Disclaimer: Like usual, it’s just a little post from me (just some developer), not from Mozilla.
Mozilla is a unique force in the browser market whose primary goal is to keep the web available for everybody. Recently, we acted on our mission statement by taking a stand on the Ogg Theora video decoder. For HTML5 video, Mozilla chose to support Theora (and only Theora) for two reasons:
- Desire: We want (really, really want) an unencumbered video format for everyone.
- Ability: We think we can use our market share to make a difference.
Frankly, this isn’t about idealism or sophomoric zealotry, it’s about ensuring a healthy future for the web. We, after careful consideration, decided this was worth fighting for. I can’t tell you what the future holds for video formats, but Mozilla will ultimately do what’s best for consumers and publishers.
What’s more interesting to me is our ability to cause such a stir. Our stand loses its meaning without our market share, illuminating how important our user base is. In general, take a step back and recall where the web was just 4 years ago. Mozilla and our users played an (dare I say the?) important role in where the web is today. That’s actually pretty amazing for free software with grassroots origins.
I’ve come to see Mozilla in a different light from this video debate. As Firefox users, our choice is not only colored by features, or speed, or extensibility. It’s also about using a browser built by people whose vested interest is, well, everyone. You really are voting with your software, with every vote adding a discrete boost in volume to Mozilla’s voice. For us, it’s about the big picture. So let me gush a little here: thank you, our amazing users <3! For my part I will do my best to repay your choice with a better browser that gets out of the way and lets you get things done.
Currently at least 36% of the browser market share can play Ogg Theora videos (and importantly ogg vorbis audio, nobody seems to argue against the audio quality) natively and that stat is on the rise. That’s 3 of the 5 big browsers from http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser_version-ww-daily-20100321-20100321-bar being Firefox 3.5 and 3.6, Chrome 4 and 5, and Opera 10.5
Well done and keep up the great work!
IFF the concern is about really providing unencumbered formats that are easy to use and free I’d consider add support for mpeg1 and mp2 in mpeg, the patent are all expired to my knowledge.
Theora isn’t much different than mpeg2 encoding-tool wise.
There are many interesting codecs that are patent free and opensource. Yet again people fossilize on Theora and Vorbis… Why vorbis and not wavpack in lossy mode? Why Theora and not dirac or snow if you really want to stay on the bleeding edge? Why Ogg and not matroska?
Usually those questions get unanswered.
lu_zero, mpeg1 and mp2 have been discussed on the WHATWG mailing list in the past. For Ian’s summary see here:
http://lists.whatwg.org/htdig.cgi/whatwg-whatwg.org/2009-June/020620.html
There have been other discussions too which you’ll find if you search the list.
Vorbis is supported as the audio format for Firefox because it is excellent quality and is the most common audio format packaged with Theora video. It is also very common as a standalone audio format (many hardware players support it). Dirac isn’t supported due to (at the time development of video support was going on) it not being ready. The Ogg encapsulation format for Dirac hadn’t been completed and as far as I’m aware today the quality for a given bitrate vs Theora for web sized video is not there yet.
Ogg was chosen as the container format as it’s the most common packaging of Theora video. Matroska is certainly an option and appears to be gaining some popularity despite what seems to be an almost dead website full of 404’s – if content starts appearing packaged in Matroska I’m sure support would be considered.
I hope that answers your questions.
Chris, isn’t Matroska just a container… matroska can contain a vorbis playload from what I understand, but I am rather unsure about .mkv’s and Theora. That said, there is much to be desided if one can mix and match audio/video playloads in the way that .mkv can.
Duv, yes Matroska is just a container. It can contain Vorbis and Theora just like Ogg. The main reason Matroska hasn’t been implemented in the browser is there’s almost no Theora/Vorbis content in Matroska available. Wikimedia for example serves all their Theora videos in the Ogg container. It would really need more available content in Matroska containers for it to be considered.
Why is it that idealism and zeal are considered faults and not virtues? Since when is the most ambitious thing to be average?
The period between 1850 and 1950, despite the wars and misery, was a fertile period of ideals and revolutions, in every field imaginable, from arts, politics to science. Since then the world has become more adept of mediocrity than meritocracy, and people have ashamed of being different, of thinking differently or even of being seen as different.
Such as in your case, being ashamed of having and demonstrating as having ideals and zeal. Sad…