Chrome droppings
Google is planing to drop h264 support from the video tag in chrome html-video-codec-support-in-chrome and more-about-chrome-html-video-codec. With some blah blah about open and patents
- real network, rv1, rv2, rv3, rv4 failed
- Apple SVQ1, SVQ3 (there was no 2) failed
- Microsoft MSMpeg4v123 WMV* failed
- On2 VP* failed
- Google VP ehm i mean webm ….
About open, ITU H.264 was developed on a public mailing list namely JVT-experts, using public FTP containing software, spec drafts, proposed changes, test results, meeting protocols and god knows what else. Anyone could read in near realtime what was discussed, proposed,changed and why and any expert that wanted to contribute iam pretty darn sure would have been taken serious. google webm is On2 last video codec, that to the best of my knowledge was developed behind closed doors by On2 and On2 people where on the jvt-expert list.
So calling webm more open than h264 is a insult at best, calling it less patent encumbered is something that will only be found out once its widespreadly used and third party companies have enough financial interrest in cross checking their patents against it. And about which has better compression vs quality, that was elaborated by others to great lengths already. I guess google needs a new motto, like dont be stupid
“About open, ITU H.264 was developed on a public mailing list namely JVT-experts”
Don’t go calling it that on jvt-experts…
Comment by kierank — 2011-01-17 @ 05:51
Well at least the pressure will help keep the h.264 licensing fees low (and in a sense it already has with the “we won’t charge for free videos” thing)…
MSMpeg4v3 succeeded for a bit when it was the only man in town in the form of DivX3
But anyway I suspect VP8 will be most used by commercial games (like Vorbis and Theora are), which is quite funny. Meanwhile all Internet videos will be served via Flash to these browsers, while the ogg/webm code is used for security exploits.
I love the web. But you do have to admit there’s no good solution to this mess.
Comment by JM — 2011-01-17 @ 14:14
JM, yes all quite true …
About the lack of a solution, it depends on who one is, google, ITU cant do all that much, but the members of parliament who make laws could very well correct this.
Just fix patent law, originally patents where IMHO intended to protect the little guy who made a invention in his garage so he would pubish all details to the greater good of the public knowledge and large companies could produce the invention for the masses while the inventor would get money from the industry. But today patents are used by the industry to extract money from the small man instead. Its not even specific to software, people with life threatening things like HIV have to pay the patent fees as part of the half woring treatments available. Noone can legally produce and sell the pills cheaper due to patents. And i dont even want to think about paying patent fees for genetics in food. IMHO the patent system as such failed and as such was a bad idea, made a great invention? publish it and become famous, if it really was that great and ends up used by alot of people you will get plenty of job offers and should have no difficulty to get further research funded both by public universities and private industry.
Comment by Michael — 2011-01-17 @ 17:39
@JM
I guess there is hardly any software with more bug than adobes. I have a _way_ more faith in google. And no flashplayer installed since IMO it’s the only real threat to a up-to date computer.
Comment by Louis — 2012-01-08 @ 23:32