Microsoft weighs in on HTML 5 video dispute
Microsoft has opted to follow Apple rather than open source advocates in a battle over the future of online video. It could mean extra work for Web sites if they want to see an end to Flash-style plugins for users.
As Dave Parrack reported earlier today, Microsoft has released a preview of Internet Explorer 9 designed to give developers a better idea about how the browser will run and provide any feedback.
One of the most notable aspects of the new browser will be support for HTML 5, effectively the next generation of the system at the heart of Web sites. One of the main developments in HTML 5 is a standard for pages to include videos that play without the need for plug-ins such as those used for Adobe Flash. The idea is to cut down the hassle for page visitors and allow site creators to be more confident their clips can be seen by all users.
There is a notable gap in the HTML 5 video standard however: although it tells Web sites and browsers how the video should be built in to the page, it doesn’t specify which video codec should be used. That’s created a situation where different browsers will support different codecs, which leaves Web sites either having to provide separate streams, or simply fall back on Flash.
As CNET notes, the two main codecs being used are H.264 and Ogg Theora. The former is supported by Apple’s Safari and is more common, most notably being used for iPod videos. The latter is supported by Mozilla’s Firefox and Opera, with both browser manufacturers saying they cannot support H.264 as it isn’t open source. Google’s Chrome is the only browser to support both.
Now Microsoft has confirmed Internet Explorer 9 will only work with H.264. That’s likely to be bad news for site creators as the respective market shares of IE and Firefox means they are effectively forced to support both systems if they don’t want to alienate a sizeable portion of their audience.
The issue has already come to prominence with both YouTube and Vimeo testing HTML5 content. Both sites have opted to use H.264 only at this stage, to the disgruntlement of Mozilla and Opera.
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