Google Chrome dumping H.264 video sparks angry responses from Microsoft, others

LA Times ^ | 13 Jan 2011 | Nathan Olivarez-Giles

[for-q-clinton]

Google Chrome is going to drop H.264 video codec, dumping arguably the most popular video standard currently on the Internet in favor of WebM, a format it created.

[for-q-clinton]

I can see Chrome ADDING WebM support but removing H.264. Wow...who do these guys think they are Microsoft? Chrome doesn't have a big enough install base to try and pull a move off like this. The bigger Google gets the worse they get.

[for-q-clinton]

tech ping please.

[jessduntno]

“The bigger Google gets the worse they get.”

they are eeeeeeeeeeeeeevil.

[for-q-clinton]

Simple fix for Apple and Microsoft. Don’t add WebM to their browsers. The internet will be broken/split for years now...thanks Google.

[Moose4]

I ditched Chrome and went back to Firefox. FF is a bit slow and bloated at times (hopefully 4.0 will fix that) but unlike Chrome, I can actually get it to display animated GIFs properly, the addon base is excellent, and the menu layout is more intuitive.

}:-)4

[Rage cat]

MPEG 4/h.264 is becoming the primary encoding system in digital satellite (DVB-S2). It is used more and more in digital terrestrial broadcasting (DVB-T). It is used on HD video disk(blu-ray). It is one of the most widely used codecs on the net.

So, it has wide use across all four primary fields of video distribution. And they are dropping it? Have they lost their freaking minds??????

[6ppc]

When I installed Chrome I could no longer click links in emails (Outlook). Even after uninstalling the problem persisted until I wiped and installed the OS from scratch. Luckily I had been planning to do that anyway so I could get Win7-64 on my box.

[RingerSIX]

If you want to know what a lib is up to, look at what they accuse their enemies of doing.

Now, taking that a step further... Google’s motto is “Don’t be evil.”

Hmmm...

[Yet_Again]

Personally, I wouldn’t trust Google as far as I could spit a watermelon seed.

[Yo-Yo]

From the fine article:

WebM is a royalty-free video standard, with no current licensing fees in any form, and its list of backers includes Adobe, Mozilla (builder of the popular Firefox browser) and Opera, among others.

[for-q-clinton]

I think the issue is that they are pulling support for H.264 not that they are adding support for WebM.

[for-q-clinton]

[StAnDeliver]

Tweedledee & Tweedledum give the finger to Jobs on a slow news day. Jobs retires two days earlier, and still wins the argument. H.264 ain’t goin’ nowhere.

[ShadowAce]

[KoRn]

Nice touch to the Tech Ping graphic! (or I’ve had too much to drink)

It would be cool if you could someday post an illustration showing the evolution of the graphic over the years. lol

[SamAdams76]

Google is attempting to “punish” Apple for not running Flash on their devices. Now, if Google follows through with this, you will not be able to see YouTube videos on your iPad.

[jacquej]

Pinging our resident Apple Freeper.

[Swordmaker]

Google Chrome dropping H.264 in favor of its own creation WebM Codec... H.264 is patented and offered under free license by the MPEG LA and is the basis for most HD. Content on DVD and Bluray is based on H.264...PING!

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[for-q-clinton]

Why does google care if Apple has flash or not?

[SamAdams76]

Basically Google is in direct competition with Apple with their Android platform for smartphones. They are going to push Android devices as an alternative for mobile users who want Flash.