After originally pledging to support both H.264 and WebM content, Google has decided it will ditch the H.264 video codec from Chrome and go with its WebM format instead.
H.264 video is widely used, currently being the de facto industry standard for encoding digital video. It is used with Blu-ray disc and is supported by a wide variety of consumer electronics devices. However, H.264 technology is patented and adopters pay royalties to the MPEG-LA group.
Google acquired On2 Technologies in 2009 to gain access to the VP8 codec. It opened op the VP8 codec and created a new royalty-free media format called WebM. WebM gained support in the Firefox, Opera and Chrome browsers, but Apple and Microsoft declined to officially support WebM (although WebM support can technically be added to Internet Explorer).
The growing split on the Internet between H.264 and now it’s growing royalty-free competitor WebM is likely to cause problems for content producers looking to use HTML5 to display video content on the Internet.
It is unclear how Google’s removal of H.264 from Chrome will affect Google’s other web services, particularly YouTube.
Result for: electronics devices
The U.S. International Trade Commission has revealed that it will investigate a patent infringement complaint made against Apple Inc. by Taiwan-based HTC Corp. The ITC is an independent, bi-partisan U.S. federal agency that has powers to protect U.S. industries from unfair trade practices. Its powers include the ability to block imports from foreign sources.
HTC Corp. is seeking an injunction on imports of Asian-manufactured iPhones, iPods and iPads into the United States, alleging that the Apple products infringe five patents held by HTC. The ITC announced on Friday that it has decided to investigate certain portable electronics devices and software related to the complaint.
Apple Inc. sued HTC Corp. for alleged patent infringement in March. The Cupertino-based iPod-maker filed a lawsuit in a US District Court in the state of Delaware against HTC, alleging infringement of 20 Apple patents related to user interface, hardware and architecture associated with its popular iPhone products. It also filed a complaint with the ITC at the time.
HTC is Taiwan’s leading smartphone maker and produces handsets for a number of leading U.S. companies. Notably, HTC manufactures the Nexus One handset, unveiled by Google in January, heating up a growing intense rivalry and further decaying past close ties between Apple and the search engine web giant.
In the original lawsuit, Apple sought an injunction to prevent HTC from making or selling products using Apple’s patent technology. The ITC’s move on Friday is just another chapter in the on-going battle between mobile handset manufacturers looking to dominate the lucrative sector.
Result for: electronics devices
DivX, Inc. and LG Electronics, Inc. jointly announced today that LG’s new line of digital TVs is the world’s first device series capable of playing back full DivX HD 1080p videos. The digital TVs will enable consumers to easily playback DivX HD videos from the PC or the Internet through the USB slot. Using DivX technology, users can fit approximately two hours of high-quality DivX HD video on an 8GB media card.
“Being first to market with digital TVs capable of playing back DivX HD 1080p video is a big win for LG as well as our customers,” said Simon Kang, Chief Executive Officer and President of LG Home Entertainment TVs Company. “As people expand their DivX HD video collections they are looking for more convenient ways to watch them on their TVs. We’ve given them the ultimate convenience by building support for DivX HD playback into our digital TVs. This is another feature we’ve integrated beautifully inside of our TVs and we look forward to working with DivX in the future to offer even more innovative solutions that effortlessly bring HD video into people’s living rooms.”
“DivX video technology has long been capable of producing great HD video with remarkably efficient compression,” said Kevin Hell, Chief Executive Officer, DivX, Inc. “Now consumers will be able to easily enjoy those DivX HD files directly on their televisions. The LG digital TVs provide a comprehensive, cutting-edge digital media experience that clearly represents the future of consumer electronics devices.”
