Fluxdvd

FluxDVD is a container format which can hold the complete content of a Video DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) in a single file. This includes all video titles, video angles, menus, audio tracks, subtitles and the complete interactivity of a DVD.

A fluxDVD file can be played back with all the features of the original DVD on Windows PCs by using Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center or any other DirectShow based player. FluxDVD files can also be burned to DVD resulting in a regular, standards compliant Video DVD which includes the exact same content that the original DVD which was converted to the FluxDVD. FluxDVD files can also be transcoded to other formats such as WMV to be played on portable players but in this case export only the main movie with a selectable audio track and subtitle.

Container Format and Codecs

Although fluxDVD is not limited to certain video or audio codecs, the standard implementation by ACE GmbH uses H.264 high profile for video and Dolby AC3 for audio. By using these highly effective codecs a typical fluxDVD file without visible loss of quality has a size of about 1-2 GB when holding the content of a standard double layer DVD with a capacity of about 7-9 GB. When burned to a DVD, the original MPEG-2 and AC-3 data is dynamically re-created and the burned DVD matches either a single layer DVD (4.7 GB) or a double layer DVD (8.5 GB).

The fluxDVD container contains information about the bitrate profile of the original DVD and utilizes this to create a very high quality DVD in just one pass. Compared to transcoding a WMV file to DVD this results in a significantly higher video quality at a fraction of the time required. Comparisons with Sonic MyDVD 8 have shown a fluxDVD created on a 4 core Intel CPU being 4 times faster and deliver a higher quality.

DRM and Copy protection

FluxDVD itself does not by itself include any DRM or copy protection technologies. However, most of the existing commercial applications of FluxDVD use FluxDVDs plug-in architecture to add DRM to the fluxDVD files and copy protection to the DVDs burned from a fluxDVD file. Compared to WMV the fluxDVD format itself does not impose any limitations on the output format like WMV being able to be burned only to special CSS burners and CSS special media and it is the decision of the content owner to use or not to use any output restrictions.

Some references to “fluxDVD” as being a certain DRM system or copy protection are not correct but probably refer to DRM systems like mpDRM or copy protections like SecureBurn or CSS that may be used in conjunction with fluxDVD.

Tools and Samples

Most tools for fluxDVD are available from ACE GmbH (www.fluxdvd.com) at no cost after signing an NDA. The fluxDVD Encoder can also be obtained after registering with an email address from www.flickrocket.com. An incomplete list of the available list of tools and samples is as follows:

* Encoder: Uses the VIDEO_TS directory of a DVD as input and creating a fluxDVD file.
* fluxDVD client components: Can be branded and embedded into a web shop for DVD download distribution. Includes download manager, (progressive) playback engine, burn engine, export engine.
* Source code samples:
** Source code sample demonstrating the use the fluxDVD components to create a fluxDVD encoder
** Source code sample code demonstrating the integration of fluxDVD playback and burn into a client program
** Source code to sample web pages demonstrating the integration of fluxDVD into web pages

Commercial Usage

FluxDVD is currently the only format supported by major studios for distributing full DVD content. Most studios have also approved the “burn to DVD” function which allows the burning of the content to DVD playing back in every standard DVD player.

Supporting studios which have supplied their content for fluxDVD are Universal, Sony, Paramount, MGM, Disney and Lionsgate.

Services using fluxDVD are for example Deutsche Telekom (Germany), and TF1 (France), CinemaNow (USA), Hollywood Wizard (USA), First Science TV (Great Britain), MediaXpress (Spain) and several others including various adult oriented services such as Vivid (USA) or The Score Group (USA).

FluxDVD is also used for smaller content owners and aggregators, mostly by integration into white label DVD download distribution solutions such as FlickRocket, Legiomedia and NewFilmMakers.

History

FluxDVD has been developed by ACE GmbH in Germany in 2005. Part of it is based on a university research project by Aarhus University, Denmark of which ACE GmbH acquired all IP rights.

Advantages

The greatest advantage of FluxDVD has frequently been noted its ability to store the complete DVD content including navigation and bonus features almost without visible degradation into a single, very small file. Also the ability to recreate and burn the original DVD is often cited as major advantage.

Criticism

FluxDVD has often been criticized as being a Windows only solution. There have been announcement for supporting Mac OS and eventually Linux but these versions are not available at present.

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