial' status
· A glitch where Pro features were still selectable, but unusable after trial expired
· The trial expired message to show every time a trials expires
Fixed (Decoder):
· A rare crash that occurred with some types of content
· Black distortions which appeared during playback
· An issue where blocks were skipped when video contained multiple consecutive B-frames
· A stall that occurred with some media players during DivX playback or on exit
· An issue causing Explorer...

Users are advised to pay attention while installing this ad-supported application:
· Displays ad banners or other types of advertising material during its runtime