Microsoft sides with Apple, embraces H.264 as HTML5 web video standard
Outside of the debate on the future of Flash and Flash video on the Internet is a separate but related battle over the video standard that will be supported by HTML5. On one side of the battle line is Firefox and Opera which has pledged support for the Ogg Theora video standard, and on the other side is Apple which has been pushing for H.264. Apple is no longer alone in this fight and now has an unlikely ally in Microsoft which announced on Thursday that IE 9 will support H.264 for HTML5 video. Ogg supporters are understandably disappointed with this decision as the two computing giants may now have the combined power to squash Ogg Theora support in these other browser platforms. Look for things to get messier before they get better as Google is expected to debut its own On2-derived V8 video protocol at Google I/O next month.
H.264 ascendant: why Apple’s no-Flash, no-Theora gamble is paying off
H.264, the video codec Apple supports for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad playback, and for the HTML5 video tag in Safari, and now Microsoft is supporting it as well, which means its 66% share will likely go up. Add to that Steve Jobs think the competing, Firefox-supported license-free alternative, OGG Theora, will face patent infringement claims, and it’s looking like we have a web video standards winner.
As anyone who read Steve Jobs’ thoughts on Flash knows, he made a strong case for H.264 video and his hopes/belief it would render the need for Flash’s FLV container, and especially its older, software-bound H.263 codec obsolete. TechCrunch contacted Encoding.com and found out it might just be already. According to the graph above, and given YouTube’s 40% market share alone, it looks like H.264 is up around 66% and growing.
That’s bad news for Adobe, and for OGG Theora whose competing standard is implemented alongside H.264 in Google’s Chrome browser, and exclusively in Mozilla’s Firefox. Worse news is that Microsoft has announced they’re going exclusive for Internet Explorer 9, and like Apple they’re doing it with H.264.
Mozilla backs Theora as a matter of policy, since even though H.264 is free for non-commerical end-users for years to come, it’s owned by a consortium who could theoretically seek a license in the future. Theora is theoretically license-free in perpetuity — but companies like Apple believe that’s also theoretical and only ever one lawsuit away from changing.
Steve Jobs, sending from his iPad again, says exactly that:
All video codecs are covered by patents. A patent pool is being assembled to go after Theora and other “open source” codecs now. Unfortunately juste because something is open scourse, it doesn’t mean or guarantee that i doesn’t infringe on others patents. An open standard is different from being royalty free or open source.
So Apple is paying for H.264 and not risking getting sued for Theora later, and they’re banking on H.264 uptake to be so fast and far, Flash won’t be needed for video playback. At 66% we’re getting close to that point. At 75-80% we’ll be at it. H.264 will be the standard and all of Apple’s devices and platforms will already support it — and support it well.
Now H.264 becoming the standard doesn’t mean it’s the best choice or even the right one, just like DVD, Blu-Ray, USB, MP3, etc. might not be the best or right choices for their standards, but at a certain point all the major browsers and platforms have to get behind something that’s good enough so that when users hit the web or load a video, it just plays.
Firefox should add H.264 support as well. It’s time to check that box off and start arguing about the next one. 3D or a smell plugin or something…
DigiNut
quote:
Originally posted by Orko
This is where Windows Mobile was awesome. Load up your SD card, and move files around, open them how ever. Maybe I should get an Android phone? Or wait for the new Nokia/IBM OS to come out.
FYI, Androids let you mount the SD card as a drive via the USB connector (and not as a hack or 3rd-party program, it's actually built in).
E2EK1EL
quote:
Originally posted by DigiNut
FYI, Androids let you mount the SD card as a drive via the USB connector (and not as a hack or 3rd-party program, it's actually built in).
Some time in the near future app can be loaded onto the sd cards also. I undersatnd why they won't allow it from the start, due to privacy and instant sharing w/ other units.
Anton
http://spiritjb.com/ - FINALLY. Just loaded it up. Worked quickly. Only problem I had was that the windows version didn't work (I heard setting it to win98 compatibility mode fixes it) I just used the OSX version. So far so good, reboots untethered. Really want an ipad now
E2EK1EL
quote:
Originally posted by Anton http://spiritjb.com/ - FINALLY. Just loaded it up. Worked quickly. Only problem I had was that the windows version didn't work (I heard setting it to win98 compatibility mode fixes it) I just used the OSX version. So far so good, reboots untethered. Really want an ipad now
Thank you sir! Does it feel nice to be able to reboot?:) Welcome back to reality
I'm thinking about the iPad also, for the car.
OS4.0 w/ multitasking
HTML5 Supported by IE9, Chrome and Safari
Anton
quote:
Originally posted by E2EK1EL
Thank you sir! Does it feel nice to be able to reboot?:) Welcome back to reality
I'm thinking about the iPad also, for the car.
OS4.0 w/ multitasking
HTML5 Supported by IE9, Chrome and Safari
For the car?! lol.. Yes it feels awesome to reboot, now I can load it up with as much as I want!
E2EK1EL
quote:
Originally posted by Anton
For the car?! lol.. Yes it feels awesome to reboot, now I can load it up with as much as I want!
yeah dude, just like the two videos I posted above.
Seems like ppl are replacing their car decks w/ the iPad, no need for indash DVD + gps units anymore.
Listen to you music, have navigation rolling and when your not navigating ... whoever is sitting shotgun, gets to surf the web.
Bad side to this story would be the mounting, both methods would cost $200+ :(
malek
useless, prefer having my iphone + blutooth radio.
At least I can receive calls and stream music without any cables hanging.
