Google´s WebM bomb on closed h264

[codewalker]

Google goes opensource (bsd-License) with the VP8 codec and introduces WebM videoformat
to address the closed h264 codec used in html5. For audio WebM uses the Vorbis codec.

Already Mozilla, Opera, Adobe-Flash, MS, Skype, Nvidia, Qualcomm, AMD,
Chipcooker ARM and YouTube signed in for the WebM videoformat.

Guess who didn´t sign in he he he Apple

Let´s see where Steve Jobs big mouth will go now

Links :

http://www.webmproject.org/
http://www.reelseo.com/html5-vp8-google/
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/goog ... or-youtube
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VP8

Oh and by the time that Stevie Jobber becomes outdated and replaced
flash will still be around and improved.

Latest beta
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashplayer10/

Info
http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplay ... eo/vector/

cw

[Trond]

The problem with VP8 is that it's just a h264 ripoff. So if anything in h264 is patented, it is likely that those patents will apply to VP8 as well. Of course, suing Google would be hard.

[blueznl]

Not sure if it's just a rip-off, seems to be a parallel but less intensive development, and indeed though some code might have been stolen that still has to be proven

But *anything* better than keep paying royalties!

[Trond]

The code hasn't been stolen, but they're using the same algorithms. That's the stupid patent system, even if you write your own code you can be sued.

[Kuron]

The problem with VP8 is that it's just a h264 ripoff. So if anything in h264 is patented, it is likely that those patents will apply to VP8 as well. Of course, suing Google would be hard.

It was announced over a month ago that patent pools were being put together to go after the open source codecs and VP8 is one of the ones that was named.

It is sad that Google has declared war on YouTube and is in the process of converting everything over to VP8/WebM. After trying some of the videos in the new codec, I agree with the report that Steve Jobs linked to regarding the format as it is horrid performance wise.

Google's entire existence seems to be moving to the sole purpose of being contrarian.

[Seymour Clufley]

I don't know about individual formats but the sooner one is chosen the better. Just look at how complicated it is to write a <video> tag that will work across browsers. That's ridiculous.

[blueznl]

Dunno, I think one of the things killing progress is the endless patent trolls... some common sense should be applied there, instead of a certain strict application of rules. Most of us are believers in the greater good, perhaps only in word, but still there should be *some* common sense. If you look at some of the patents (requests) they're outright silly, or clearly targeted at making money, not at protecting interests.

[Kuron]

The whole patent issue arises because some companies refuse to use an accepted standard as they may have to pay a royalty, and try to make their own offshoot. Often they can't do that unless they "borrow" from the standard.

I can remember when Google was better than the competiton and took great pride in it. Now the only thing Google takes pride in is their mediocrity.

[Seymour Clufley]

A WebM encoding program... here.