San Diego’s DivX has been on something of a roll since June, when CEO Kevin Hell talked about the capability of someday moving television seamlessly from the living room TV screen to the computer screen and to the screens of wireless mobile devices.
The digital media company, which takes its name from the DivX codec standard, has been extending its reach further into consumer electronics, Internet video, and Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), which uses the Internet to deliver digital TV service. On one front, DivX is continuing to negotiate deals with consumer electronics manufacturers to incorporate its digital video compression technology in the latest HD televisions, Blu-ray disc players, and IPTV set top boxes. The company already has certified its technology for more than 4,500 different model devices. Meanwhile, on another front, DivX struck a deal with four Hollywood studios on Aug. 26 that enables consumers to download thousands of movies from an online store, FilmFresh.com, and watch them on DivX-certified device.
Amid this flurry of recent developments, DivX CEO Kevin Hell gave me a fresh take on the company’s strategy in a fast-moving industry, especially as it relates to Internet TV, which he says is undergoing a fundamental shift. “Internet TV has the potential to re-order and revalue the media value chain—at least the way that broadcast TV works today,” Hell says. As digital television moves increasingly beyond standard definition to high-definition—and from broadcast and cable TV networks to Internet-based video content on demand, Hell says, “We’ve positioned DivX as being the friendly, agnostic ‘any-to-any solution’—from any device to any manufacturer.”
Hell joined DivX seven years ago as chief marketing officer, and later served as the company’s president and chief operating officer before becoming CEO in mid-2007. From 2002, when he joined DivX, the San Diego media company has grown from 35 employees and less than $3 million in annual revenue to more than 300 employees and $93.9 million in sales last year.
Hell says DivX is counting on three broad trends: Video content is moving beyond the TV and becoming unbound from