As many had hoped and expected, Google announced that their video codec will be released under a BSD-style open source license. The format that they will distribute will be called WebM and will combine the following technologies:
- VP8, the video codec that Google obtained when the acquired On2 Technologies, the original creators of the Theora video format.
- Vorbis audio codec, popular in the Ogg Vorbis format, a higher-quality Mp3 alternative
- A container format based on Matroska
Naturally, Google Chrome will support this out of the box, and Mozilla and Opera have agreed to support it as well, all in line with their plans to support an open standard for HTML5 video. Furthermore, Microsoft has indicated that they will at least allow users to install the codec for use, even if it does not ship with their Internet Explorer browser.
Absent from the list of supporters, however, is Apple, which still maintains the H.264 format is the way of the future. By producing their own format, however, it almost certainly means that Google will use it on YouTube, rather than H.264. Adobe has even agreed to support it in Flash. The WebM blog also mentions numerous other supporters, including Nvidia, Logitech, Skype, Texas Instruments, and AMD.
This is the latest twist in the HTML5 saga that seemed to be swaying in Apple’s favor. With Google’s long reach on the Web and the open license of the format, Google can push it to all corners of the globe without legal or technological difficulty. Today’s move by Google may well be the deciding one in this battle for video supremacy.
Tags: Google, HTML5 video, WebM
Nice, now the Matroksa format should have near universal support among hardware makers everywhere, and not just the Chinese and Korean media streamer makers. And yes, I know that Western Digital and other US based companies offer media streamers that support the format, but I'm talking the real big names, like Samsung, Sony, LG, and so forth, companies whose primary market is in mainstream consumer entertainment gear, not geeky, bleeding edge early adopter gear like Popcorn Hours.
The webM format will become the standard, the arguments are over, this move by Google will see the end of h.264. Game over.
HTML 5 is going to see the slow demise of flash too as new built in apps are developed, the one area that flash still will hold ground is in its Animation abilities, but I am sure independent and alternative apps will appear soon enough… The final frontier will be browser integration of 3D simulators like opensim, combined with html 5, the web will be able to go full 3D where needed. This is probably going to be the biggest leap forward so far in web technologies. Apple and Adobe better stop playing games or they will get left behind in the rush.
google always create new innovation…
No, they bought a company and released their code.
“VP8, the video codec that Google obtained when the(y) acquired On2 Technologies…”
Can you guys settle for one format plssssssssssss