SONIQ Blu-ray Players Offer DivX Plus HD Playback

DivX, Inc. announced a new partnership to make DivX video playback available on SONIQ CE products throughout Australia and New Zealand.

According to the statement, through the terms of the partnership, SONIQ will introduce DivX Plus HD technology in its next generation of QPB302B Blu-ray products available exclusively from JB Hi-Fi stores across Australia and New Zealand.

For more information visit: www.divx.com


Unedited press release follows:

DivX Expands Presence in Australia and New Zealand; SONIQ First Regional Partner to Offer DivX Plus(TM) HD Playback

New DivX Plus HD Certified SONIQ Blu-ray players will provide consumers with a rich MKV HD digital media experience

SAN DIEGO and SYDNEY, June 21 — DivX, Inc. (Nasdaq: DIVX), a leading digital media company, and SONIQ, a leading supplier of consumer electronics (CE) in Australia, today announced a new partnership to make high-quality DivX video playback available on SONIQ CE products throughout Australia and New Zealand. Through the terms of the partnership, SONIQ will introduce DivX Plus™ HD technology in its next generation of QPB302B Blu-ray products now available exclusively from JB Hi-Fi stores across Australia and New Zealand.

SONIQ is the first DivX signed partner in Australia and New Zealand, and with the release of the QPB302B Blu-ray player, consumers can now enjoy a true DivX cinematic video experience at HD resolutions up to 1080p including MKV playback. These devices include an elegant slim design with modern finishes and functions to match, including HDMI, USB 2.0 and Ethernet inputs and an easy-to-use remote control for added convenience. The QPB302B also features Dolby Digital Plus and True HD audio for superior sound quality when playing movies, MP3s and audio CDs.

DivX Plus HD devices support the playback of all content created with DivX software — from previous versions of DivX video to DivX Plus HD (H.264/MKV) files using the newly available DivX Plus Software. Based on H.264, the emerging standard for digital video compression, DivX Plus HD supports video files in the MKV container. Also, DivX Plus HD technology provides advanced features for a richer media experience, including automatic and authored chapter points, quick start, smooth fast forward and rewind (up to 32x in both directions), and support for high-quality AAC audio, up to eight subtitle and audio tracks, and metadata.

In addition to these new advanced features, DivX Plus HD offers easy playback of premium Hollywood movies in the DivX format from online movie download sites for flexible, simple viewing via a disc, USB drive or directly through a home network (DLNA).

“SONIQ is rapidly becoming a household name in Australia and New Zealand, and we are pleased to partner with them to provide consumers with a rich HD digital media experience,” said Kevin Hell, Chief Executive Officer at DivX. “Consumers throughout Australia and New Zealand can enjoy the full range of DivX content, including HD Internet content and films from major Hollywood studios now available from the many online content retailers worldwide.”

“We are excited to bring playback of all DivX files, including H.264/MKV, to our customers in Australia and New Zealand,” said Sunny Zeng, CEO, SONIQ. “DivX has an extremely well known brand that is associated with high-quality video, so adding their technology will help us enhance our product line.”

For more information about DivX, visit www.divx.com.

About DivX
DivX, Inc. is a leading digital media company that enables consumers to enjoy a high-quality video experience across any kind of device. DivX creates, distributes and licenses digital video technologies that span the “three screens” comprising today’s consumer media environment — the PC, the television and mobile devices. Over 300 million DivX devices have shipped into the market from leading consumer electronics manufacturers. DivX also offers content providers and publishers a complete solution for the distribution of secure, high-quality digital video content. Driven by a globally recognized brand and a passionate community of hundreds of millions of consumers, DivX is simplifying the video experience to enable the digital home.

About SONIQ
SONIQ is a manufacturer and distributor of consumer electronics. Headquartered in Melbourne Australia and established in 2003, the company experienced great success in selling affordable yet quality products for the mainstream buyer. Sold nationwide through JB-HiFi stores, SONIQ has gained a reputation as the “affordable technology” giving access to the buying public an unprecedented range in products unrivalled in its segment. The reliability of SONIQ products has ensured that they are now part of the everyday lives of many Australians – from AV products such as Plasma and LCD TVs, DVR recorders, Set Top Boxes to lifestyle products such as iPod dock speakers and portable DVD players. The SONIQ brand has had great response from consumers through retail partner JB-Hifi. Over the years, SONIQ have been working hard to fine tune their products with dedicated R&D and manufacturing facilities in line with market trends, to ensure they continue to provide quality products that are affordable and technology that is accessible to all.