JamieG Analysis

To follow on from my inital post, lets now look into Web Video.The current players are;

1. Flash Video (H.263 and On2 VP6)
2. Quicktime Video (Older Sorensons, more recent H.264)
3. Microsoft Windows Media 9.

If we look at these, it is widely accepted that the most widely used codec is those based on FLASH. A combination of H.263 and On2-VP6. Strangely enough, these codecs are not the most efficient ones available. So
lets first look at why.

In my opinion, Flash video has taken of like it has because of the ease of use, implementation and low cost to scale. YouTube plus countless others sprang up over night. Basically all based on open source infrastructure. This has been an important issue as video sharing sites are nothing more then huge bandwidth eaters, so you have to have serious money/business behind you that can afford to burn cash just to capture the possible heart and minds of the future digital media consumer.

While Quicktime is still highly regarded, mainly because it supports H.264, Apple has done little in this space of late.

Recently this space has warmed up as Microsoft released Silverlight, a competitor to flash, which utilises Windows Media 9. Windows media 9 (Also known as VC1) is considered very similar to H.264 in capabilities, and Microsoft have been working hard to make sure its in the race with H.264 (also known as AVC).

Microsoft, like always, learn well from those before them, either purchasing or copying them. And Silverlight and VC1 is a direct play to try and copy the success of FLASH and Flash video. Silverlight is clearly the next generation in this technology not only supporting a better video codec that can take this technology into the HD full screen future, but also introduces one of the best DRM platforms in the world. Microsoft DRM. Anyone in this space should be taking it very seriously.

Adobe on the other hand, have been very tighe lipped about future. The Player Team, as the are called, have said nothing more then.. “We are considering all options.”

I had a revelation regarding this in the last few days.

ADOBE flash player in it’s next major release will support H.264/aac

I know, this is a big call, but it makes sense.  Lets look at my resoning.

1. Flash needs to support an codec that is supported by SMPTE.
2. On2, simply does not cut it in the quality per Byte area.  A new codec is needed.
3. YouTube are KNOWN to be encoding all there content to H.264.  As youtube/Google and Microsoft will never Mix.  Flash video made YouTube.  If Google is going H.264, it must be because its on the cards for Flash Video. Compatibility with AppleTV is just a smoke screen.

This, in my opinion, is a brilliant move.  The reason for this is simply.  If your going to support a video codec in a future of digital media distribution, should we not keep all media compatible so we do not need to produce multiple files or support multiple codec on playback devices.  H.264 is currently winning hands down in this area.
The big question is how Adobe are going to approch DRM.  This is a very interesting area.  DRM can be approched as a king of the mountain deal. (Microsoft DRM, Apple fairPlay, etc) or an open platformthat can be implemented independantly of the technology provider.  The tools to implment DRM are freely avilable Ie DES, AES exncription.  However, it is yet to be seen if Adobe are wise enough to let the producers take control of there future, or try and be a gate keeper and rape and pillage digital media as long as they can.

But in the end, we still have the one codec. H.264, that will rule them all.