Short for Digital Video Express, Divx was released in 1998 and failed only 53 weeks later after losing $330 million. Looking and functioning much like a DVD, the thing that set the DIVX apart was its ability to block viewers from watching the film after a designated period of time which was often 48 hours. DIVX required a special DIVX-capable player in order to function. People absolutely hated DIVX with a fierce, burning passion. DIVX discs wouldn’t play in regular DVD players. Consumers had just begun to embrace DVD, and now there was another format they needed to shell out for.
