3 ms·

Open-sourced/"open-patented"/Google-backed VP8 ready-to-be the-HTML5-video-standard here we come?

tvon 17y ago
If they do open it and if it has technical advantages over h.264, but only if.
modeless 17y ago
I sure hope so, because it's the only way past the current HTML5 video impasse. Has anyone proposed any other plausible reason why Google would buy On2?
- ZeroGravitas 17y ago
  On2 also do video hardware chips for phones via a company called Hantro they bought which fits into Google's Android plans, and they have a cloud encoding platform though I'm guessing Youtube already does it better. Hantro info: http://www.on2.com/index.php?319 http://www.on2.com/index.php?319 On the other hand On2 announced the deal with "Google and On2 to Improve Video Quality on the Web" and Google's title was "Innovation in video on the web" and used phrases like: "Today video is an essential part of the web experience, and we believe high-quality video compression technology should be a part of the web platform," said Sundar Pichai, Vice President, Product Management, Google. "We are committed to innovation in video quality on the web, and we believe that On2's team and technology will help us further that goal." http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/innovation-in-video-on-web.html http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/innovation-in-video-o... So draw your own conclusions but I think that's some fairly heavy hinting from Google. Of course that was before MPEG-LA dropped charges that would have cost Google about $25 million over the next 5 years and generally held back video on the web so you could put it down to sabre-rattling. edit: Also it's not the only way past the current impasse. The MPEG patent holders could release a patent-royalty-free subset. Not a total win for free software folks, winning the battle like that could lose them the war but it would perhaps suit Apple as it would probably match what they support in iPhones anyway. Google and Apple apparently have already tried to broker a deal and got rebuffed but maybe Google have more leverage now.

tvon 17y ago

If they do open it and if it has technical advantages over h.264, but only if.

I sure hope so, because it's the only way past the current HTML5 video impasse. Has anyone proposed any other plausible reason why Google would buy On2?

ZeroGravitas 17y ago
On2 also do video hardware chips for phones via a company called Hantro they bought which fits into Google's Android plans, and they have a cloud encoding platform though I'm guessing Youtube already does it better. Hantro info: http://www.on2.com/index.php?319 http://www.on2.com/index.php?319 On the other hand On2 announced the deal with "Google and On2 to Improve Video Quality on the Web" and Google's title was "Innovation in video on the web" and used phrases like: "Today video is an essential part of the web experience, and we believe high-quality video compression technology should be a part of the web platform," said Sundar Pichai, Vice President, Product Management, Google. "We are committed to innovation in video quality on the web, and we believe that On2's team and technology will help us further that goal." http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/innovation-in-video-on-web.html http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/innovation-in-video-o... So draw your own conclusions but I think that's some fairly heavy hinting from Google. Of course that was before MPEG-LA dropped charges that would have cost Google about $25 million over the next 5 years and generally held back video on the web so you could put it down to sabre-rattling. edit: Also it's not the only way past the current impasse. The MPEG patent holders could release a patent-royalty-free subset. Not a total win for free software folks, winning the battle like that could lose them the war but it would perhaps suit Apple as it would probably match what they support in iPhones anyway. Google and Apple apparently have already tried to broker a deal and got rebuffed but maybe Google have more leverage now.