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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]
ARM debuts Sparrow multicore netbook processor
We've had our eyes peeled for ARM Cortex-based netbook news, and now among the action this week at MWC '09 we're getting our first look at Sparrow, a Cortex A9 processor aimed squarely at netbook manufacturers. This is a multi-core update to the Cortex A8 (processor of choice for the Palm Pre and Pandora), and it's been speculated that this could be the processor for the next generation iPhone, with "at least triple the computing power of the ARM11 processors found in the [current] iPhone and T-Mobile G1." Toshiba, Pegatron and Wistron are all said to be showing demos of their ARM-powered netbooks at the conference this year, with a company spokesman saying that Ubuntu for ARM will go public in April, with Sparrow phones coming to market sometime in 2010. Additionally, companies like Adobe, On2, and Symbian are said to be "tuning their apps to run on the latest cores from ARM" as we speak.[Via Gadget Mix, Mac Rumors]
ABC.com streaming player adds new features
ABC.com was a leader out of the gate with its online HD player, and this fall it's adding new features to become more appealing in a suddenly crowded environment. "True full screen viewing", closed captioning, better navigation and search tools, plus the ability to easily send, share and embed video clips are all on the way to give things a more Web 2.0 feel. Of course, we wouldn't mind a higher bitrate but that doesn't seem to be in the works just yet. ABC.com says it has the leading online player over other networks like NBC, Fox and CBS with over 300 million episodes served - we guess someone's been using it to keep up with old Lost episodes.[Via Reuters]
On2 Technologies reveals 1080p hardware video decoder for handsets
On the same day that Texas Instruments chose to showcase a new chip that would enable HD recording capabilities on cellphones, On2 Technologies is taking a moment from its hectic day in Barcelona to trumpet an all new 1080p hardware RTL video decoder. The Hantro 8190 reportedly supports Adobe Flash along with H.263, H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark and VP6 video formats, and it can even handle JPEG images up to 16-megapixels. According to On2, the device was created to be easily integrated with ARM, MIPS and "other embedded CPU and DSP cores," and can supposedly decode 1080p H.264 video at 30 frames-per-second using a clock frequency of just 165MHz. As it stands, the Hantro 8190 is currently available for licensing, but only time will tell who's going to bite.
ABC.com's free online HD player is live
ABC.com's long awaited free "HD" player is finally available on its website, delivering 720p video at 24 fps. Users with a fast PC and at least a 2 Mbps connection can take a look right now, at one episode each of Lost, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty or Grey's Anatomy. The streaming technology adjusts to available bandwidth, on a 6Mbps cable connection, it kept the HD light in the lower right hand corner lit and high quality video streaming, however if bandwidth drops it can become a pixely mess in a hurry. Check after the break for a few more screens of the player and let us know how its working out for you so far. Good enough that you won't worry about DVR'ing HDTV episodes of Lost anymore, or not quite ready for prime time viewing?[Via LostRemote]
On2 Technologies to demo TrueMotion VP6 / VP7 codecs at CES
Likely coinciding with XM's unveiling of its media-packed "infotainment" concept vehicle at CES, On2 Technologies will be showcasing its TrueMotion VP6 and VP7 compression codecs. While On2's codecs have been at work in XM's gadgetry (among other things), On2 is now aiming to take its compression software to the high definition realm as well as beefing up its stake in the portable arena. The VP6 codec will primarily be used in VOD, broadcast, digital video signage, and other bandwidth-constrained networks and mass-market devices for fixed and mobile video; the VP7, however, will demonstrate compression technology at "data rates as low as 2Mbps," which will supposedly allow "greater penetration of high definition video across low cost devices and existing networks for on-demand, broadcast and other streaming applications." The technology could eventually be used to broadcast HD content over 2.5G, 3G, and 4G mobile networks whenever we get displays large enough (and with enough pixels) to view them, but we'd be perfectly content with a little HD streaming on our navigation systems for now.
XM vehicle to showcase real-time "infotainment"
Although XM's supererogatory features that compliment the actual music transmissions have been available for awhile, the company is apparently going all out to demonstrate its latest inclusions at CES. Dubbed the "infotainment" concept vehicle, this mysterious whip will reportedly feature the "first personal weather tracking system for GPS navigation," which is intended to compliment XM's real-time traffic service (NavTraffic). The system is designed to focus on weather patterns for your specific route, and also provides short-term forecasts to help you decide whether the scenic route would suit you better. Partnering with Baron Services, XM plans to bring the WxWorx technology already used in "airplanes, boats, and emergency responders" to the comforts of your ride. Additionally, the company is set to showcase "in-car video systems" co-developed by On2 Technologies that can not only receive audio, but even video (sound familiar?) from the same satellites and ground repeaters that XM already delivers tunes by. Of course, we can expect to see a fleshed-out demonstration of the parking locator technology (dubbed ParkingLink) that has been in the works, and XM even plans to demonstrate a voice-recognition control scheme developed by VoiceBox Technologies. Notably, XM suggested that its weather-tracking system should be officially available "this summer," while the other introductions might just hold off until this whole "sorta maybe merger" thing gets ironed out.
