[whatwg] Codecs (was Re: Apple Proposal for Timed Media Elements)

[Maciej Stachowiak]

On Mar 22, 2007, at 2:16 AM, Håkon Wium Lie wrote:

>> I think having a single baseline codec will make <video> immensely  
>> more
>> attractive to authors than it otherwise would be. I also believe  
>> from the
>> point of view of Mozilla (or any other open source project) Theora  
>> is vastly
>> more attractive than MPEG. If we don't ship MPEG and other vendors  
>> don't
>> ship Theora, then the <video> element will be hobbled from the start.
>
> Yes, a baseline format seems good for everyone -- users, authors, open
> source and closed source browsers -- except for vendors pushing a
> proprietary media platform.

I think you are implying that Apple's arguments against Ogg as a  
baseline are made in bad faith. That is an unfair implication.

To the extent we have a media platform we want to promote, it is  
MPEG-4, a format and codec family that is an ISO standard. This  
format family is available in many hardware and software  
implementations, including open source implementations. While it is  
covered by patents, you certainly cannot call it proprietary.

Our concerns about Ogg are legitimate, and should be addressed  
directly rather than insinuating that we have ulterior motives.

Regards,
Maciej