Google announced: no support for the H.264 codec

[muzikia]

A few days ago, Google announced that they were dropping support for the H.264 video codec in its popular browser

http://blog.chromium.org/2011/01/html-v ... hrome.html

The web’s open and community-driven development model is a key factor in its rapid evolution and ubiquitous adoption. The WebM Project was launched last year to bring an open, world-class video codec to the web. Since the launch, we’ve seen first-hand the benefits of an open development model:


* Rapid performance improvements in the video encoder and decoder thanks to contributions from dozens of developers across the community
* Broad adoption by browser, tools, and hardware vendors
* Independent (yet compatible) implementations that not only bring additional choice for users, publishers, and developers but also foster healthy competition and innovation


We expect even more rapid innovation in the web media platform in the coming year and are focusing our investments in those technologies that are developed and licensed based on open web principles. To that end, we are changing Chrome’s HTML5 <video> support to make it consistent with the codecs already supported by the open Chromium project. Specifically, we are supporting the WebM (VP8) and Theora video codecs, and will consider adding support for other high-quality open codecs in the future. Though H.264 plays an important role in video, as our goal is to enable open innovation, support for the codec will be removed and our resources directed towards completely open codec technologies.

These changes will occur in the next couple months but we are announcing them now to give content publishers and developers using HTML <video> an opportunity to make any necessary changes to their sites.

So, whats next move for Apple ?

[mephisto]

Apple? Apple couldn't care less.
Html 5 is the one in trouble because of this.
I have always said here that all the talk here about html 5 was premature.
Now you got the reason why. It'll be a mess.
I'm not even going anywhere near it for now.
the ipod and ipad junkies can go elsewhere.
I was never gonna follow Apple's webdesign rules and guidelines anyway.
Steve Jobs doesn't own me, even if he likes to think he does own all of us.
That we're all so desperate to get on his gizmos.
If the rest wants to grovel for him and his ilk, fine.
Apple has become worse than Microsoft as a company.
Steve Jobs' arrogance will get them cut down to size one of these days.
Just wait and see. It'll take a while but it will surely happen.
No doubt in my mind about that.
Been there, done that.
Seen it all before.
It's just history repeating itself, take AT&T or Microsoft or IBM.
There's a few more.
And google is heading for the the same wall too.
Next in line: Facebook. Wait and see.

[muzikia]

As I know the videos can be seen on iOS devices only if they are H.264 video converted. Probably I am wrong.

[mephisto]

As I know the videos can be seen on iOS devices only if they are H.264 video converted. Probably I am wrong.

no you're right. But that is such a small minority, despite them being a couple of million by now, compared to the rest of the web, about to switch to html 5 or preparing for it, that iOS is not exactly the biggest problem caused by google's decision, in numbers at least.
As things stand right now, using <video> tag is completely unpredictable, where will it work? What browser, what OS, what device etc etc? So you better stick with flash. At least for now. Unless you want to run a dysfunctional site.
I can't say this surprises me. I knew this was gonna happen before html 5 was considered "finished". It was too obvious. This is about power. The big corporations will be battling it out at the expense of the rest of us. Expect a couple of court cases soon too. Apple and microsoft going after google for patent infringement in their codec. It has already been announced.

[webbiepublisher]

IOS plays both mov and mp4..If you want to compete in all markets then you move across all the markets if you don't that's your choice. I just think google's agenda behind this one is insane because they own webm and want to sell commercial licenses for it just like .h264 required for commercial sites streaming above a certain number per year. This is going to make those who care run out to run back end converters which is a huge pain in the butt.

[mephisto]

webm is fully open source now as far as I know.