Wind Launches VOD Service

SAN DIEGO -- DivXNetworks, Inc., the company that created the revolutionary, patent-pending DivX video compression technology, and Wind, a leading Italian telecommunications company, have signed an agreement for the launch of a secure, DivX-powered video-on-demand service offered through Libero.it, Wind's popular Italian web portal.

The new video-on-demand service is powered by the DivX Open Video System, an end-to-end solution for the secure delivery of DVD-quality video over IP networks. Wind will offer a variety of full-length, premium DivX encoded video content to subscribers to the Libero web portal. Libero.it is among Italy's most visited web portals with over 8 million unique monthly visitors. The secure DivX files offered on Libero are downloaded and played on consumer PCs and will soon be playable on any of the millions of DivX Certified consumer electronics devices hitting the market in 2004.

The DivX-powered Wind Video-on-Demand service provides high-quality video at sizes 7 to 10 times smaller than DVD and utilizes full Digital Rights Management (DRM) for unparalleled security. The DivX Open Video System is a secure video-on-demand service that enables consumers with high-speed Internet connections to purchase or rent selected titles online and begin viewing DVD-quality content almost immediately. Thanks to "progressive download" technology, users can begin viewing the films in full-screen, high-quality format a few minutes after the download has begun.

"We are excited to launch the first major telecommunications deployment of a secure DivX video-on-demand system with Wind, an innovative company that is providing real value to their broadband customers with great entertainment services," said Kevin Hell, chief marketing officer and managing director at DivXNetworks, Inc. "Libero subscribers can now enjoy a wide-range of DVD-quality video content directly on their PCs and will soon be able to playback those same files on a variety of DivX Certified DVD players and portable video players."

Wind Telecomunicazioni SpA