Firefox is now supporting H.264 for web-based video chat, thanks to a binary component provided by Cisco -- but H.264 web video streams still can't be played natively in the browser.…
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Wikimedia is considering support for H.264 video codec to boost video on Wikipedia
Wikipedia has traditionally only accepted open media formats. But now it's considering a change in tune to finally get more video contributions.…
Read MoreAnatomy of a stalemate: Why is everyone still fighting about WebRTC?
Video chatting could soon get a whole lot easier -- if only the major browser makers could agree on a common standard. So what's WebRTC, and why are folks still fighting about it?…
Read MoreDespite Cisco proposal, no agreement on WebRTC codec
This week’s IETF meeting in Vancouver has ended without a decision on a mandatory video codec for WebRTC, the proposed standard for…
Read MoreMozilla will add H.264 to Firefox as Cisco makes eleventh-hour push for WebRTC’s future
After long resisting proprietary media formats, Mozilla has agreed to add H.264 to its browser. The move is made possible through a partnership with Cisco, which wants to press the industry to agree on the format for real-time communication.…
Read MoreWhat Motorola’s German win over Microsoft really means
Motorola has won an injunction in Germany on key Microsoft products involved in a patent dispute. But in a confusing and complex judgment, the chances of Motorola actually trying to get Microsoft's key products removed from shelves are slim.…
Read MoreCan H.265 save us from the mobile video tsunami?
Mobile data traffic is set to explode, driven by more smartphones and tablets and the incredible growth of video traversing mobile networks. But a new video format is on its way, which could deliver the same high-quality video in half as many bits.…
Read MoreMPEG LA ready to escalate codec war against Google, WebM
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 MoreH.264 is still winning the codec war
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 MoreVideo files keep growing like kudzu
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 MoreAll YouTube Video Uploads Now in WebM
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 MoreGoogle Hearts Firefox 4 for WebM Video Support
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 MoreDOJ Investigates MPEG LA’s WebM Patent Pool
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 MoreSmartphones & Web TVs Prompt Skype to Embrace H.264
Skype announced on its blog today that it now supports the H.264 video format on iOS devices, a change that will allow users to chat across multiple platforms, since H.264 is now the de facto standard for video playback on connected TVs and other devices.…
Read MoreChrome Dropping H.264 Support Is Irrelevant — Here’s Why
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 MoreAre Plug-ins the Future of Web Video?
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 industry.…
Read MoreFlash Still Rules in Chrome’s WebM-Only World
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 MoreGoogle’s Chrome Backs WebM, Drops Support for H.264
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 MoreIn 2014, You’ll Have Up to 10 Screens for Online Video
Forget the age-old problem of figuring out what to watch on TV. The new question will be: where do you want to watch it? By 2014, U.S. broadband households will have to choose from between 5 and 10 screens for digital entertainment, says research firm, In-Stat.…
Read MoreMPEG LA: H.264 Streaming Will Be Free Forever
MPEG LA is announcing today that it will continue to offer a royalty-free license for the H.264 video codec for video sites that offer free video streams to consumers "during the entire life of this (l)icense." In other words: H.264 streaming will be free forever.…
Read MoreNew VLC Version Supports WebM, H.264 Hardware Decoding
Want to play videos encoded with WebM, the new video format that Google open sourced at its developers conference last week? Well, look no further: The new version of VLC supports WebM playback. Another feature included in the new release is hardware decoding for H.264 videos.…
Read MoreBrightcove President: WebM Will Overtake H.264 in 1-2 Years
Google's new open source video format WebM will become more popular than H.264 in one to two years, Brightcove's President and COO David Mendels predicts. One of the first major websites to try out WebM for its web videos could be the New York Times.…
Read MoreMPEG LA Threatens Google’s VP8 With Patent Pool License
Google (s GOOG) made waves earlier this week by releasing its VP8 codec under an open source, royalty free license, providing an open, high quality alternative to H.264 and Ogg Theora. But if MPEG LA gets its way, the codec might not remain free for long.…
Read MoreDeveloper Hopes to Bring H.264 Support to Firefox
Up until now, those who wanted to watch HTML5 video in the Firefox browser were unable to access content that was encoded the H.264 format. But that could soon change, as a new project seeks to remedy this by marrying H.264 video to Mozilla's Firefox browser.…
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