Microsoft embracing HTML5 / H.264 for IE 9
Shortly after Steve Jobs delivered his "Thoughts on Flash" missive to the world last week, Microsoft's general manager for the Internet Explorer browser mentioned that the huge software company is putting its muscle behind the H.264 standard for HTML5 video content. Apple, of course, has been promoting the H.264 standard for video content in HTML5 as a replacement for Flash-based video content.
Dean Hachamovitch, general manager for Internet Explorer, stated last week in a blog posting that the "future of the web is HTML5." He noted that the HTML5 specification does not specify a particular format, and that "H.264 is an excellent format." The bottom line? "In its HTML5 support, IE9 will support playback of H.264 video only." Hachamovitch followed up on his original post today with a much more complete explanation of Microsoft's reasoning for selecting the H.264 codec over competing emerging standards.
The comments from Hachamovitch also noted that most web video is currently Flash-based, and although Microsoft and Adobe are working together on Flash, there are issues with security, performance, and reliability with Adobe's player.
It appears that Microsoft is planning for a future that is less dominated by Adobe Flash, and one that is more in line with the standards-based approach that Jobs and Apple are embracing.
[via MacRumors]
