The DIVX Tapes with Fred Armisen (Office Hours After Hours Exclusive)

Enjoy this piping hot peak behind the paywall of the Office Hours Patreon! When Doug discovered these old Circuit City training videos he had to share it with the trin and Fred Armisen.
Watch the rest of this episode of AFTER HOURS, get into THE JOEL HOEL and find much more HOT CONTENT at / officehourslive

[@mnfreeman]

Twice a month, in the middle of the night, the player makes a toll-free call to a billing computer

[@mrjameson9146]

Nothing out of the ordinary

[@Continuouz93]

DIVX RULES.

[@alistercaddy1208]

Wow, that sounds easy! But aren't these disposable discs bad for the environment?

[@bellybombs]

Tim's reaction here is almost on the level of Farley's Colombian Coffee Crystals

[@goodolarchie]

And if the player and billing computer form a special connection... Maybe the calls get more frequent. Maybe they start taking a sultry tone.

[@RockSleeper]

Twice a month, in the middle of the night, the player shines a light in your son's room to teach him about the universe.

[@dusk_ene]

Underrated comment

[@7brokenribs]

Get out of my yard and why are you communicating to my son? Why are you in all black? Behind my bushes shining a light into my house?

[@Elrond_Hubbard_1]

@@7brokenribs _I'm teaching your son about the universe!_

[@SaucyMcSaucer]

This is the fucking inspiration for all of cinco

[@nivlacyevips]

@@joeygarza9550 My fence wood is so moistened

[@nebulousisgod]

No way. This way around during the early days of T&E. There are many older early-90s videos that are much more Cinco-y.

[@byHexted]

I always thought Globochem from Mr Show was the inspiration for Cinco

[@kenneld]

DIVX sounds like the plan for me, but what about my teeth? Shouldn't I have them removed before watching DIVX media?

[@bardsamok9221]

@@kenneld Good news Ken, you can remove your teeth by biting the bullet and buying Cinco NOW!! All payments to be paid by cash envelope.

[@skaneverdies]

Impossibly convoluted tech for almost zero return straight out early Awesome Show. I was dying watching this.

[@MrEricSir]

My mind immediately jumped to "The Innernette" sketch on watching this.

[@chainlightning58]

Right? I love these tech solutions from the 80s and 90s!!! Like how would this be more convenient than just going to a rental store or buying a physical copy of the disc? They can't even sell the product on their training video. What a beautiful, hilarious train wreck of a product.

[@kashthrills]

@@MrEricSir this thing compatible with the cinco MIDI organizer? i don't want to have to buy 'camptown racers' on a whole new format

[@Elrond_Hubbard_1]

Doug's genuine surprise of "Wait, these are _disposable?!_ That's how DIVX works?"

[@hhantel]

I love that one of the questions is, "DivX knows what you watch. Isn't that like Big Brother?" and he responds, "Yes."

[@bernlin2000]

I think the 5-button polo is one of my favorite moments of the entire podcast XD these guys riffing with Fred is just absolute platinum-quality stuff, forget gold.

[@onecurbatatime]

The host of the divx video became a news anchor in my hometown

[@gnarsore]

How many buttons do his polos have now?

[@russellwaynemorton]

Juan Conde represent

[@justinclair77]

RVA ALL DAY!

[@greglinsmythe3375]

Prove it, take a poop in front of us and turn it into wine

[@ThootenTootinTabootin]

​@@gnarsoreever get an answer for this? Asking for a friend

[@HenryBloggit]

Those of us of a certain age remember downloading DVD rips in a .divx format off Limewire and Pirate Bay. The creators of that format gave it the file extension .divx as a middle-finger to this Circuit City disposable disk shit. It wasn’t affiliated with DIVX in any way, and it actually ended up being around much longer than the DIVX player and disk format.

[@Elrond_Hubbard_1]

p2p file sharing in the early internet was a fun time

[@Kansanite]

FrostWire represent 🎉

[@gradycp]

4:55 is the hardest I’ve ever seen Tim laugh at anything, this is incredible

[@lewiscollins1851]

or doug's yangtze river pun

[@willywonka7812]

Well Fred Armisen is a painfully funny fellow

[@troydegnan3001]

@@lewiscollins1851where can I find this pun

[@paulb8030]

That "well what if the sun don't shine?" was hilarious

[@Ohenry92]

@@paulb8030 What if YOU go outta business? lol

[@rabiroden]

So it tracks everything I watch _and_ it makes secret phone calls in the middle of the night? Sign me up!

[@420JackG]

Now people buy a totally separate device which functions primarily as a passive microphone because it theoretically makes buying soap easier (or whatever). 20 years ago a corporate board thought they'd have to get out in front of the fact that they wanted their DVD player be able to update, today we just take it as a given that we are constantly under surveillance or we just don't think about it all.

[@sz5876]

The National Video Privacy Act was Reagan's final law he signed in '88. a bi-partisan effort "to ensure video tape rental data privacy for the next century" with the rental data archives made available by the Smithsonian no earlier than 2088.

[@marzilyas]

DIVX was basically a way for studios to prevent piracy at the expense of user friendliness in the early days of DVD. It was discontinued after a year.

[@slimekittenv]

And it made orange shirt enough money that he just became a primarily research focussed college proffessor

[@Hyxtryx]

No it wasn't, because DVDs were already encrypted. It was a way to prevent loaning them to your friends or selling used ones, and the studios not getting any money from that.

[@ApolloVIIIYouAreGoForTLI]

Wait... DiVX has gone out of business?

[@swish007]

"what if YOU go outta business?" lol

[@Booksaplenty1]

The first step in installing your DIVX entertainment system involves removing your teeth so that there is no chance of radiation traveling through your mouth, as DIVX systems work with a dangerous level of radiation that pulsates twice a month while you sleep. Make sure you never leave your DVIX system near your child’s bedroom, or near where children or pets play.

[@jaxonpickett6372]

Every DIVX player comes with a tube of premium soothing cream for all those radiation burns!

[@themutante2321]

Tim 'Seder' Heidecker - "Pause it!"

[@AloisWeimar]

The Timjority Report

[@ryanaiden]

I love how Tim still appreciates this kind of film that he parodies 😂

[@broncotrolly]

I really wish they would do more stuff like this. Its always fun

[@ruthie8785]

Twice a month, in the middle of the night, the player will broadcast a buzzing tone at a rate of approximately 4,625 kHz and 25 tones per minute followed by two call-signs before communicating directly to the Kremlin in a message block consisting of one code word and eight digits.

[@steelberg23]

“These are all confrontations” 😂

[@BoeBins]

Twice a month, in the middle of the night, I revisit this video.

[@slimekittenv]

Orange shirt was my college professor and told us about having worked on div x in his youth

[@Asle_Kaspersen]

WHY IS NO ONE ASKING HIM ABOUT THE BUTTONS !!!?

[@ylette]

Did he teach you how to divide by x?

[@trancebodega2739]

they were just ahead of their time. this is how everything works now

[@onlinetuna]

That's clearly a 6 button polo

[@ben_ivey]

kek

[@chainlightning58]

Top button's gone. You'd better believe that all 6 of those would be buttoned up if not. He's a tight neck, lose sleeves kinda guy.

[@frankcerra3216]

no, it's 12 you can't see lower row

[@bernlin2000]

I cannot even comprehend.

[@phillip5245]

Reports say that scientists have almost perfected the 7 button polo...what a time to be alive!

[@redolentthought7085]

"We have disc recycling bins set up - right next to every 5th Kodak Film dropbox."

[@deedotyou]

oh my good god i am crying and laughing pls @ 4:04 the perfect push in when the guy is asked if divx will ever go out of business

[@Gannooch]

3:34 “it’s almost impossible to believe that Divx will go under.” HAHHAHAHHAHAHA!

[@levelanchorage]

vic's laugh is amazing!

[@NathanOxenfeld]

Wholesome

[@johnulcer]

DivX brings back so much nostalgia. Crazy. Haven't thought about or heard that name in years. EDIT: Apparently DivX is not the same as DIVX, the company in this video. The former is an encoding format for videos, which still exists. The latter was a failed attempt to charge people more for renting/buying movies that could only be played on their personal devices. Crazy it didn't take off!

[@slimekittenv]

Until this video I thought my proffessor (orange shirt ) had meant he invented DivX when he said something about this in class

[@slimekittenv]

Until this video I thought my proffessor (orange shirt ) had meant he invented DivX when he said something about this in class

[@tranzco1173]

@@slimekittenv Orange shirt was your professor? Prove it. How many buttons did his polo shirts have? Exactly how long were the sleeves?

[@MarvinMonroe]

Interesting! That's for the correction, I was wondering about all of that

[@NoName-hj6cs]

time to install my codecs!

[@SolidTryThough]

My favorite office hours clip ❤

[@birth0fserpents]

the sopranos bit had me HOWLING

[@Vonliktenstien]

Totally sounds like something Christopher would try and sell Tony on. “T, it’s full-proof. Divx is what the guys in LA are shooting pornos on now.”

[@QQ-yi6yg]

Joe Webb goes deep with the Sopranos, brothaman brothaman

[@broncotrolly]

the guy in the blue shirt " I ama not work here, ima customer"

[@MrHeathzilla]

I remember thinking DivX was the absolute future. Instead it was the first Cinco product

[@djangofett4879]

it definitely was not the first Cinco product 🤣

[@555Tbird]

Even better, there were failed disposable rental DVDs after this that would basically self destruct 48 hours after being exposed to the laser.

[@NN-sp9tu]

@@555Tbird my god..

[@Continuouz93]

The orange polo actually has 6 buttons.

[@walexander8378]

Imagine if that polo was a full button down. We're talking 17 buttons here.

[@kyleanderson2949]

Yes, please

[@nebojsadurmanovic2268]

Full buttown-down polo shirt has a total Cinco vibe.

[@JNelsonArt]

I'll stick with my Cinco video cube, thanks

[@jonnyturtleneck7153]

Divx sounds like it’s something Cinco created

[@thebearthebeard7438]

You guys didn't know that that's what the 2 extra buttons sewn into the shirt are for? It's a little game built into the shirt. You are supposed to add the 2 extra buttons to make 5 and then you have to take a photo and hand mail it to the manufacturer that you've done it.

[@kyleanderson2949]

Half off on your next crate of polos if you are able to add brand-authentic buttons down to the belly button zone?

[@landetinuti758]

He’s asking the guy with extra buttons and extended sleeves about environmental concerns.

[@jahsina]

What?

[@stevieb89]

"What if YOU go out of business smart guy!"

[@tjacksondolph4026]

"Why do I need to connect the DIVx IV to my vein?"

[@henryyuliano3288]

I’ve seen this video an unhealthy number of times.

[@timothylong3722]

This exciting DIVX format sounds purfily good to me. Not sure what went wrong.

[@tzazella751]

5 buttons + long sleeves = trustworthy. yes, sign me up for divx. i am now a customer.

[@IheartDLX]

you guys have to post some of Fred’s palindromes, they had me in tears

[@mulatso7959]

The Tairy Greene machine is waaay easier to operate.

[@Mega_Mikey]

You hit the nail on the head

[@humanonearth1]

I'm still waiting for extra long short sleeve wide arm shirts to make a comeback! lol

[@arenard765]

Welcome to reasonable shirts

[@MemeHiLites]

DIVX (the dvd thing they’re talking about in the video) has NOTHING to do with the DivX video encoding format. Two separate, unrelated things. Carry on.

[@EaZyKiNg]

@1:20 the fact that it's actually a 6 button polo 😂😂😂

[@x0rn312]

I think if you look closely there is a 6th button on the lapel

[@panchoverde5078]

Hey I was trying to hear about DivX

[@marfaxa]

no DIVX gold titles were ever released

[@gradycp]

Lol

[@antoinej18]

A polo with 6 buttons 😂😂

[@MrVisde]

LMAO, my first DVD player from Circuit City was DIVX compatible. I wouldn’t even know where to find a DIVX disc back then. So convoluted…

[@bbbbbb223]

I give this polo five buttons and one midnight, toll-free call.

[@boppob1343]

holy shit, they literally tried to sell DVDs that you don't actually own the right to watch more than a certain amount of times. What the fuck LMAO

[@tomhorrid]

Is that what it is?? I’ve been trying to figure out wtf differentiates it from normal DVD player

[@hipsterelephant2660]

It's literally just DRM encrypted DVDs but with no extras from the DVDs except the trailer. It didn't even last a year.

[@AloisWeimar]

national digital video privacy act, I just made that up

[@JustSwivel2]

When all is said and done, and the earth is reduced to a post nuclear hellscape, all that's left will be cokroaches and DivX.

[@bcook7591]

DIVX is a SURE thing!

[@DR-420-69]

DIVX released: June 8, 1998 DIVX discontinued: June 16 1999

[@MoonBull13]

I feel like I'm being sold a ponzi scheme lmao

[@0tribe1968]

YES 1:57 I think thats Phil Lesh from the Grateful Dead YES

[@eligreene635]

I don't get outta bed for less than 5 buttons!

[@StingrayOfficial]

LMFAO! Thanks for this!

[@keeKeeConnolly]

Didn't hurt at all when they tore all my teeth out

[@gradycp]

You gotta nice set of pearly whites!

[@Bootrosgali]

A lot of the banter is garbled, and it seems like so much fun

[@Andrew-np4nw]

Pretty sure the guy at 3:21 is Jake Sisko from DS9

[@phillip5245]

1:45 Great to see Glenn Tennis!

[@RippyClippy]

I still have a divx player

[@kyleanderson2949]

“I don’t know, they just throw all your stuff away” -Fred

[@ahouse8600]

What year was this from?

[@dewsplash]

For those that watched downloaded movies in the early 2000's divx was a common format. Good option to view a near dvd quality rip and burn it to a CD. Problem for divx was nobody bought the divx players which were basically just DVD players that also played divx. A d the software to rip dvd to divx was easily cracked and readily available for free.

[@deesnutz42069]

you're confusing DIVX with DivX. the codec isn't the same thing as the format.

[@dewsplash]

@@deesnutz42069 You are correct sir. I was confused because I remember there were players that did play the DivX codec. Never knew about these circuit city players.

[@MeissnerEffect]

Lady: So, what if Div-X goes out of business? Man: Do you even know about astronomy idiot?

[@0ctag0nZer0]

I definitely see some CINCO inspiration here...

[@johnrivers3813]

Wait so you’d be charged for every time you watch a movie? But you already bought it. Fuck it I’m going back to VHS

[@Ricoxemani]

It feels like a cinco product

[@Bisquick]

_For your convenience_ she says!

[@thugvida]

did anyone actually have this? is this how we got all the videos with the divx logo on the bottom right of videos?

[@PlaybackMansion]

It's six buttons

[@lanewalp8727]

facts

[@brianmoore493]

Perfely, a verbal shorthand if you will.

[@isthatyoujaunwayne4183]

This is a KZbin full circle moment

[@MajicFreeman]

Hello, I'd like to buy 3 Divx please.

[@Hattothefuture]

At minute 5:30 Minnesota Vikings QB Kurt Cousins makes a cameo!!!!!!

[@rashauncassells7643]

So that's what finally put circuit city out of business

[@byHexted]

Bruh they really thought people were gonna drive to the nearest disc recycling bin when they’re done with the movie

[@SailorGreenTea]

0:17, amplifier?

[@najtrows]

I never realized that DIVX was ever used for legal reasons. It was one of the most popular formats to pirate back in the day :P

[@MemeHiLites]

DivX is the format, DIVX disc is the DVD scheme they’re talking about. 2 unrelated things.

[@geo8367]

Who could have ever seen this not working out?

[@m1tank13]

Is that Steve Ballmer at 5:43?

[@ruthie8785]

DON’T ANSWER!

[@Lortenerfrisk]

Thats a 6 button polo

[@lanewalp8727]

facts

[@gregfelice1969]

DIVX, from Cinco

[@vedicardi]

divx was a sick codec though

[@vedicardi]

oh the codec and the divx player are completely unrelated... why the fuck were there two companies in the 90s?

[@mightysprocket]

DIVX by Cinco…here to stay!

[@eltonjohnson]

Looks like something you'd find from those VCR Party guys.

[@orgabaa]

What’s crazy is that they haven’t gone out of business

[@colinbradfield72]

I’m dying at the guys shirt

[@goodolarchie]

They just breezed past the fact that this thing charged you for subsequent viewings. It asked dad for permission every time you watched something. But Dad only gave it if you handed him a bit of MONEY!

[@brianearle1219]

The Grateful Dead would like to know why it needs to be near a phone line.

[@DrimawayValorant]

"Its impossible"...Well, I don't see you now.

[@Exodus26.13Pi]

DVD, I wish you were my son.