off the google chrome bandwagon
I’m greatly disappointed by the announcement yesterday that Google is removing support for the H.264 video codec from their Chrome browser. In an already fragmented world of internet video, this move takes us a huge step backwards in having a viable cross platform distribution option.
H.264 is an open standard at the best definition of the term, controlled by a large standards body participated in by many industry leading technology companies. While the WebM codec they’re proposing as an alternative is completely under Google’s control. Claiming openness is a flagrant falsehood.
The mobile device industry is full of devices with low power consumption hardware encoders and decoders using the H.264 format. Nearly every recent video recording and playback consumer device uses H.264. It has become a clear industry standard, and WebM hasn’t proven any distinct advantage in power consumption or performance.
All the major video distribution channels serve their content in H.264. Converting a video library to WebM is a massive undertaking with a huge cost.
The openness dream that Google is pushing is a farce. I’ve been promoting their services amongst my friends for a long time. They’ve been giving away a lot of great services with a small cost of advertising. However, the decisions they’re making these days increasingly show self-interest and use of brute force to bolster adoption of their own “open” technologies.
It looks like I’m back to Safari.