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During this review we already mentioned that Ahead' Nero Digital codec will mainly compete with the DivX 5 and the XViD video codecs. So, for this review we've added a comparison between these codecs. We're going to take a look at the usage of the codecs, the time they need to encode a movie and of course the produced video quality.

For the comparison tests we encoded a movie called "Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers". The target size was set to roughly 1400MB (two CDs) because of the length of the movie. Because we're looking at the video codecs from a novice point-of-view, we used the default settings for each codec using two passes to produce the best video quality. For the DivX test we used DivX Pro 5.1.1. For XViD we used version 1.0 beta 2. And for Nero Digital we used version 2.0.0.7.

Usage:

When looking at the usage of each codec there is only one clear winner, namely Nero Digital (actually we should say Nero Recode 2 since the Nero Digital codec is set-up via this software). When you encode a movie to the DivX or XViD format you will also need to use another software like VirtualDub to set-up the codec. However VirtualDub has a lot of settings which are not easy to understand for inexperienced users. Experienced users will perhaps prefer VirtualDub over Ahead's Recode software but since we're looking at the codecs from a novice point-of-view, Nero Digital is by far the easiest codec to use. An example we can give here is that Nero Digital automatically crops the movie, for DivX and XViD the user needs to do this himself via VirtualDub.

On our test machine (AthlonXP 2100+, 512MB RAM) it took around 7,5 hours for the DivX 5 codec to finish when we used a single pass. XViD needed about the same time, but since we're using two passes it took around 15 hours to complete the encoding process. Nero Digital needed 1,5 hours for each pass, so in total it needed 3 hours to complete.

The most important thing of a video codec that is used to compress video data is of course that it produces quality video's. As said, the three codecs were set-up to produce a video file of roughly 1400MB. We then played the files in Nero ShowTime (because it can capture images) and took screenshots of several scenes. Below you can see the produced images:

Nero Digital Screenshot 1

DivX 5 Screenshot 1

XViD Screenshot 1

In this first screenshot we see some blockiness in the DivX 5 screenshots. In the XViD screenshot this is also the case but not as much as in the DivX screenshot. The Nero Digital screenshot has the best video quality, you can especially see this in the full sized images (you can see the original image by clicking on the image).

Nero Digital Screenshot 2

DivX 5 Screenshot 2

XViD Screenshot 2

The next screenshots are all of good quality and it's hard to spot any real differences. That Gollum (Smeagol) character is one ugly dude though ;)

Nero Digital Screenshot 3

DivX 5 Screenshot 3

XViD Screenshot 3

This rainy scene shows us about the same result as the first screenshot. The DivX 5 screenshot has some blockiness, the XViD screenshot too, but less and the Nero Digital screenshot looks best.

Nero Digital Screenshot 4

DivX 5 Screenshot 4

XViD Screenshot 4

And last but not least these last couple of screenshots give us the same results as screenshots number 2: we cannot spot any clear differences in quality.

When you are an experienced video encoder and you know what all the settings mean in both the DivX and the XViD coded you will be able to produce excellent quality encoded movies, probably better quality than when using the default settings like we did. However keeping in mind the average user, the default settings should give a user a decent quality movie. Because of the quality of its output and its speed, Nero Digital could become a major competitor to DivX and XViD. Besides that, Nero Digital has a lot of standard options that, for now, are only possible with the other codecs using third party software.

We asked DivX Networks for a reaction on our test results and if the company was planning to tweak its standard settings. The company told us it could not comment on our results but was awaiting our article with big interest.

Nero Digital will also be available for Consumer Electronics (CE) which means that CE manufacturers are able to license Nero Digital to use it in their products. An example of this could be a DVD player that plays Nero Digital content, just like a DivX Certified device. More information about Nero Digital can be found on www.nerodigital.com. Please discuss Nero Digital in our Nero Recode Forum. We are very interested in your testresults when using standard and non-standard settings.