Google introduces Chrome web app store, WebM video format

chief

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Google introduces Chrome web app store, WebM video format, and Wave public beta








Google opened up the Google I/O developer conference today with a couple of major announcements. First up, Google has announced plans for a new open source web video standard called WebM. Basically, Google is launching the VP8 video codec as open source today, and the new WebM format will use VP8 for video, OGG Vorbis for audio, and a container based on Matroska.


The format will let you watch web video without installing a browser plugin. Right now, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera already support WebM, although Apple Safari and Microsoft Internet Explorer do not. And starting today, Google will encode all 720p and higher resolution video uploaded to YouTube in the WebM format.


Google also introduced a web app store for Google Chrome today. The store is designed to make it easy to find web apps and integrated them into the Chrome web browser and upcoming Chrome operating system. Basically, it will be a discovery engine/marketplace for web apps like Google Docs, Zoho, Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, and so on. Users will be able to create shortcuts for apps in the store — and developers will be able to either give away access to web apps for free or charge for access using Google’s payment system.


The Chrome Web Store won’t be available until later this year.



Google also announced that it’s opening up Google Wave to the public today. Late last year the company described Wave as essentially being what email would look like if it were invented today. It’s a collaboration tool that lets you create online conversations, embed rich media, links to web sites, and other data.


It’s kind of what you would get if you crossed email with a Wiki… and a user forum… and a social network. If you still don’t get it, just check out the video after the break. But the big news is that Google says Wave is now faster and more stable. And you don’t need an invite to use it. Just sign up at wave.google.com.



 

chief

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Re: Google introduces Chrome web app store, WebM video forma

Here's Adobe's statement of support


Flash Player Will Support VP8

Posted by Matt Rozen on May 19, 2010 8:35 AM

As Kevin Lynch mentioned today at Google I/O, we are excited to include the VP8 video codec in Flash Player in an upcoming release, which will help provide users with seamless access to high quality video content on all of their Internet-connected devices. Today, VP8 was released as open source by Google as part of the WebM effort.

Companies distributing video online need the freedom of choice to deliver the right experience for their customers and their business. We have a legacy of embracing standards, such as H.264 and HTTP, in our video delivery stack and are excited to be building on this with the inclusion of VP8. Today, approximately 75% of video online is viewed using Flash Player because it provides the reach and consistency that companies need as well as additional capabilities, such as content protection, measurement and monetization opportunities that are critical to driving their business on the web. By adding support for VP8 to Flash Player we will extend the ability to use these critical capabilities with this media format and provide content owners the freedom of choice in how they deliver video.

We will drive Flash Platform innovation well into the future, partnering with our customers to develop end-to-end solutions that enable them to create, deliver, and optimize their content across any device or screen using one, unified workflow. By including VP8 as part of the Flash Platform, we're providing companies with a choice as to how they can work with and deliver great experiences to the web. We are excited to work with Google and others to ensure web video continues to evolve and better serve content publishers, web developers and end users.


Flash Player Will Support VP8
 

chief

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Re: Google introduces Chrome web app store, WebM video forma

Internet Explorer 9 will also support the VP8 codec on machines that have the codec installed.

In previous posts, we described why IE9 will support H.264-encoded HTML5 video. Microsoft and other browser providers see hardware support, customer and partner readiness, and intellectual property rights as key factors making H.264 an excellent choice for video encoding and playback. These posts generated a significant amount of support and suggestions. This feedback together with today’s industry announcements create a good opportunity to follow up and provide more information about HTML5 video support in IE9.

In its HTML5 support, IE9 will support playback of H.264 video as well as VP8 video when the user has installed a VP8 codec on Windows.

As we said at MIX recently, when it comes to HTML5, we’re all in. This level of commitment applies to the video codecs that IE9 will support as well. We are strongly committed to making sure that in IE9 you can safely view all types of content in all widely used formats. At the same time, Windows customers, developers, and site owners also want assurances that they are protected from IP rights issues when using IE9.

We have technical specifics to work through. We want to be clear about our intent to support the same markup in the open and interoperable web, and to do so in a manner consistent with our broad view of safety and security.

In the meantime, in choosing a video codec, customers and partners have many issues to consider.

Today, hardware support is widely available for H.264 both on PCs and phones. (You can read about the benefits of hardware acceleration here, or see an example of the benefits at the 26:35 mark here.) Codecs have been a source of security and reliability issues (link1, link2, link3, link4) for some users. New code often faces security issues; the H.264 codec in Windows 7 has been in broad use for some time now. Sites also need to think about the issues in supporting multiple formats.

As this article points out, the issue of potential patent liability is “ultimately for the courts to decide.” Some web groups have cited concerns about patent issues with similar codecs and the costs that may be associated with shipping codecs not covered by patent licenses. At the same time, there’s been community discussion about the lack of H.264 support in some browsers, for example here (via a comment on the IE blog).

Again, we want to be clear about our intent to support the same markup in the open and interoperable web. We are strongly committed to making sure that in IE9 you can safely view all types of content in all widely used formats. When it comes to video and HTML5, we’re all in. In its HTML5 support, IE9 will support playback of H.264 video as well as VP8 video when the user has installed a VP8 codec on Windows.

Thanks,

Dean Hachamovitch
General Manager, Internet Explorer


Source: Another Follow-up on HTML5 Video in IE9
 
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