AV1 Is Making Progress As A Royalty-Free Video Codec Based Off VP9

[phoronix]

Phoronix: AV1 Is Making Progress As A Royalty-Free Video Codec Based Off VP9

The Alliance for Open Media continues working hard on their first video codec, dubbed AV1, that started off with the VP9 libvpx code-base and are pursuing to do for free video codecs what the Opus codec has done for audio...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=AV1-Codec-FOSDEM-2017

[tegs]

What's the point? Isn't VP9 free software and royalty free?

[[Knuckles]]

tegs AV1 is the next step beyond VP9, intended to surpass H265 (it already does) and go against H266 (when it gets released within the next 1-2 years).

AV1 itself started with VP9 as a base but it has had a lot of contributions from the many project members which include Xiph who contributed several technologies originally developed for Daala.

[TheLexMachine]

What's the point? Isn't VP9 free software and royalty free?

Only for a few years. Then, the agreement Google made with patent holders not to go after royalties and fees expires. Due to the existence of patents, a 100% free and clear codec is impossible, no matter who is doing it. Even when everyone sits at the table and says "Hey, we need to do this!", six months down the line, 1/4th of the companies form a pack of patent trolls looking for a quick buck, all while playing along with the rest of them in championing a "free" solution.

[quikee]

Only for a few years. Then, the agreement Google made with patent holders not to go after royalties and fees expires.

The licensing agreement that Google made with MPEG-LA was for VP8 and its successor (so VP9), but there was no expiration or time limit how long the agreement will last.

The rest of the post is just FUD - considering that patent trolls aren't suing anyone using VP9 and Opus. There was this problem with MPEG-LA, but this was generally because Google was alone and they solved it nicely too. With the AOM they have much a lot of patents available that they can use, and also at the same time much stronger backing to fight any patent trolls if needed. Also their (combined) research for potential existing patents is much more extensive as well.

[OneTimeShot]

Then, the agreement Google made with patent holders not to go after royalties and fees expires.

That quote needs an official source. Google have said that no patents are infringed by VP9 (by design), and the Google licence precludes patenting. There is no value in a patent encumbered VP9 codec - why would Google bother to build that?

In any case, MPEG1 is now out of patent, so "100% free and clear codec is impossible" is by definition untrue.

[timofonic]

2018? Too slow adoption...

[pal666]

AV1 is still hoping to succeed VP9 and be a viable contender to HEVC/H.265

vp9 is a viable contender to hevc. av1 is next generation

[pal666]

Even when everyone sits at the table and says "Hey, we need to do this!", six months down the line, 1/4th of the companies form a pack of patent trolls looking for a quick buck, all while playing along with the rest of them in championing a "free" solution.

unless they signed binding contract which is the case with aom

[pal666]

What's the point? Isn't VP9 free software and royalty free?

so was vp8. what was the point in vp9 again?