video: H.264 on the way out?

[Darren Dirt]

What Google aims for, tends to happen... http://www.businessinsider.com/demystifying-the-webm-vs-h264-debate-2011-1

[Tom]

Unlikely, Bluray and ATSC both support/use H.264. It isn't going anywhere any time soon, but maybe, hopefully more sites will use pure html5 with theora or vp8/webm.

[Mr. Analog]

Depends on how they push it really, in theory they could add support seamlessly into YouTube and force an upgrade in their browser that ensures YouTube uses their codec of choice (a little monopolistic, but not unforeseeable), that covers whatever portion of users was using Chrome. Then it's up to IE, FF and Safari, the real win here is video support without Flash (well, at least for Apple users!).

I guess the key will be how well and widely supported any of these video standards is.

Also, Adobe must be pissing itself, I mean beyond Homestar Runner and annoying banner ads what use is Flash going to be under HTML5?

[Tom]

You can do Homestar Runner in HTML5 too \o/

But flash does support one thing HTML5 will probably /never/ support. DRM. So It probably won't be going away right away either.

[Lazybones]

Isn't there already a big patent battle looming over webm from the H.264 groups?

[Tom]

Isn't there already a big patent battle looming over webm from the H.264 groups?

At the very least noises are being made about it. Some claim that you can't make a modern video codec without infringing on some h.264 patent.

[Darren Dirt]

Depends on how they push it really, in theory they could add support seamlessly into YouTube and force an upgrade in their browser that ensures YouTube uses their codec of choice (a little monopolistic, but not unforeseeable), that covers whatever portion of users was using Chrome. Then it's up to IE, FF and Safari, the real win here is video support without Flash (well, at least for Apple users!).

Google has pretty much promised not to "lock out" things in their browser, related to this issue. From what I remember reading about a month ago... they're just pushing for a new OPEN standard for video playback from what I can make of all this.