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H.264 is not just about the internet. Blueray use it, broadcast stations use it. satelite networks use it etc. Its a very powerful and flexible codec.
Problem is it's very hard to make a competing codec due to the complexity of encoding video. I would think a lot of smart people have spent a lot of time trying.

Ah, yes, you're right about that. I was thinking about this only in relation to the Internet. I doubt Google wants to create a competing codec that transcends Internet usage. I mean, they probably didn't call it "webM" for nothing. ;)
 
VP8 doesn't yet offer true HD for DVD/BR players, only for internet playback.

AMD, ARM, and Nvidia collaborating with Google will mean nothing if the DVD/BR and the entire film industry don't play ball.

Have you noticed it's called "Web"+"N"? There is no reason you can't have a more efficient codec for the web/computers, and a different one for physical media.
 
The blog is a pretty interesting read. If Garrett-Glaser is to be trusted, Google could be in for a bag of hurt. He calls WebM "a patent time bomb waiting to happen" and gives good evidence to back up his claim. Overall, it looks like WebM could have become a decent replacement for H.264 -- if Google hadn't rushed it. But with H.265 on the horizon and Google's stubborn view that WebM is as good as it gets, Google might be left in the dust.
 
Propagate? He answered to an email. It's not like he's on a crusade or something. Besides, the opposite is also true. Who's to claim he's wrong until proven?

Nope, the claim about patents and open sourced video codecs were made seperately, explicitely. Steve Jobs is just peddling the MPEG-LA's FUD as his own :

All video codecs are covered by patents. A patent pool is being assembled to go after Theora and other "open source" codecs now. Unfortunately, just because something is open source, it doesn't mean or guarantee that it doesn't infringe on others patents. An open standard is different from being royalty free or open source.

http://hugoroy.eu/jobs-os.php

So yes, Apple is very much against Royalty free codecs. It is against "Open".
 
Hate to interrupt your wet-dream, but to buy "the offending patents", Google would also have to buy out some major corporations which actually own the IP/patents for H.264, such as those in the movie industry and hardware manufacturers.

Oh, and about using dirt they have in their databases? Google claims to be NOT EVIL, and even though it is heading in that direction, I'm sure it is not going to commit a Federal offence to enforce its technology on the web.


This shows how much you actually know.

For a start there is no masturbating or sexual stimulation over Google.

Secondly, Google would not have to buy entire companies to buy IP.

Thirdly, most corporations are evil. Its just Google is just a fallen angel instead of a hell spawn.

Fourthly, that last bit I cut out is irrelevant. I was not talking about H264 at all, and WebM isnt aimed at anything other than web use.

****.
 
Have you noticed it's called "Web"+"N"? There is no reason you can't have a more efficient codec for the web/computers, and a different one for physical media.

Problem is VP8 isn't. But, that's a minor setback as long as it proves to be patent free!
 
Sit back and enjoy what you can now. If VP8 finally makes it in the market, it will be just one very infinitesimal bit of the whole internet -- just one cog in the whole complicated machine.

I think that largely depends on what the patent holders behind H.264 will do after 2016. If you and I (i.e. end users) will have to pay for uploading a YouTube video, I wouldn't be so sure about it.

Even if the free alternative is technically inferior. (And I'm convinced about H.264's superiority today.)
 
I don't need to convince you of anything. Just stop pissing in everyone else's cereals man.

I care because I use Firefox. End of story.

Well, I care because we're finally getting to the point where hardware from all manufacturers can play the same video format. Is anyone building a smartphone that doesn't play H.264 these days?

Remember the days when MS 'Play-for-sure' devices and iPods didn't cross paths much because MS wasn't playing AACs back then and iPods wouldn't take WMAs? Isn't it nice that everyone's playing along nicely in the audio world now? (Somewhat by other players accepting AACs, but mostly by offical stores adopting MP3s instead of DRM'd files.)

And now we're pretty much there with video...you can feel pretty safe that a new smartphone will play H.264. But thowing this new format into the mix is probably going to disrupt that and you'll see some devices supporting one and some supporting the other and we're gonna go back to having the type of device you own limiting what video you can view.

You know, kind of like Flash sites on the iPhone now. That whold thing is a mess...and now you're asking to introduce more mess onto the video side of it? We should be trying to reduce these problems...not create more of them.

Yeah, I know...you want it in Firefox on your computer. Great, I understand why this is good on desktops and laptops. But there's more to the computer world than that. It's gonna F-up the whole mobile-hardware market.

And I call that pissing in my cereal. So don't think that your opinions don't have consequences for other people too.
 
Nope, the claim about patents and open sourced video codecs were made seperately, explicitely. Steve Jobs is just peddling the MPEG-LA's FUD as his own :



http://hugoroy.eu/jobs-os.php

So yes, Apple is very much against Royalty free codecs. It is against "Open".

Yes i know about that stuff, problem is this "All video codecs are covered by patents. A patent pool is being assembled to go after Theora and other "open source" codecs now" doesn't mean that Apple are after them. Apple isn't creating a patent pool, he's merely stating the facts.

It's only logical, Apple have nothing to gain on having theora and others being shut down. I don't see what evil he's doing?
 
Nope, the claim about patents and open sourced video codecs were made seperately, explicitely. Steve Jobs is just peddling the MPEG-LA's FUD as his own :



http://hugoroy.eu/jobs-os.php

So yes, Apple is very much against Royalty free codecs. It is against "Open".

Unless Apple is the one assembling the patent pool to go after Theora, then this conclusion can't be drawn from his answer. His point is right, whether you like it or not. Just because something is open source doesn't mean that it's automatically non-infringing. This is the world we live in and until voters decide to change it, then EVERY company is incentivized to patent innovations and protect those patents.
 
Is Google Spreading Themselves Too Thin?

Google seems to have suddenly entered a LOT of different computing areas very quickly lately. Phones, Operating Systems, Developer Storage, TV, now video?

You can't discount their size, financial resources, and capacity, but I'm having a hard time trying to pinpoint where they are going. I worry the quality of their products will be quickly diluted.

Apple seems more focused. Their acquisitions seem to have purpose, be it processor technology, or mobile advertising or maps. We see the results quite quickly as they integrate these things into their products and services.

I guess only time will tell.
 

Quoting that article (emphasis mine):

In its HTML5 support, IE9 will support playback of H.264 video as well as VP8 video when the user has installed a VP8 codec on Windows.

So in other words, you will need to install a VP8 codec yourself and IE9 will be able to use it to decode video. This is not the same as Microsoft shipping the codec or incorporating it into their products; in particular it avoids Microsoft being liable if and when the patent infringement lawsuits start flying.

Most of the rest of that article is dedicated to pointing out the advantages of h264 - the well-tested codec which is shipped with Windows 7 and hardware support.

Codec stability and security might be a relevant point; anecdotal evidence so far is that the only really good VP8 spec is the reference codec implementation which doesn't bode well for independent implementations of the standard.

And if there are people with patents on this stuff waiting in the wings to pounce once it becomes popular - by no means a certainly but surely a distinct possibility - I think caution is the right approach.

I really have no idea why this is being cast as a big Apple vs. Google fight. I think Google are trying to do the right thing but I'm not 100% confident that they will succeed.
 
Are you guys dreaming?

... Where is your brain at? I read in this forum the posts from Apple and Jobs bashers, lauding Google's virtue and apparent openness... This is all BS!

Google's make their revenue from Ad and every search is an occasion for Google to place ads... By offering an 'open' standard they are just trying to channel through their initiative more ads. Their idea is to control the entire flow of information to deliver value to Google and to its customers (i.e. corporations and small / medium businesses) Its like Vegas, where the Casino wins all the time... Here the Casino is Google.

Apple has been the pioneer in so many markets and Google is just stepping on a path Apple has paved... They see an opportunity and they try to kill any potential alternative (remember: embrace to kill). So, no thanks... No GoogleTV, no Google Standard... I switched to Wolfram Alpha + Bing and it is as good if not better than Google.

I read also a lot of comments about how poor AppleTV is... IMHO, AppleTV is right on target! Apple has created a flow to deliver media content to the customer in a quite elegant way at a time where no one wanted to even try. Sure Apple has developed this flow to sell more macs, Ipods, Apple TVs...They would have been stupid not to! I enjoy Apple TV today because this is simple, I choose what I want, when i want, I do not have any ad to watch (Hulu Anyone?)... Apple TV, always seen as gadget by SJ, is an experimentation for Apple... They set the right level of expectation AND they certainly respect the Content Owners Rights, whether users like it or not.

For me Google TV is going to be crap delivered to your living room: unlike major broadcast companies, Google will not create, produce, deliver a movie, a show, a TV show... They will just keep on pimping, like they do today... Apple does not have the goal to control the information... Apple just said:
- There are people who are ready to pay to watch/listen (customers),
- There are companies who are producing content (studios, Broadcasters),
- Apple is selling good hardware and software...
So, Why not find a compromise and make a win, win, win for all... And the rights of creators are respected... Anyone on this forum is a creator who would like to see their work stolen / not paid for?

Google is a pimp of modern times and their last attempt at TV business is just another form of milking the end users without taking any risk or proposing a real innovative approach. Now, people are going to say: what about Apple's intention to deliver ads thru the apps? People are free to buy ad supported or Ad free apps... With Google there is only one option: you have ads whether you like it or not and , oh by the way, we are also tracking your surfing habits at the same time...

Thanks Apple, I stick with you!
_____________________
Remember: With Google you are not watching TV... The TV is watching you!
 
... Where is your brain at? I read in this forum the posts from Apple and Jobs bashers, lauding Google's virtue and apparent openness... This is all BS!

Google's make their revenue from Ad and every search is an occasion for Google to place ads... By offering an 'open' standard they are just trying to channel through their initiative more ads. Their idea is to control the entire flow of information to deliver value to Google and to its customers (i.e. corporations and small / medium businesses) Its like Vegas, where the Casino wins all the time... Here the Casino is Google.

Apple has been the pioneer in so many markets and Google is just stepping on a path Apple has paved... They see an opportunity and they try to kill any potential alternative (remember: embrace to kill). So, no thanks... No GoogleTV, no Google Standard... I switched to Wolfram Alpha + Bing and it is as good if not better than Google.

I read also a lot of comments about how poor AppleTV is... IMHO, AppleTV is right on target! Apple has created a flow to deliver media content to the customer in a quite elegant way at a time where no one wanted to even try. Sure Apple has developed this flow to sell more macs, Ipods, Apple TVs...They would have been stupid not to! I enjoy Apple TV today because this is simple, I choose what I want, when i want, I do not have any ad to watch (Hulu Anyone?)... Apple TV, always seen as gadget by SJ, is an experimentation for Apple... They set the right level of expectation AND they certainly respect the right owners, whether users like it or not.

For me Google TV is going to be crap delivered to your living room: unlike major broadcast companies, Google will not create, produce, deliver a movie, a show, a TV show... They will just keep on pimping, like they do today... Apple does not have the pretention to control the information... Apple just said: there are people who are ready to pay to watch/listen, there are companies who are producing content, Apple is selling good hardware and software... Why not find a compromise and make a win, win, win for all... And the rights of creators are respected... Anyone on this forum is a creator who would like to see their work stolen / not paid for?

Google is a pimp of modern times and their last attempt at TV business is just another form of milking the end users without taking any risk or proposing a real innovative approach.

Thanks Apple, I stick with you!

Gnurble Flurble Wurble....

Remember, Apple is in the Ad business now... and the media business...
 
This isn't Apple vs Google.

It is MPEG-LA vs the world. When Industry put the patent pools in their hands they created a monster. Larry Horn is a patent troll, who has started another line of buisness suing the same people he collects royalties for in the H.264 pool:

http://www.osnews.com/story/23258/MPEG-LA-owned_Patent_Troll_Sues_Smartphone_Makers

"one of the MPEG-LA's subsidiaries, a cut-and-clear patent troll, has launched several patent infringement suits earlier this year. This patent troll's CEO? Larry Horn - yes, the same Larry Horn who's also CEO of the MPEG-LA.
The connection was 'discovered' by The Prior Art's Joe Mullin, back in late April. The company in question is MobileMedia Ideas LLC, a company without any products of its own. It acquired a number of patents from Nokia and Sony, 122 to be exact, and is now using those patents to sue several smartphone makers earlier this year, including Apple, HTC, and Research In Motion. MobileMedia Ideas is owned by the MPEG-LA, and its CEO is Larry Horn, who also happens to be the CEO of the MPEG-LA."

You would have to be Naive in the extreme to think this Troll isn't going to go after every attempt at video compression where they don't get a cut.

Don't hate Jobs for pointing this out, Hate Larry Horn for being the scum sucking patent troll that he is.
 
So now it's Apple instead of Microsoft playing the "licensing issues" card? Please don't.

Nice move by Google on that regard. I thought that unlike MS, Apple got what open-source & royalty-free meant.

And that is exactly what you are missing.

Just because someone claims X is patent-free, does not mean X is patent-free.

Replace X with MP3, GIF, Ogg Theora, or now, VP8.

The entire point is that, sure, Google claims that its patent free. But they also claimed (as an official response to the EU) they were not storing Wifi data. However, many believe that it is indeed infringing patents, held by some of the biggest players in teh A/V market.

While its true that H.264 is still subject to submarine patents, the fact that no one has come out with a lawsuit claiming patent-violation after it has been used in every Blu-Ray created, or used in every iTunes video downloaded, or used to encode every new Youtube video uploaded, or used to deliver most of the new videos delivered through the Flash plugin, or has become the most popular codec that HW decoders on mobile devices can handle, makes it a pretty safe bet that no one is likely to come out and sue anyone anymore.

If VP8 does indeed violate patents held by firms other than On2 (and Google), as is extremely likely, the only difference between VP8 and H.264 will be:

1) VP8 is a poorer algorithm
2) Its a poorer, unclear spec
3) It was created by one company, as opposed to a bunch of big A/V players who came together to make a standard

Everything else, including the licensing issues, would be the same.
 
I don't think anyone has seriously claimed that VP8 is immune to all patent claims. As mentioned in the past, neither is Theora. The key differences with Theora are that 1) it's about as good as H.264, and 2) Google is behind it.

You can bet good money that anyone sued over VP8 usage will have the full support of Google. This doesn't absolutely guarantee against bad outcomes - nothing does, with the stupid broken patent system in the US - but it means any frivolous or malicious crap will be shut down very quickly, if it even starts. And for any serious claims, deals will likely be made with Google.

Patent holders may extort some money from Google. But VP8 won't go away.

See now the problem with that is Google has included in the "open source license" that they won't indemnify anyone.

They offer it up but won't protect it. Nor will they back it up for any other company.
 
At least lawsuits require actual evidence to be presented at some point. The MPEG-LA is known for FUD tactics like these, which only serve as link-bait for Apple zealots. Quote the OSnews piece :

Empty threats. FUD. Show your hand or leave the table.
When you win a patent lawsuit, you get awarded damages. If the offender is so small that it does not cause much if any damages, there is no point in filing a lawsuit and going through legal expenses in the first place. VP8 needs to become successful and widespread first, before anybody would bother filing a suit. You may want to call it FUD, and yes sometimes it may be just that, but there is logic behind this strategy. You cannot decide that the threats are empty if nobody files a lawsuit next week.
 
So wait... Steve is calling WebM a mess and not ready for primetime... YET... he's force feeding HTML5 to the masses? Pot, Kettle!
 
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