Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

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

musiciscool said:
I especially like the part where Google gets into television...
It's soooo awesome that Big Brother, I mean GOOGLE; is going to monitor the television I watch in addition to the web sites I visit, the street I live on via satellite, my gps location, my email, my cell phone conversations... and their kindly CEO's response is "if you want privacy, you have something to hide". Nice. Google is a pack of pigs with a new motto... "All Animals Are Equal, but some are more Equal than Others".
Click to expand...

of course google isn't all god, its privacy policy sucks big time. and some of its apps/services stinks (think GDS), some of its service never really taken off (think GTalk).

But give credit when its due, VP8 open source is an important milestone on the web evolution. Especially when google pulled together major players that covers 95% of the internet market.
ChazUK said:
Direct link to the Windows Blog: http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/.../another-follow-up-on-html5-video-in-ie9.aspx

Big news IMHO. :D
Click to expand...

thanks

absolutely, HTML 5 video format fragmentation is finally solved. With Mozilla and Microsoft onboard, google sure did a good deed in this case.
 
marksman said:
Integrating stuff into a tv is not the way to go.

Bad idea, and always has been. The TV needs to remain a display device, that accepts input from other devices that can manage such things that can be more easily replaced and updated.
Click to expand...

I FULLY agree with this statement! Why oh why do these manufacturers think we want it built in a TV? Something that isn't upgraded as often as the peripheral gear. Especially if they are incorporating any type of mechanical devices, like a HD. So far the web content has not even sparked my interest because of the other devices I have already hooked up to my display device cover what I need.

Just give me Hulu and Pandora on my ATV and I will be a happy camper. At least give me Pandora since ON Demand seems to have most of the shows covered and in HD, but it would be nice.

By the way, yes I know Hulu can be done with PlayOn software, which I have, and yes I know that Boxee can do Pandora on my ATV. However, Hulu is constantly changing stuff so PlayOn can sometimes not work and it doesn't have the best UI. And Pandora on Boxee is fine, but it won't let me send the music to my Aiport Express for my whole home audio. Which I do with my ATV and my music. I know I can buy a SlimP3 device, but I like the UI my ATV has and why do I want to spend more money when I have all this technology already? ;) Pandora is on the iPhone...why not ATV?
 
musiciscool said:
If Google isn't stopped, they will be implanting a chip in your wrist so your location & activities can be catalogued in their search engine. This company is evil!
Click to expand...

VP8 is open sourced video codec. your concern about google is real, but in this discussion, its misplaced.

dont trust google search? dont use it! I know I don't.
AtHomeBoy_2000 said:
It potentially has some serious patent issues.
Click to expand...

thats from apple's talking points I read.

truth is, google chrome supports ogg already.
 
I am terribly sorry, but it seems like my technical inexperience and ignorance are stopping me from truly seeing what is going on here.

What, exactly, does this mean? How will it affect the Internet, and the pieces of hardware we use? How will it affect Microsoft, Apple, Mozilla, and such companies? Does it interfere with HTML5 that Apple has been appraising for so long? Also, what's the deal with H.264?

Thanks for your kind responses.
 
Blues003 said:
I am terribly sorry, but it seems like my technical inexperience and ignorance are stopping me from truly seeing what is going on here.

What, exactly, does this mean? How will it affect the Internet, and the pieces of hardware we use? How will it affect Microsoft, Apple, Mozilla, and such companies? Does it interfere with HTML5 that Apple has been appraising for so long? Also, what's the deal with H.264?

Thanks for your kind responses.
Click to expand...

it means now video makers, distributors, start up video services, home video makers can now encode their videos in VP8 format that is free of charge, and 95% of internet users will be able to enjoy high quality, stable, smooth internet videos without installing any plugins.

It will not affect Mozilla, or google chrome, or opera, or IE, because they all support VP8. It will affect apple because so far apple doesn't support VP8 and has been pushing H.264, which is unlikely to become a practical standard anymore.

It might affect Microsoft because Microsoft holds share in H.264, but thats likely to be small.

It doesn't affect HTML5, because HTML5 doesn't say it has to be H.264 codec, the equaling H.264 to HTML5 is misleading.
 
clevin said:
it means now video makers, distributors, start up video services, home video makers can now encode their videos in VP8 format that is free of charge, and 95% of internet users will be able to enjoy high quality, stable, smooth internet videos without installing any plugins.

It will not affect Mozilla, or google chrome, or opera, or IE, because they all support VP8. It will affect apple because so far apple doesn't support VP8 and has been pushing H.264, which is unlikely to become a practical standard anymore.

It might affect Microsoft because Microsoft holds share in H.264, but thats likely to be small.
Click to expand...


What about the HTML5 vs Flash issue? Does it affect it in any way?
 
clevin said:
it means now video makers, distributors, start up video services, home video makers can now encode their videos in VP8 format that is free of charge, and 95% of internet users will be able to enjoy high quality, stable, smooth internet videos without installing any plugins.

It will not affect Mozilla, or google chrome, or opera, or IE, because they all support VP8. It will affect apple because so far apple doesn't support VP8 and has been pushing H.264, which is unlikely to become a practical standard anymore.

It might affect Microsoft because Microsoft holds share in H.264, but thats likely to be small.
Click to expand...

You might want to add "in 2 years" to that.;)
 
Blues003 said:
What about the HTML5 vs Flash issue? Does it affect it in any way?
Click to expand...

as a video format, the unified appliance will sure have more potential to unseat flash as first choice of internet video. It will takes time, but sure is very promising, given the fact that largest video service (youtube) is owned by google. Give it at least two years and see how it goes.

flash does other stuff as well (game, ads etc), in that front, VP8 will probably not affect flash (WebGL may have that potential, but is at early stage).
 
clevin said:
as a video format, the unified appliance will sure have more potential to unseat flash as first choice of internet video. It will takes time, but sure is very promising, given the fact that largest video service (youtube) is owned by google. Give it at least two years and see how it goes.

flash does other stuff as well (game, ads etc), in that front, VP8 will probably not affect flash (WebGL may have that potential, but is at early stage).
Click to expand...

And other things :

"Additional Restrictions (we are working on these!)
Videos with ads are not supported (they will play in the Flash player)
On Firefox and Opera, only videos with WebM transcodes will play in HTML5
Fullscreen is not supported"
 
clevin said:
as a video format, the unified appliance will sure have more potential to unseat flash as first choice of internet video. It will takes time, but sure is very promising, given the fact that largest video service (youtube) is owned by google. Give it at least two years and see how it goes.

flash does other stuff as well (game, ads etc), in that front, VP8 will probably not affect flash (WebGL may have that potential, but is at early stage).
Click to expand...

I believe I did not make myself clear. Basically, will this popstone or totally destroy the "attack" that HTML5 was doing on Flash, when it comes to video?
 
PeterQVenkman said:
From the article:




I wonder if his opinions are skewed any by the fact that he is an H264 developer, much like Flash developers' opinions on Apple's actions against flash. He certainly seems to know what he's talking about otherwise.
Click to expand...
They probably are (skewed opinions) but as you say he seems to know what he's talking about. I don't know much about the subject, but if it is a 'standard' that is defined by the source code, then it is not a 'standard' at all. It is just a steaming pile of code. I have seen many of those. It'd be great if there was an patent free modern codec, but that article fills in a lot of details for the vague rumblings that VP8 is not only not patent free, but is not a codec at all. Just a one off implementation.
 
Blues003 said:
I believe I did not make myself clear. Basically, will this popstone or totally destroy the "attack" that HTML5 was doing on Flash, when it comes to video?
Click to expand...

no, it will only accelerate and intensify.

because before this move by google, the HTML5 video format implementation among different browsers was fragmented. So HTML5 video previously have no real chance of replacing flash.

Now it does. because makers of browsers that cover 95% internet users are now united in pushing one single standard: VP8.
 
BrianMojo said:
This is great, great news. I don't know how anyone could be voting negative on this.
Click to expand...

maybe because so far, only loser is apple (on top of adobe), since it has been pushing H.264 all along in its various products.

I hope apple understand the situation and stand with other browser makers ASAP, if it really want to kill flash as a video container.
 
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.
Click to expand...

You don't get it. Apple and Microsoft aren't the heavy hitters with H.264. The Hardware vendors like SONY, Mitsubishi, JVC, Panasonic, on and on are the major players.

You think these folks are stupid enough to let Google dictate what they already control?
 
Predictable responses from the religious idiots contingent, but sad, nevertheless.

Why would ANYONE rate as negative the introduction of a truly OPEN video format, which is as good, if not better, than the proprietary H.264?

Google spent $140m to acquire VP8, and is giving it to the community, for free.

It's a great codec, and this is a great day for the whole OPEN web!
 
clevin said:
what a bunch of FUD and talking points straight from apple's lame-a$$ excuses against Ogg all along.
Click to expand...

WTF are you smoking? Did you even bother to read it? It has nothing to do with Ogg or spreading FUD.
 
mdriftmeyer said:
The Hardware vendors like SONY, Mitsubishi, JVC, Panasonic, on and on are the major players.
Click to expand...

That's all great for their hardware but what sort of influence do those companies have with regards to online video?

If all of those companies make a laptop/desktop PC, the chances are it will be running a Microsoft OS which is what puts Microsoft ahead for those companies.
 
Small White Car said:
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.
Click to expand...

Seriously, you're just pulling stuff out of your behind now. Because he said the software decoding was good, you now equate that to "no hardware acceleration forthcoming and/or planned" ? Look who decided to comment positively on webm :

http://blogs.nvidia.com/ntersect/2010/05/googles-royaltyfree-vp8-codec-a-move-forward.html
http://www.qualcomm.com/blog/2010/05/19/web-video-google

Sunder Pichai, one of Google's VP, did comment on hardware acceleration moving forward, going against what you just claimed was announced :

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/19/google_chrome_announcement/

The project is also backed by hardware partners such as AMD, ARM, and Nvidia. "Hardware acceleration is extremely important," said Pichai.
Click to expand...

Now please, stop posting until you read about this topic. You're just spreading FUD.

clevin said:
maybe because so far, only loser is apple (on top of adobe),
Click to expand...

Adobe has pledged to add support for VP8 to Flash as a video codec for FLV. If push comes to shove, Apple users will get VP8 through Flash (oh how Ironic would that be...).

But then again, Apple hasn't said anything, so I don't see any reason yet to start shoving crap at them. People saying "Apple got burnt" by this announcement seriously are getting a bit ahead of themselves.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back