Tag Archives: H.264

Netflix updated its video encoding to make downloads look better

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From time to time, Netflix updates the technology it's using to convert and compress each of the digital copies of movies it streams to customers. Because people watch from so many different platforms, in so many different situations, it has to be re...

Google+ Hangouts moving to HD video soon, going plugin-free within months

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Google Hangouts Studio Mode

You may not have noticed it yet, but Google is in the middle of sweeping changes to Hangouts that should offer big improvements to image quality and accessibility. The company tells GigaOM that it's currently upgrading its video chat service to 720p by switching from the H.264 video codec to the more efficient (and Google-controlled) VP8 standard. HD-quality Hangouts should be available soon after Google finishes the VP8 rollout to web users late next week. A sharper picture is just one part of the puzzle, however. The switch to VP8 also sets the stage for WebRTC support, which will let Google offer plugin-free Hangouts in browsers like Chrome and Firefox within the next several months. The search giant will still offer a plugin for holdouts, but they may soon be the exceptions to the rule.

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Source: GigaOM

Xbox One SmartGlass brings more control, content to companion devices

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Xbox One SmartGlass brings more control, content to companion devices

Microsoft's Xbox One is promising even more second-screen support than we saw on the Xbox 360. An improvement of the SmartGlass integration we've seen pop up on the Xbox 360, Microsoft says it can make your mobile device feel like it was "built" to work with your console. The current SmartGlass app has seen over 10 million downloads, and it looks like Microsoft is aiming for more this time around. It will also be able to screen scrape video, encode it to h.264 and send it over to your second screen, although what will work on which devices is still unknown. What is mentioned in the press release is that it will support multiple devices at once, for multiplayer and shared entertainment. It's also promising exclusive experiences with its NFL partnership that attach to SmartGlass and Skype integration, so we'll expect to see more about that in the future.

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AMD offers open-source Linux driver for hardware video decoding

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AMD offers opensource Linux driver for hardware video decoding

AMD's Unified Decoder has been the object of envy in the open-source community for some time. The silicon, which ships on the company's Radeon graphics cards, offers hardware-accelerated video decoding -- but thanks to legal and DRM issues, couldn't be used on Linux machines. AMD, however, has somehow scythed through the red tape to offer a driver that'll let those same Linux users access to the golden chalice of video decoding. The new patch allows for hardware accelerated playback of H.264, VC-1 and MPEG file formats on which Radeon HD 4000 - 7000 series card is jammed into your HTPC, although we should offer the usual warning that as there's no public documentation, you might have to do some tinkering to make it work.

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Via: Slashdot

Source: Phoronix, FreeDesktop

Google and MPEG LA settle up, free VP8 video codec for the world wide web

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Google and MPEG LA settle up, frees VP8 video codec for the world wide web

The longstanding disagreement between Google and MPEG LA is finally over, as the two parties have reached a licensing agreement for several patents covering video compression. As a quick refresher, MPEG LA owns the technology behind h.264, the current king of video codecs. Meanwhile, Google's own VP8 video codec is a part of its WebM standard, but MPEG LA cried foul, claiming that Google's technology was infringing. Apparently, the companies found common ground, and with the settlement in place, WebM is free from patent encumbrances and video producers can do what they do without fear of legal retribution.

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Via: Phoronix

Judge invalidates 13 Motorola patent claims against Microsoft

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Judge invalidates 13 Motorola patent claims against Microsoft

Google's Motorola branch isn't having much success lately in getting patent claims to stick against Microsoft. A few months after the company dropped some ITC claims, the judge in a Seattle contract lawsuit has granted Microsoft's motion to invalidate 13 of Motorola's claims across three standards-based patents, all of them linked to H.264 video coding. The individual claims aren't well-defined enough to hold, Judge James Robart says. The ruling takes most of the thunder out of components in the lawsuit that aren't directly related to the contract, and could lead to lighter penalties against Microsoft should Google and Motorola win -- not that Google has much sway when it's prevented from seeking bans over standards-based patents.

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Via: Electronista

Source: FOSS Patents

Firefox nightlies now support AAC, MP3 and H.264 by default in Windows

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Firefox nightlies now support AAC, MP3 and H264 by default in Windows

Mozilla hasn't been the most eager supporter of commercialized media formats; it flipped the H.264 switch in Firefox's HTML5 support last year only when it was clear WebM wasn't taking off. Still, those who regularly test the company's latest work will be glad to hear that support for AAC, MP3 and H.264-based MP4 is now enabled by default in Firefox nightly builds. Provided you're using Windows 7 or newer, it's no longer necessary to change settings to play relatively common HTML5 audio and video formats. Web users wanting the extra support in a finished version of the browser will need to wait for a completed Firefox 22, which is expected to launch in late June; risk takers just need to check out the source links.

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Source: Thundering Herd, Mozilla

Sony to release XAVC 4K video spec, licensees include Apple, Adobe

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Sony to release XAVC video format SDK to 4K developers

Sony has announced that it'll release an SDK to 4K developers this month for its recently launched XAVC video format used by the new F5 and F55 CineAlta camcorders. The new specification uses MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video compression, which allows up to 12-bit color depth, 60 fps shooting speed at 4k and 180 fps in HD. So far, fourteen companies including Adobe and Apple have signed on as licensees, and Sony says the format may come to consumer products as well. Details of the program along with an SDK will arrive this month, just in time for a possible Ultra HD onslaught.

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Sony to release XAVC 4K video spec, licensees include Apple, Adobe originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AV Watch  |  sourceSony (translated)  | Email this | Comments

Motorola scales back ITC case against Xbox, drops WiFi patent complaints

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Motorola scales back ITC case against Xbox, drops WiFi patent complaint

Since taking over Motorola Mobility, Google has started to rein in some of the manufacturer's legal adventures. First, it struck a licensing deal with Apple in Germany, then it withdrew an ITC complaint against the company in early October. Now Microsoft is benefiting from its new, seemingly less lawsuit-happy adversary. Moto has decided to pull its WiFi-related patent claims from a complaint against the Xbox 360. That still leaves its H.264 patents on the docket, though, we wouldn't be surprised to see the case disappear completely before the two companies go to trial in December. Microsoft claims it's entitled to a reciprocal license from Google due to an existing agreement between Mountain View and MPEG LA. German courts have already ruled that Motorola's claims regarding its H.264 patents are strong enough to issue injunctions against the Xbox 360 and Windows 7, however the company has been unable to enforce those sales bans due to ongoing investigations in the US.

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Motorola scales back ITC case against Xbox, drops WiFi patent complaints originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 09:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Game Politics  |  sourceFOSS Patents  | Email this | Comments

US Appeals court rules Motorola can’t enforce injunction against Microsoft in Germany… again

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US court rules Motorola can't enforce German injunction against Microsoft, keeps the Xbox 360s flowing

In another face of the ever turning world of patent battles, Reuters reports Microsoft has snagged a victory over Motorola as the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in its favor today. Motorola had obtained an injunction in Germany against Microsoft products -- including the Xbox 360 and Windows 7 -- based on its h.264 patents back in May, but today the court upheld a previous decision putting enforcement on hold because of Microsoft's existing lawsuit against Moto for breach of contract. Microsoft's push to leverage its patents into licensing payouts from manufacturers of Android devices have seen the two at each other's throats since at least 2010, when the folks from Redmond lodged an ITC complaint over nine patents and followed up with another suit accusing Motorola of charging unfair license fees for its patents. Motorola fired back with its own pair of lawsuits -- all of this a year before we heard it would be acquired by Google -- and the battle was on. Whether or not this moves us any closer to any resolution remains to be seen, but at least Bavarian gaming consoles are safe, for now.

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US Appeals court rules Motorola can't enforce injunction against Microsoft in Germany... again originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceDan Levine (Twitter), Reuters  | Email this | Comments