| theprof00 said: Regarding wmv v1, the competitor to h.264, Why doesnt ms just switch to that then, unless it would cost them more money. They seem to be claiming that h.264 is necessary and that they cannot be banned, so then just change to wmv1. Right? I don't get it.really just seems like they wan to do w/e the fuck they want. |
Microsoft can use WMV V1 for its own content, but for video services like Hulu and Netflix, they need to be able to support H.264.
No, Microsoft is not claiming H.264 is necessary (an opinion), Microsoft is stating that H.264 is a standards patent which Motorola agreed to and thus is obligated to license under Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) terms (a fact).
H.264 is the encoding method made standard in the United States by the Motion Picture Entertainment Group (MPEG) for the encoding and decoding of all HD video content. From ATSC video transmissions used to send video over cable, satellite, or the airwaves, to streaming HD content, or to Blu-Ray discs, all HD content in the US uses H.264. Because of this standardization, it is also the agreed upon encoding/decoding method for video in HTML5.
Every Blu-Ray player, every Web browser, every video camera, etc, has to license Motorola's H.264 patent. Motorola is guaranteed a license for its patents, therefore it need not charge an extortionate price for licensing, and it agreed not to.
