H.264 use isn’t all free all the time. MPEG-LA is the industry group that licenses the H.264 patent portfolio to the likes of software companies, optical-disc duplicators, Blu-ray player makers, and others who have need to use H.264. MPEG LA licenses a portfolio of more than 1,000 H.264-related patents on behalf of 26 companies that hold the patents.
Is H.264 a legal minefield for video pros? article tells that the licensing issues can be problematic to everyone working with video, because H.264 is very widely used. If you’re a digital-video professional, you need to understand those a bit off-putting licensing terms. For some applications H.264 is free but for some applications you have to pay for it. For example the wedding videographer might need to pay 2 cents per disc they sell.
If the video is broadcast for free over the Internet, H.264 can be used now for free. Earlier this year, MPEG LA extended through 2015 a provision that means streaming H.264 video over the Net requires no royalty payments as long as anyone can see the video without paying.
The question is what happens after year 2015? If you think that this isn’t an issue that’s worth worrying about then study the history. HTML5 video and H.264 – what history tells us and why we’re standing with the web article mentions that the history of GIF shows us what happens when patented technologies are used on the web and what happens when network effects over-run the natural drive to royalty-free technologies at scale. At one time Unisys was asking some web site owners $5,000-$7,500 to able to use GIFs on their sites (good that those patents expired). This is still instructive.
MP3 pricing gives us a glimpse into the strategy around H.264 licensing could be in the future. We know that MP3 was licensed quite liberally early in its lifespan. They changed that after the network effects had already taken their toll. But as the cycle continued and MP3 became a requirement for playback the pricing changed to where we are today (royalty rate of about $1 per unit).
H.264 is currently liberally licensed and also has a license that changes from year to year, depending on market conditions. In worst case we’re looking at the same situation with H.264, except at a far larger scale. Something that’s free today might not be free tomorrow. Remember, this is still very early in H.264’s history so the licensing is very friendly. When everyone is relying the technology, it’s time to change pricing.
Google’s YouTube HTML5 version it only works with Safari and Chrome because they’re using H.264. Firefox supports the HTML5 video element, but only for free Ogg Theora video (that works
with all of the desktop browsers, either via native support or via a Java plugin). Mozilla and the folks pushing Theora are going to look like they’ve been crying wolf, but they have a point.
The web has always been based on the assumption of Royalty Free. In fact, participation in a working group at the W3C requires that any parties disclose and make available any essential claims on the technology covered by that working group. This leads to the obvious question: is the codec a fundamental web technology? The HTML5 working group argued and punted on the issue.
Maybe in the mean time we have almost 6 years to settle in and then MPEG-LA decides to start charging for Internet content. Hopefully this gives time people time to properly develop a more open codec that can compete with H.264 (that it technically excellent). If there are at that time good alternatives available, it is harder to start charging unreasonable amounts of money for the use of H.264.
There is an alliance of free video technology forming. The Open Video Alliance, which includes Mozilla, Kaltura, Miro, and Yale Law School, are joining forces to bring video to Wikipedia – Flash-free. Wikipedia is the most popular site in the world that posts video exclusively in open formats (specifically, Theora).
Hello admin , i desire how to ask question when it comes to A New post. is it okay ?(1st)Whats the meaning for that article? but i enjoy by Ones website. (2nd) Do you allow facebook or twitter > end users may add Your facebook badge a lot i can liking Ones New web site. likes my website . Thank buyersbest Regards admin of Gadgetax.com (sorry,if my english is bad. iam an italian :p)
wow…. sounds pretty good.
That’s cool. I’m from Melbourne and see the same thing. Anyway, I will be back tomorrow.
Update:
MPEG LA: H.264 Streaming Will Be Free Forever
http://newteevee.com/2010/08/26/mpeg-la-h-264-streaming-will-be-free-forever/
MPEG LA is announcing today that it will continue to offer a royalty-free license for the H.264 video codec for video sites that offer free video streams to consumers “during the entire life of this (l)icense.” In other words: Web sites like YouTube will be free to use H.264 for its streams without having to fear they’re eventually going to have to pay massive royalties to MPEG LA.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100825006629/en
-MPEG LA announced today that its AVC Patent Portfolio License will continue not to charge royalties for Internet Video that is free to end users (known as “Internet Broadcast AVC Video”) during the entire life of this License. MPEG LA previously announced it would not charge royalties for such video through December 31, 2015, and today’s announcement makes clear that royalties will continue not to be charged for such video beyond that time.
Products and services other than Internet Broadcast AVC Video continue to be royalty-bearing.
For more information about MPEG LA’s AVC License or to request a copy of the License, please visit
http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/AVC/Pages/Intro.aspx
I wasn’t aware of some of the info that you mentioned so I want to just say thank you.
The web site writer features a selected natural talent to describe really great topics. Reads the blog site is actually nice and you will discover obviously a lot of frequent site visitors. No wonder, with the very good articles. In any circumstance, it was a delight to devote time in your website and study the intriguing article.
Cool article. I hope a lot more folks had straightforward and direct stuff such as the ones you have. Thank you
‘Free’ H.264 a Precursor To WebM Patent War?
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/08/31/0257214/Free-H264-a-Precursor-To-WebM-Patent-War
“The MPEG LA seem unwilling to explain why they have extended their ‘free’ H.264 streaming video policy now. This article unpacks the history of MPEG LA and then suggests the obvious — it’s all because of WebM — and the worrying — maybe it’s preparing the ground for opening a third front in the patent war against Google.”
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20014864-264.html
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/08/26/1859245/MPEG-LA-Announces-Permanent-Royalty-Moratorium-For-H264
http://blogs.computerworlduk.com/simon-says/2010/08/hold-the-h264-celebrations/index.htm
effective luck for end users
Hello dude,i liking Your website ideal a lot. accomplish u allow suggestion as my blog? thanks for Ones New attention
amazing news brother
Hay Admin , i love with Your posting. Do you have twitter or facebook so i can follow you ?
https://twitter.com/epanoramanet
Think H.264 is Now Royalty-Free? Think Again – and the “Open Source” Defense is No Defense to MPEG LA
http://digitalmediaupdate.blogspot.com/2010/09/think-h264-is-now-royalty-free-think.html
Great!This web is good I am sincerely admiring your capability to respond in a short time with such constructive advices. Best wishes to my favorite writer. Thanks again.
Kudos for posting such a useful weblog. Your weblog is not only informative and also artistic too. There usually are very few people who can write not so simple articles in a creative way. Keep up the good writing !!
you have got a terrific blog right here! would you wish to make some invite posts on my blog?
Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with SEO? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share. Thank you!
I will right away grab your rss feed as I can not find your e-mail subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Please let me know so that I could subscribe. Thanks.
There are RSS subscribe links on the right side menu and bottom of the page.
Use them.
I used to be more than happy to find this internet-site.I wanted to thanks on your time for this excellent read!! I positively enjoying every little little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.
My partner and i learn a lot
Pretty portion of content. I simply stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital to claim that I acquire actually enjoyed account your weblog posts. Anyway I¡¯ll be subscribing in your feeds or even I fulfillment you get entry to constantly fast.
Along with every thing which seems to be building within this specific subject material, many of your perspectives are actually relatively exciting. Even so, I am sorry, but I can not give credence to your whole suggestion, all be it radical none the less. It looks to us that your remarks are actually not entirely validated and in fact you are generally yourself not even thoroughly convinced of your assertion. In any event I did appreciate examining it.
Am i allowed to make a word of advice? There’s no doubt that you have got sth great over here. Yet what if you included a couple of links to a page which backs up what you’re you mentioned? Or perhaps you might give us something to look at, something that might associate just what you’re mentioning, sth concrete?
There are pretty many links on my articles that back up what I have said.
Check the links embedded to the text.
Oh, a great piece of text! No idea how you were able to say this post..it’d take me weeks. Well worth it though, I’d assume. Have you considered selling ads on your blog?
Next-gen video codec hits milestone
http://www.edn.com/article/520867-Next_gen_video_codec_hits_milestone.php?cid=EDNToday_20120209
The standards group hammering out the next generation of the MPEG media codec has forged a committee draft of the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) standard in a regular meeting here this week. The spec also known informally as H.265 is expected to provide efficiency boosts in transmitting video for next generation systems and networks using it.
In this week’s meeting one speaker said the boosts could be as high as 67 percent over H.264.
The group aims to ratify a final standard in January 2013.
It is amazing how interesting this blog is. I’m one of the biggest fans.