Is DivX being abandoned?

OK, I know that it sounds like a stupid question and in the usual sense the answer is, "No, of course DivX is not being abandoned". I agree that there was a recent update to the player and that they are actively selling the product and in that sense it is not abandoned.

But I'm starting to wonder if DivX is being abandoned by those who used to be its fans/supporters and if the necessary support techniques have been abandoned by the company.

I think that if one really wants to compete in the current market that you need:

1. To deliver a competitively priced product which performs the functions for which it was purchased. Currently, DivX is supplying software which does not support 64-bit systems, editing software which is buggy and hasn't been updated in over a year - and may not be as good as the free AVIDeMux, a codec which seems competent but isn't clearly superior to justify paying for it instead of using free codecs, a player which is OK but probably not up to the standard of the free VLC player, a Converter which is nowhere nearly as competent as HandBrake or StaxRip. I don't think DivX is fulfilling this requirement.

2. You must provide support. So far as I can tell, this is rather iffy - and it certainly isn't efficient. Efficient would certainly require an up-to-date FAQ/KnowledgeBase and this is clearly not the case. So every single person who has an issue with the software has to send an e-mail to Support to ask the same question likely asked by hundreds of others.

3. Your support must be visible. I've learned over the years to go to the supporting forum before purchasing software. You learn much about the problems people have with the software and how the company is resolving them. In this case, there are two supporting fora and so far as I can tell, at this time there is no one from the company who even reads the fora - and there are only a very limited number of people who know anything about the software or ripping who bother looking and even fewer who post helpfully (mostly Frostie2). They don't even keep the forum running properly.

Increasingly the answer to issues with DivX software is becoming something like, "Abandon the software and use something that works - and is free". This is the kind of message you really can't afford to have running around on the web if you expect your company to survive.

4. You have to be seen as pushing the software to perform. This means updates with visible and acknowledged improvements. As it is, we don't know if or when Author will be updated, we don't know that Converter will be made competitive, etc. The Version History can be found but it doesn't even address the last few updates. Even free software supported only part-time by a single individual seems to have been pushed better/harder than DivX (consider VirtualDub?).

I want DivX to survive and to succeed. I think they've got a very good idea about having a suite of software to handle video tasks - but they need to make sure they appear to be vital if they want to avoid being abandoned by their customer base.