Meta Tags Up to The Hoo Hah
I like the fact that DivX converter can software upscale content to 720 or 1080p. It makes an argument for converting all video to the DivX file format. What I foresee happening, though is if the user has archived a video collection of hundreds, if not thousands of files [drive space permitting, of course, and in a time of multi-terabyte discs, a very real possibility] the inherent difficulty in finding specific episodes or movies.
Assume the following example: I have archived every episode of Star Trek ever produced. I wish to play back episodes featuring certain guest stars or where the plot line focused on certain cast members. With enough meta tags, sifting through such a large data base would be an easy task, but without that data, it becomes the proverbial "looking for a needle in a haystack" Although I find iTunes to be bloated and load slowly, it does have an exemplary range of meta categories of video info working in its favor. Any chance something like that could be incorporated into the DivX player UI?
The DivX Connected client and server software is available (free) from http://labs.divx.com/ConnectedDownload
The Connected server is designed to work with the D-Link DSM 330 but it also works with client software player that runs on Windows.
Connected makes it easy to browse terabytes of videos and allows you to add metadata with cover art. There are very limited search capabilities, but you could also create your own extensions to DivX Connected using the plug-in architecture.
I use scripts (usually written in PERL or Python) to grab meta data from websites like imdb.com and add all that to my DivX Connected library.
Of course if you take the time to do all that, you will probably want to buy the DSM 330 for your living room.