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Google Announces 'WebM' Open-Source Video Format, Plans for Android Television Integration

Small White Car said:
Just as I thought. Bass-ackward.
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Yes, it's backwards, because hardware manufacturers should be good enough to implement hardware acceleration for codecs that aren't available. 🙄

Up to today, VP8 wasn't open. What incentive was there to hardware manufacturers to implement acceleration for it in their drivers/silicon ?

This is actually the proper way it goes. Introduce, then add support.
 
neuropsychguy said:
I just watched a 720p video on YouTube using the new format on my mid-year 2008 MacBook. With Flash (.H264), my computer would stutter and barely be watchable. With Google's format, it worked without any problems. I haven't compared it to a non-Flash .H264 video but I had good results with only software acceleration of 720p video.
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That's great when using HTML5 ( which Apple is advocating ) but what about the rest of the web that doesn't use HTML5 ?.
 
Guys, this is HUGE. It's basically the holy grail that will end the H.264 vs Theora dilemma. It's completely free and open, and the quality is on par with H.264 and AAC. A Quicktime plugin is on the way, which will add support to Safari, if that is what you are concerned about. Should add export support to QT7 Pro and Compressor too, if you were concerned about THAT.
 
J the Ninja said:
Guys, this is HUGE. It's basically the holy grail that will end the H.264 vs Theora dilemma. It's completely free and open, and the quality is on par with H.264 and AAC. A Quicktime plugin is on the way, which will add support to Safari, if that is what you are concerned about. Should add export support to QT7 Pro and Compressor too, if you were concerned about THAT.
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Until this is blessed by Steve Jobs, don't expect to convince some of the drones on this forum that this is indeed good. Remember, they hate Google now, because Steve said Google was bad.
 
I'm sure members of the MPEG LA consortium will be eager to review VP8's source code for possible patent infringements. The advantage of H.264 is that it's both good and patent suit-protected (at least by the big players).
 
aiqw9182 said:
Ogg isn't open enough for you Google? 🙄
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Theora is not patent free. Also, the OGG container format was never originally designed for video; rather, it was tacked on later. As a result, it's nowhere near as good as h.264. h.264 needs competition some competition - patent free competition - and this might just do the trick.

Way to go Google.
 
dwd3885 said:
it's another format, but this one is open. h264 is not.
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h.264 is open, in terms of being an Open Standard. It's just not "Open Source", and its not "License Free".

We already have too many people adding confusion to an already confusing set of terminologies.
 
Stridder44 said:
Wow, talk about putting Apple in between a rock and a hard place.
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What's the 'hard place?'

IF this format gives similar quality at similar file sizes with similar battery life...then why WOULDN'T Apple use it?

They'll just add it to the iPhone...no reason they wouldn't.

Unless, of course, this format isn't one of those things. In which case Apple just says "this is why" and there's no longer a rock or a hard place.
 
mixel said:
I dont mind companies pushing more standards, open or otherwise, nobody forces you to use them and over time things change.

Just looking back at all the codecs that have been, it's not done harm in the past and has given people lots of options when creating video stuff, so.. Yay?
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What he said.

I mean, hell look at MP3...WMA and AAC are better quality format but the industry decided MP3 would be default. We'll see what the industry decides with this.
 
bowler357 said:
Just what the Internet needed... another video standard.
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Just what the internet needed... an open standard that is actually open and free.


Google using this on youtube will be interesting to watch. It's going to get harder for MPEG LA to justify royalties when VP8 can match the quality at the same bitrate.

Small White Car said:
IF this format gives similar quality at similar file sizes with similar battery life...then why WOULDN'T Apple use it?

They'll just add it to the iPhone...no reason they wouldn't.
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I really hope Apple does support it. If they don't, then it becomes even more clear what their real motivations are.
 
KnightWRX said:
Until this is blessed by Steve Jobs, don't expect to convince some of the drones on this forum that this is indeed good. Remember, they hate Google now, because Steve said Google was bad.
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Yes, but they also just had a huge "we support open-source" campaign against Adobe recently. So not welcoming this new format with open arms would look very bad for Apple and make them look like huge hypocrites.

I hope they just accept it fully and we can all move on with our lives.

Small White Car said:
What's the 'hard place?'

IF this format gives similar quality at similar file sizes with similar battery life...then why WOULDN'T Apple use it?
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Because this is Apple that we're talking about. 🙄 They're not exactly crazy about Google right now, and we all know how Mr. Jobs can be when it comes to people he doesn't like. As I said above though, hopefully Apple will fully support this new standard and we can all get on with our lives.

I can only wonder if Apple's huge backing of h.264 doesn't have anything to do with their ties with the media companies. I believe h.264 has some DRM in place (correct me if I'm wrong), and I'm unsure if WebM has it as well.
 
Every time I see Google anywhere I cant help but be freaked out. Those 2 founders have some awkward teeth and look creepy. *shudder*

Like rapist.
 
KnightWRX said:
Yes, it's backwards, because hardware manufacturers should be good enough to implement hardware acceleration for codecs that aren't available. 🙄

Up to today, VP8 wasn't open. What incentive was there to hardware manufacturers to implement acceleration for it in their drivers/silicon ?

This is actually the proper way it goes. Introduce, then add support.
Click to expand...

What support?

Their announcement says they think software playback is "good enough," essentially.

What you said (Introduce, then support) WOULD be a great way of doing it! That's not what they said they're doing, though. I have to base my comments on what Google says...not what you think they should be doing.
 
Just read that Google will start encoding their YouTube videos in this format. Wonder how this will affect playback on the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, etc.

I think Apple has no choice at this point but to embrace the format.
 
This just seems like a real pain to me, I am very happy with H264 and have been using it for years. I don't like the idea that suddenly none of my devices will have hardware acceleration and all the video I have ever posted to the web will be using an obsolete standard.

Is it possible for Apple to buy H264 and then give it away? If I were Apple and such a thing were possible, that would be my next move. Use some of that gazillion dollars to put an end to this nonsense once and for all.
 
On one hand, it is a MKV container which is great. I hope current decoding chips with MKV support will be able to work with VP8 also. x.264 would have been preferable but everyone wants their DRM. Anything to get away from flash, and something open source I am happy with. So we'll just have to wait and see...
 
I just don't understand how can anyone on this forum be against this move from Google.

Apple has been touting about a future filled with h264 video because they have the pockets to license it.

The biggest threat to HTML5 nowadays seems to be the dispute towards the video technology that will be used (h264 vs Ogg Theora). This will be a great step forward in having a true open source video format on the web, contrary to the format Apple is supporting.

My idea is that, once the licensing date expires on h264 (2015 if I'm not mistaken), and if h264 eventually becomes the ubiquitous video format on the web, the cost of licensing it will be much higher to take advantage of Apple, Google and Microsoft's large pockets (thus destroying all browser competition except from these big companies).

I cannot believe the posts saying "Like we need another video format".

Yes, we do! A royalty-free, open source one!
 
aiqw9182 said:
Ogg isn't open enough for you Google? 🙄
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I'm not thrilled about there being another video format out there, but there has been at least one major claim that Ogg is, in fact, not as open as it appears. We'll have to see if this "patent pool" really exists and if they have a credible claim for infringement, but if they do, they may sink Ogg Theora.... Now, it would remain to be seen whether they would also sink Google's new format du jour.
 
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