Google announced at its annual Google I/O event in San Francisco it will make the V8 codec available as open source code with a royalty free license as part of a new WebM project. Google said it will pair V8 with the Vorbis open source audio codec and support the two in its Chrome browser and YouTube service. Browser makers Mozilla and Opera also said they will support the codecs.

For Google the effort represents an attempt to drive Web media away from royalty bearing technologies from companies such as Microsoft and others using implementations of the H.264 standard. For chip makers, the effort essentially generates one more codec they will need to support with their silicon.

“Access to a proven, open source video compression technology will redefine the web-based video landscape,” said Art Swift, vice president of marketing at MIPS Technologies, speaking in a press statement. “We expect to see rapid adoption of VP8 among our licensees, many of whom already use VP8 and its predecessors,” he added.

A TI spokeswoman said the company will support V8 on its OMAP 4 processor that is now sampling.

Google listed more than 20 supporters for WebM including Brightcove, Logitech and Skype. Not on the list were some of the biggest proponents of H.264 technologies including Microsoft and top consumer electronics companies.

By: DocMemory
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