VP8 could become MPEG standard

With the clearing of the patent issues that have cast a shadow over VP8's acceptability to open standards organisations as a open, royalty-free video codec, it is likely that its next major stop is becoming an MPEG standard. According to Rob Glidden, video patent analyst, Google proposed VP8 as the codec for MPEG's IVC in January. IVC is the name of one of the tracks that the ISO/IEC MPEG working group was exploring in its search for a royalty-free codec for web video and other uses. It had been looking at technologies where the patents were expiring.

But it appears that Google wanted to give the process a boost. Glidden points to a posting on the Internet Engineering Task Force mailing list from a Google WebRTC developer, where the Google/MPEG LA deal was announced, that notes:

7. Submitted VP8 to ISO SC29/WG11 (MPEG) in January of this year
   for standardization.

The details of that proposal were posted to the IETF mailing list on 28 February and included an independent evaluation of VP8 (referred to as M28182) as part of the process. That information is currently under consideration. The working group did ask, in January, for further information regarding "potential restrictions which might prohibit the progressing of their technology into an MPEG standard" – with the agreement on VP8 with the MPEG LA, the response should be that there are now no restrictions on VP8.

The developer mail to the IETF sees the WebRTC.org developer pushing VP8 as "the most suitable codec for MTI" (Mandatory To Implement). Next week in Orlando is the IETF 86 meeting, where there will be various presentations and meetings regarding the standardisation of WebRTC and, possibly, the codecs it uses for video.

(djwm)