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Google Providing Focus to Future of Online Video

Bruce Lidl — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 05:07:47 +0000

Not long ago I wrote a piece discussing the possibility of Google doing something pretty revolutionary in the video space. Having recently purchased the video codec company On2, there developed a lot of hope among open source proponents that the search giant would take On2's technology and release it to the public as open source and patent-free. Why was there so much speculation in this direction? Partially because On2 had previously donated the code from VP3, their earlier codec, to the open source video project Ogg Theora, so there was precedent for such a move. Further, the timing of the On2 purchase put it squarely in the on-going discussion about the proposed shift from Flash to HTML5 for serving video on the web. Many proponents of open web standards (including famously the team behind Mozilla) would love to see online video delivered not via a proprietary technology such as Adobe's Flash, but instead through the much simpler element present in HTML5. As the proprietor of YouTube, anything Google does in regards to video is going to make noise, and a combination of HTML5 and a patent-free codec would make for an absolutely free (as in both beer and speech) video distribution for the Internet. Flash is of course a proprietary commercial product from Adobe, and H.264 while rapidly becoming the de facto standard for video today can be open source (see x264) but is only royalty free as long as MPEG-LA decides so (they have only promised to keep it free through 2015). In other words, Google's just leaked decision to release VP8 as open source and royalty free, in combination with YouTube's more tentative moves towards HTML5, combine to be a serious upheaval of the digital video world. That's not to say there aren't still a number of challenges ahead, for both Google and proponents of the HTML5/VP8 solution. First, Google and YouTube are very unlikely to make a large transition to VP8 encoded video until it can be shown that On2's former codec can really back up the claims of its quality. Google has previously admitted that using the open and patent free Ogg Theora codec as it exists currently would exponentially drive up YouTube streaming costs because of Theora's inferior bitate to quality ratio compared to H.264. Codec experts that I respect have been pretty skeptical of On2's inflated claims about the quality of VP8, and the product is, at this point, little more than vaporware, so comparative tests between VP8 and H.264 remain impossible. However, even if VP8 is released and proves to be an acceptable alternative to H.264, there remains a pretty daunting legal minefield. MPEG-LA has traditionally operated from a pretty broad interpretation of its IP holdings and there is a *very* good chance they could target VP8 (or an improved Ogg Theora) for infringing on what MPEG-LA's member companies have patented in H.264. On2 was certainly not as tempting a litigation target as Google and YouTube would be. An interesting question remains, though, as to why Google is going to such expense and effort to overturn the current online video situation. H.264 is after all an excellent choice for many reasons currently, and Flash has served YouTube well even from its pre-Google days. One very sharp observer suggested to me, however, that the real motivation for the HTML5/VP8 play by Google comes down ultimately to advertising, not a shocking point considering where the search giant actually earns its billions in revenue. By wresting control of online video delivery from Adobe's Flash and H.264, Google could reinforce its own its own dominant role in video advertising via YouTube, and at the same time head off any inroads Microsoft is hoping to make with IE and Silverlight (or any plans Apple has to build video ads upon Safari as well). The decision by Mozilla to opt out of natively supporting H.264 presented Apple and Microsoft with the chance to push their own browsers and build walls and possibly build walls (and advertising schemes) around compelling video content. If Google can really switch YouTube to HTML5/VP8, then the other browsers will have to follow suit, essentially giving Google a commanding position. Admittedly, some of this stuff is probably wildly speculative, but the reality is that decisions on such relatively obscure technologies like codecs and browser plug-ins can have a profound affect on the shape of the Internet, and the billions of dollars of commerce conducted upon that platform. Google has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the codec front, so they clearly understand video's strategic importance.

With IE 7, green means go for legit sites

Jared Moya — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 17:50:17 +0000

Starting early next year, the address bar in Internet Explorer 7 will turn green when surfing to a legitimate Web site–but only in some cases, not all.

The colored address bar is designed to be a sign that a specific site can be trusted, giving people the green light to carry out transactions there. It is a weapon in the fight against phishing scams, which use fraudulent Web sites.
High Impact

The idea is among the draft guidelines created by the CA Browser Forum, an organization comprised of companies that issue certificates for Web sites and major browser makers. Last week, Microsoft decided to adopt that draft version for IE 7, released last month. It plans to add the functionality in January.

A primary concern is to help the targets of online scams, said Markellos Diorinos, a product manager for Windows at Microsoft. “If you look at the phishing problem today, it is usually about all the big brands that get hijacked,” he said. “We addressed the problem that we have at hand today, and that was one very important thing for us.”

Microsoft’s browser gets upgraded

Jared Moya — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 19:51:11 +0000

Microsoft has made Internet Explorer 7 (IE 7) available to the general public.

The new version is the first upgrade to the web browsing program for more than five years.

New features include tabbed browsing, the ability to search the net directly and an anti-fraud system to thwart phishing attacks.

The new program is available as a free download on 19 October, but many will get it as an automatic update to Windows XP in November.

Firefox Gains Ground On Microsoft’s IE

Jared Moya — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:44:17 +0000

For the third consecutive month, Mozilla Firefox has posted a half a percentage point or more gain in market share, a Web metrics company said Wednesday. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer’s still-commanding lead has slipped slightly.

Firefox accounted for 12.5 percent of September’s global browser market, said Aliso Viejo, Calif.’s Net Applications. That’s an increase from August’s 11.8 percent, which was up from the 11.3 percent in July. Internet Explorer’s share slipped to 82.1 percent in September, down from August’s 83 percent.

Also making gains was Apple Computer’s Safari browser, which by the end of September was up from 3.2 percent to 3.5 percent. Safari’s September numbers were its highest since April.

“Internet Explorer continues to lose market share with Firefox and Safari showing a steady increase over the past 9 months,” said Net Applications in a statement.

A Browser Flaw a Day Keeps Hackers at Play

Jared Moya — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 06:53:55 +0000

A well-known hacker has stockpiled browser exploits and plans to release one flaw a day for the month of July to highlight the types of vulnerabilities affecting the world’s most widely used Web browsers.

HD Moore, co-founder of the Metasploit Framework, has launched a new project called MoBB (Month of Browser Bugs) with daily releases of proof-of-concept code for flaws in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera and Konqueror.

“We will publish a new browser hack, every day, for the entire month of July. The hacks we publish are carefully chosen to demonstrate a concept without disclosing a direct path to remote code execution,” Moore said in a blog entry announcing the project.

So far, four flaw warnings have been posted with accompanying exploit code. Three of the four pertain to Microsoft’s dominant IE browser.

Border patrol for Internet Explorer

Jared Moya — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 02:49:23 +0000

A security start-up is borrowing a technique from the research labs to try to give Internet Explorer PCs relief from Web-based attacks.

GreenBorder Technologies, a venture-backed start-up, plans to release on Tuesday a consumer security tool that puts Microsoft’s IE in a virtual sandbox. Called GreenBorder Pro, the product uses virtualization technology similar to what researchers at antivirus companies have been using for years. In a virtual environment, malicious software is allowed to execute, but it can’t touch the underlying operating system.

“We provide a safe environment for running IE,” said Jim Fulton, vice president of marketing at Mountain View, Calif.-based GreenBorder. “You can literally go to any Web site, even if it is full of exploits, full of nasty stuff, (and) GreenBorder will keep it isolated from your machine.”

Microsoft’s IE is by far the most popular Web browser, used by about nine out of every 10 Web users. However, some security experts have likened it to Swiss cheese, because of the many security flaws in it. The browser has been the target of many cyberattacks, and some Web surfers have switched to alternatives Firefox and Opera.