[RTW] [dispatch] Gateways and does anyone think "H.264 for ever"?

[David Singer]

On Jan 7, 2011, at 10:02 , Henry Sinnreich wrote:

> Though gateways are a key component in the web architecture and critical
> indeed for connectivity with other networks, I believe the scope as outlined
> here by Harald is the correct first step.
> 
> As for interoperability at the video codec level, several items have to be
> balanced
> 
> 1. The benefits for users (includes cost and performance) first and foremost
> 2. Give a chance to new and free codec technologies such as VP8 or Theora
> 3. Interoperability with existing H.264 based systems
> 
> Or does anyone think "H.264 for ever"?

No, MPEG and ITU are always working on the next generation :-).

Your list is a start, but it also needs to consider the availability of acceleration and hardware support (maybe that's part of your first bullet), and (alas) IPR risk.

David Singer
Multimedia and Software Standards, Apple Inc.