Hawk Software

I have been sting back quietly taking all this  so far, but no more!  Whether you are for the free open source WebM (VP8) video codec the the free (for now) H.264 video codec, you SHOULD be worried about the outcome.  An extended war could delay the advancement of video on the web, just like to extended war over Blu-ray and HD-DVD has left the Blu-ray camp with and empty victory; Disney is finally boosting its Blu-ray sales with combo packs which include a DVD “for portable use”.

Personally, I would be happy with either WebM or a REALLY free version of H.264.   If the MPEG LA really wants H.264 to become the  standard then they should allow it to be used forever for free on the web, both for encoding and decoding.  That would end the war right now, and relegate WebM to a blip in web history.

What really bothers me, however, is all the misinformation pro-H.264 experts are distributing. For example, the article which sparked this post  is in SD Times, a magazine I read from cover to cover.  The February 2011 issue has an article on the current war, and I cannot help to comment on some remarks that IDC program director Al Hilwa said.

First, Hilwa begins by stating that Google’s motivation to support only WebM is all about license fees, which perhaps is true, but ignores Google’s past support of free software in general, and the freedom which comes from free and open source software.

Then he really shows his agenda by stating “They want unencumbered technology, which is an idealistic view that doesn’t square with our system of intellectual property.”  Software patents are another issue, and if it is truly not possible to create a codec free of patented technology then it is another sign that our software patent system is broken.  He then says WebM is only as good as the first patent lawsuit. Yes, hear comes the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt)!

The final straw for me was when he asks the question “…will content providers such as Hulu and Netflix support an open codec, which might be easier to hack?”  I hope he was misquoted on that one, because rights management is totally separate from the codec.  Windows is closed source, and we all know how secure it is. . .