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Cisco plans to open-source H.264 code, widen support for web-based video chat
WebRTC promises plugin-free video chat in our browsers, but it has been stuck in limbo due to format squabbles -- some companies want royalty-free standards like VP8, while others insist on the wider support of H.264. Today, Cisco is proposing a truce between the two camps. It's planning to open-source its H.264 codec without passing on the royalties it pays to MPEG-LA, effectively making the standard free when used in web conversations. Mozilla is endorsing the strategy; although it still prefers open video technologies like VP8 and Daala, it believes that Cisco's move would let both Firefox clients and Firefox OS use H.264 for more tasks. Nothing is set in stone at this point, however. Industry members will pick WebRTC's video standard on November 7th, and there's no guarantee that their choice will dovetail with Cisco's plans. If all goes well, though, we won't have to fret much over the apps and devices we use for our video discussions.
Google+ Hangouts moving to HD video soon, going plugin-free within months
You may not have noticed it yet, but Google is in the middle of sweeping changes to Hangouts that should offer big improvements to image quality and accessibility. The company tells GigaOM that it's currently upgrading its video chat service to 720p by switching from the H.264 video codec to the more efficient (and Google-controlled) VP8 standard. HD-quality Hangouts should be available soon after Google finishes the VP8 rollout to web users late next week. A sharper picture is just one part of the puzzle, however. The switch to VP8 also sets the stage for WebRTC support, which will let Google offer plugin-free Hangouts in browsers like Chrome and Firefox within the next several months. The search giant will still offer a plugin for holdouts, but they may soon be the exceptions to the rule.
Nokia accuses Google of 'forcing' VP8 video codec on the world, uses patent system to resist it
Just when Google thought everything was going swell with its open source VP8 video standard for the web, up pops one last hurdle. And it's a big one: Nokia has suddenly decided to use the patent system to try to prevent VP8 from being adopted as a free (or at least free-er) alternative to the license-laden H.264. Why would it do such a thing? Because, according to a statement given to FOSS Patents, the Finnish manufacturer believes VP8 isn't truly open. It describes the codec as a "proprietary technology" that offers "no advantages" over H.264 and that Google is "attempting to force" on others as part of its WebM project. What's more, Nokia claims VP8 infringes on its own intellectual property and says it isn't prepared to license any patents that may be required to let VP8 flourish. Oh dear. This problem may now need even more money thrown at it.
Google and MPEG LA settle up, free VP8 video codec for the world wide web
The longstanding disagreement between Google and MPEG LA is finally over, as the two parties have reached a licensing agreement for several patents covering video compression. As a quick refresher, MPEG LA owns the technology behind h.264, the current king of video codecs. Meanwhile, Google's own VP8 video codec is a part of its WebM standard, but MPEG LA cried foul, claiming that Google's technology was infringing. Apparently, the companies found common ground, and with the settlement in place, WebM is free from patent encumbrances and video producers can do what they do without fear of legal retribution.
Skype 5.5 uses VP8 for video chats, keeps the WebM love aflame
Despite forming a coalition with a bevy of companies, Google's radical WebM video libertarianism has yet to take the world by storm -- unless you're talking El Goog's browser or YouTube. Well, Mountain View can breathe a sigh of relief, as Skype -- even after being bought by Microsoft -- has carried through with its earlier support of the open-source standard, bundling it within last week's Windows-only update. One-to-one and group video calls between version 5.5 clients now use WebM's VP8 codec, succeeding its ancestor, On2's VP7. Hey Redmond, who's speaking Esperanto now?
Internet Explorer 9 gets WebM support with 'preview' plug-in from Google, internet video gets more friendly
Google has released an early WebM plug-in for Microsoft's latest and greatest browser, IE9 -- stepping in to fill a gap that Microsoft itself refused to fill. You may remember the firm's decision to not build in support for the new standard natively, but that it was "all in" with HTML5, WebM's close cousin. Billed as a "technology preview" at this stage of the game, the add-on will enable users to play all WebM video content just like the good Internet overlords intended them to, despite the fact that an additional download is needed. Microsoft said that it would allow for support and it appears to be following up on its word, regardless of other harsher comments made separately. Isn't it good to see big companies getting along? Now if only these same niceties played out in the mobile landscape, then we'd really be getting somewhere. [Thanks, ChrisSsk]
Android 2.3.3 gives you another reason to want it: WebM support
Our first indication of a delivery date for the Gingerbread iteration of Android came way back in May when we were perusing the FAQ to Google's then newly announced WebM video format. There should be no expressions of shock, therefore, to hear that WebM support has indeed been added into Google's mobile OS, with the lowest compatible version being today's freshly introduced Android 2.3.3. Google has already demonstrated its intention to brute-force this format into our lives, which we'll be quite happy to accept just as soon as Gingerbread starts appearing on more devices than its own Nexi.
Google defends H.264 removal from Chrome, says WebM plug-ins coming to Safari and IE9
Google renewed a heated discussion when it said it was dropping H.264 support from Chrome's HTML5 video tag last week, but it seems the company's ready and willing to push its WebM alternative video format hard -- not only is hardware decoder IP now available for the VP8 codec, but the project team is presently readying WebM plug-ins for Safari and Internet Explorer 9, neither of which include it themselves. As to the little matter of whether any of this is the right move for the web at large, we'll paraphrase what Google had to say for itself: H.264 licenses cost money; Firefox and Opera don't support H.264 either; and big companies like Google are helping the little guy by championing this open alternative. We have to say, the eternal optimist in us is cheering them on. Oh, and the linguist in us, too. Read Google's own words at our source link, and decide for yourself.
WebM VP8 specs ready for chip companies to start building hardware acceleration
You know how long we've been waiting for Flash video to get decent hardware acceleration? Well, it looks like the Google-backed WebM VP8 codec won't take nearly so long. The WebM hardware development team just pushed out hardware decoder IP for VP8, which will let chip folks build WebM playback into their chipsets -- most of which are currently oriented around accelerating H.Google's-gunning-for it-264 and / or Flash. A VP8 hardware encoder IP will follow later in Q1. There's nothing much more to it: it's the same ol' 720p and 1080p decoding we know and love, which will be possible on mobile devices (and already is with other codecs), but this time it's open, remember?
Google will drop H.264 support from Chrome, herd the masses towards WebM and Theora
We knew Google was rather fond of its WebM video standard, but we never expected a move like this: the company says it will drop support for the rival H.264 codec in its HTML5 video tag, and is justifying the move in the name of open standards somehow. Considering that H.264 is presently one of (if not the) most widely supported format out there, it sounds a little like Google shooting itself in the foot with a .357 round -- especially considering the MPEG-LA just made H.264 royalty-free as long as it's freely distributed just a few months ago. If that's the case, Chrome users will have to download a H.264 plug-in to play most web video that's not bundled up in Flash... which isn't exactly an open format itself. Or hey, perhaps everyone will magically switch to Chrome, video providers will kowtow, unicorns will gaily prance, and WebM will dominate from now on.
MPEG-LA makes H.264 video royalty-free forever, as long as it's freely distributed
The H.264 codec that makes a good deal of digital video possible has actually been free to use (under certain conditions) for many years, but following recent controversies over the future of web video, rightholders have agreed to extend that freedom in perpetuity. Whereas originally standards organization MPEG-LA had said it wouldn't collect royalties from those freely distributing AVC/H.264 video until 2016, the limitless new timeframe may mean that content providers banking on WebM and HTML5 video won't have an expensive surprise in the years to come. Then again, patent licensing is complicated stuff and we'd hate to get your hopes up -- just know that if you're an end-user uploading H.264 content you own and intend to freely share with the world, you shouldn't expect a collection agency to come knocking on your door. PR after the break.
VLC 1.1 released, adds hardware acceleration and new codec support
VLC 1.1 was just released, adding hardware acceleration on Windows Vista, 7, and Linux (no mention of the Mac just yet), along with a general 40 percent speed boost from a massive code cleanup. A new add-on and script framework now enables extensions, which should lead to some interesting additions, and the VP8 and MEPG-4 lossless codecs have been added, along with container support for MKV HD and Google's open-source WebM format. We just gave it a quick try and things certainly do seem to perform as advertised -- hit the source link for the download.
Mozilla bundles WebM support into nightly Firefox builds
Google's new web video standard seems to be gathering a bit of momentum, as today Firefox is following in the ultrafast steps of Chrome by offering built-in support for WebM video. Bugs are still being worked out, but the fundamentals are there, and we'll hopefully see all kinks ironed out in time for the release of Firefox 4 Beta, which is expected to land later this month. This is now the third big browser to announce compatibility, with Microsoft already promising it for IE 9, provided users download the necessary VP8 codec first. The HTML5-obsessed Apple hasn't yet decided which way it's going with the standard while Opera is presumably busy figuring out how to parody the whole thing in video form.
Intel mulling WebM hardware acceleration in Atom CE4100 chip
Hey Google, shall we try the other box? Maybe it has hardware acceleration built in for your new WebM video format? Intel's Wilfred Martis has told IDG News that his company is keeping a close eye on Google's new VP8-based format, and should it prove popular enough, hardware acceleration for it will be built into the CE4100 and other Atom chips headed to TVs and overpowered cable boxes in the future: Just like we did with other codecs like MPEG2, H.264 & VC1, if VP8 establishes itself in the Smart TV space, we will add it to our [hardware] decoders. Not exactly astonishing news, as Google TV is still likely to proceed on those chips with WebM getting decoded by software in the mean time, but at least Intel's absenteeism from the WebM hardware partner list can now be explained as simple precaution, rather than some deeper division between the companies.
Google's WebM video format might not be so free after all, says MPEG-LA
Google might be trying to shake up video on the web by releasing the WebM video format and VP8 codec under a royalty-free open-source license, but we've already heard the format's uncomfortably close relationship to H.264 might cause some patent concerns, and the MPEG-LA, which licenses the H.264 patents, doesn't seem to be sitting still. CEO Larry Horn told All Things Digital that MPEG-LA is looking into forming a patent pool in order to license vendors who want stay clear of any patent disputes while using WebM -- the idea would be to avoid any patent liability down the road by simply paying for a license now, especially since Google doesn't seem to be promising anything when it comes to protection from lawsuits. We'd wager all this means WebM will go from royalty-free to patent-encumbered just as soon as MPEG-LA gets its paperwork in order -- the same thing essentially happened to Microsoft when it tried to release the VC-1 format royalty-free -- and that means video on the web might soon be right back where it started. We'll see what happens.
Google launches open WebM web video format based on VP8 (update: hardware partners and Microsoft statement)
Google's plan to open-source the VP8 video codec it acquired when it purchased a company called On2 hasn't exactly been a secret, and the company's finally made it official today as part of a new format called WebM. The WebM container is based on Matroska, with VP8 video and Ogg Vorbis audio streams packed inside -- Google says the format is efficient enough to support playback on lower-power devices like netbooks, tablets, and handhelds, while the encoding profiles are simple enough to limit complexity when you're trying to create WebM files. WebM is open-sourced and licensed royalty-free under a BSD-style license, so all those H.264 patent licensing concerns shouldn't be an issue -- and as you'd expect, Mozilla is supporting WebM right off the bat, with support in Firefox nightly builds as of today. Chromium nightlies will also support WebM as of today, with Chrome early access builds getting support on May 24 -- and Opera is listed as "coming soon." Google's also going to be supporting the format as an option for YouTube playback, so that should drive adoption in a big way -- if you're running these latest Firefox or Chromium nightlies you can actually try it out now. The big question, of course, is whether Apple and Microsoft will roll WebM support into Safari and IE and onto their mobile platforms. We'll see -- Google definitely has the ability to push a format into the mainstream. Update: Industry support announced at I/O -- including Adobe, who'll be rolling VP8 support into Flash Player. Take note of the hardware partners, though: AMD, ARM, Broadcom, Freescale, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and TI, among others. Missing in action? Intel. Update 2: The always-reliable Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet says she's heard Microsoft will be supporting WebM in IE9. That's a big deal if it's true, but we'll have to wait for confirmation -- IE9 isn't due out for a year, so a lot can change in the meantime. Fingers crossed. Update 3: Microsoft's made an official statement on its blog -- while the company is "all in" with HTML5, IE9 will only come with H.264 installed be default due to technical and IP concerns. HTML5 / VP8 playback will be supported, but users will have to download and install the codec separately, which doesn't bode well for widespread adoption. Here's the money quote: In its HTML5 support, IE9 will support playback of H.264 video as well as VP8 video when the user has installed a VP8 codec on Windows. [Thanks, Sean]
