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WebM

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Why You Should Care

WebM is a video codec originally developed by On2, a company that was bought by Google in February 2010. Google open sourced the codec by mid-May.

4 out of 5 videos are encoded in H.264

By Dec. 19, 2011, 2:33pm PT 3 Comments

A full 80 percent of videos are encoded in H.264, according to new data from MeFeedia. The latest figures show just how far the industry has come in adopting the H.264 video format as the de facto standard for video encoding. Read More »

Ice Cream Sandwich supports WebM streaming, MKVs

By Oct. 19, 2011, 8:03am PT 5 Comments

Google’s new Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android will natively play WebM video streams and MKV files. However, don’t expect your Android handset to support all those files you downloaded from The Pirate Bay any time soon; the new codec support largely targets developers. Read More »

Skype goes VP8, embraces open video codec

By Aug. 3, 2011, 2:00pm PT 4 Comments

Any video call between users of Skype’s newest Windows client automatically uses Google’s open video codec VP8. Being embraced by a company that’s soon part of Microsoft is a big boost for Google’s open video strategy, and it could quell potential fears of patent lawsuits. Read More »

MPEG LA ready to escalate codec war against Google, WebM

By Jul. 28, 2011, 5:46pm PT Comments Off

H.264 license holder MPEG LA says it’s ready to step up the fight against Google’s open-source WebM format. After threatening to form a patent pool to use against WebM, the group now says it has identified 12 companies with patents essential to the VP8 standard. Read More »

H.264 is still winning the codec war

By Jul. 7, 2011, 10:00am PT 1 Comment

H.264 remains the dominant force in online video, as the video codec now accounts for more than two-thirds of online video, according to a blog post by MeFeedia. Meanwhile, Google’s WebM format has yet to gain any significant traction after being released a year ago. Read More »

Video files keep growing like kudzu

By Eric Quanstrom Jul. 4, 2011, 9:30am PT 1 Comment

In 2007, online video was a straightforward affair: You put a video online; you made it short; and you hoped for the best. But today, due to a growing number of video codecs and connected devices, publishers need to produce an ever-increasing number of video files. Read More »

The technology behind Google+ Hangouts

By Jun. 30, 2011, 11:55am PT 26 Comments

Google’s new Hangouts video chat service is one of the most interesting features of its Google+ project. A look behind the tech curtain reveals that Google has big plans for Hangouts, using cutting edge technology to make it run natively on a wide range of devices. Read More »

More Must Reads
Samsung, LG & Cisco Throw Their Support Behind WebM
By Apr. 25, 2011, 10:00am PT 1 Comment

Google’s open video format WebM has some new backers, with companies like Cisco, LG and Samsung joining a cross-licensing initiative to insure themselves against patent-related litigation. However, the need for such an initiative also shows how serious Google has to take any threats of patent lawsuits. Read More »

All YouTube Video Uploads Now in WebM
By Apr. 19, 2011, 12:37pm PT 4 Comments

Any new video uploaded to YouTube will be automatically encoded in WebM, the open-source video format that’s backed by Google, Mozilla and others. YouTube has also been busy transcoding its back catalog and has now around 30 percent of all videos available in WebM. Read More »

Google Hearts Firefox 4 for WebM Video Support
By Mar. 23, 2011, 11:00am PT 4 Comments

Firefox 4 is clocking huge download numbers ever since it was released yesterday, and that’s good news for Google’s open video format WebM: The new version of Firefox supports WebM HTML5 video playback, bringing the total market share of browsers with WebM support to 50 percent. Read More »

DOJ Investigates MPEG LA’s WebM Patent Pool
By Mar. 4, 2011, 6:45am PT 1 Comment

The Department of Justice and the California State Attorney are looking into MPEG LA’s formation of a patent pool for Google’s WebM video format. Regulators are trying to figure out whether the patent pool is meant to stifle competition for the established video format H.264. Read More »

Patent Fight Ahead: MPEG LA Is Gunning for WebM
By Feb. 11, 2011, 11:40am PT 6 Comments

Licensing outlet MPEG LA has announced that it is forming a patent pool for VP8, the codec at the core of Google’s open source video format WebM. Google’s response? Bring it on. It’s time to “put up or shut up,” as one WebM supporter put it. Read More »

Chrome Dropping H.264 Support Is Irrelevant — Here’s Why
By Jeroen Wijering Feb. 4, 2011, 12:30pm PT 16 Comments

Dropping H.264 may be beneficial for Google in several ways, but the move will have little effect on the broader online video market. Ubiquitous Flash usage and lack of hardware support means WebM has a long way to go before it’s a viable alternative to H.264. Read More »

Are Plug-ins the Future of Web Video?
By Feb. 2, 2011, 8:38am PT 4 Comments

Microsoft reiterated its support behind H.264-encoded video this morning, announcing that it is releasing plugins to deliver video in that format to Firefox and Chrome browsers. But while they might quell some short-term concerns about delivering HTML5 video, plug-ins won’t solve the larger problems facing the… Read More »

Why WebM Will Raise Costs for YouTube — And Everyone Else
By Jan. 13, 2011, 8:57am PT 11 Comments

There are many strategic reasons why Google might have dropped support for H.264, but lowering costs for YouTube isn’t one of them. The decision will only add cost and complexity for the video site, which now just has yet another video format to support. Read More »

Flash Still Rules in Chrome’s WebM-Only World
By Jan. 12, 2011, 8:41am PT 6 Comments

Google’s backing of its own open source video codec at the expense of H.264 has many open advocates cheering. But with H.264 widely supported already, the result will actually be more use of the proprietary Flash player for delivery of Web video, not less. Read More »

Google’s Chrome Backs WebM, Drops Support for H.264
By Jan. 11, 2011, 1:50pm PT 34 Comments

Google is making a big push behind its open source video codec, announcing today on the Chromium blog that its web browser will soon do away with support for H.264. With existing support from Firefox and Opera, that could tip the scales in favor of WebM. Read More »

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