Will Google release On2's latest codec to replace Adobe Flash?

February 22, 2010 - 4:09am

As the online search giant Google has completed its acquisition of video compression outfit On2 Technologies the company was recommended by the Free Software Foundation to release On2's latest codec under an irrevocable free license and use it to replace Adobe Flash on YouTube.

"With your purchase of On2, you now own both the world's largest video site (YouTube) and all the patents behind a new high performance video codec: VP8," reads a open letter to Google, posted to the Free Software Foundation (FSF) blogs.

"Just think what you can achieve by releasing the VP8 codec under an irrevocable royalty-free license and pushing it out to users on YouTube? You can end the web's dependence on patent-encumbered video formats and proprietary software (Flash)."

At present time YouTube still works on Adobe's Flash while Google itself has promoted a web-wide switch to the still gestating HTML5 video standard. The standard has found support by all the major browser developers except Microsoft. However, there's still a split over which video codec to use in tandem with the yet-to-be standard.

Actually, the HTML5 spec supports any codec. In addition Google supports both license-free Ogg Theora and the license-shackled H.264 with its Chrome browser. The company has introduced an experimental HTML5 player for the video site, but it uses H.264 exclusively.

Comments

February 22, 2010 - 10:46pm — Anonymous About the only use for the On2 acquisition is a public license

What use would the On2 technology really be to Google save it's release to the Internet community? Currently publishers and consumers of video content are in the prison camp of the H.264 video CODEC and at the mercy of it's patent pool members like Microsoft, who while extending the "introductory period" for free usage have no intentions of swearing off future toll-booths. The On2 VP8 video CODEC while offering 40% better performance than H.264 is of no value unless unlike H.264 it is given over to the public. In conjunction with HTML5 , Google can scrape some of the corporate leeches off the Internet and at the same time reduce it's operating costs and exposure to open ended licensing risks in the h.264 prison camp. I think Google will indeed create some sort of public license.

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