Microsoft reinfects Chrome with closed video codec

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By Gavin Clarke, 2nd February 2011

Microsoft has reinfected Google's Chrome browser with the patent-encumbered H.264 video codec, banned by the search giant last month.

On Wednesday, the world's largest software company released a plug-in for Chrome that allows Windows 7 PCs to play video using the proprietary format that's part-owned by Microsoft and Apple – you can grab it here. The plug-in is designed to let users running Chrome on a Windows 7 machine – but not on a Windows XP box – play HTML5 video using the H.264 codec.

Microsoft said on Wednesday that it has built the Windows Media Player HTML5 Extension for Chrome because it respects the fact that "Windows customers want the best experience of the web including the ability to enjoy the widest range of content available on the Internet in H.264 format."

H.264 is the mostly widely used video-playback codec on the web, but Google said in January that it was removing support for H.264 from future versions of Chrome.

Google said its resources would now be directed towards "completely open codec technologies," as the giant's goal is to enable "open innovation" on the internet. H.264 was built by Apple, Microsoft, and others, and is licensed by MPEG LA.

Future versions of Chrome will support only the royalty-free WebM codec that was owned and open sourced by Google last year, and the Ogg Theora codec.

Chrome would join Opera and Firefox in not including H.264. Chrome will continue to include Adobe's Flash player, however, which uses the H.264 codec; Google's decision only affects HTML5 video.

Announcing its H.264 shot for Chrome, Microsoft said: "We believe that Windows customers should be able to play mainstream HTML5." H.264 will ship as the video playback of choice for the next version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser later this year.

Wednesday's announcement is the latest incident of handbags at 50 paces between Google and Microsoft. Google in January said it was planning WebM plug-ins for the H.264-luvvin' IE and Safari from Apple. This Tuesday, the two went all Joan Collins over how Microsoft's Bing is ripping off Google's search results. ®

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Highly Rated

Posted Thursday 3rd February 2011 02:01 GMT

Anonymous Coward

Hmm..

"The plug-in is designed to let users running Chrome on a Windows 7 machine – but not on a Windows XP box.. "

I could have sworn there was an OS in between...

Posted Thursday 3rd February 2011 09:55 GMT

David 141

Sick of this s**t

I for one would be happy to use a codec that was larger and slower if it worked _everywhere_ and didn't require that I download and install a dozen different (incompatible) players, codecs, plug-ins and f***ing DRM.

I'm sick of content being distributed in 10 different formats, in 10 different containers, with 10 different DRM schemes. I'm tired of some clips in some obscure format that only works in VLC, or working on a PS3 but not a PSP even though they both (supposedly) support it. I'm sick of half-baked plugins that crash; of codecs that come with malware, and software that requires diligent searching on obscure nerd video forums to get to work.

Sick of it I tell you!

The next half-wit who devises yet another media format should be locked away in a dark room and forced to watch silent black and white movies for the rest of their life.

This is why is like MP3. It has many flaws, but at least you know it works in every damn player on the planet.

Posted Thursday 3rd February 2011 09:42 GMT

Oninoshiko