A Royalty-Free MPEG: It’s Time for ISO and ITU to Deliver

In late 2001, to much industry enthusiasm, H.264 and MPEG-4 AVC were launched as the world’s unifying codec family in a joint project between ITU and ISO/MPEG with the undertaking that the “JVT [Joint Video Team] will define a “baseline” profile. That profile should be royalty-free for all implementations.”

The failure to deliver on this royalty-free baseline is more than a lively standards history tale.

Years of exhausting disputes and doubts have recently resolved with court rulings soundly vindicating the original royalty-free process and vision.

And now, more than ever, the Web and broadband revolution need these groups to deliver on this 2001 royalty-free undertaking.  And in the coming months, ITU and ISO are poised to begin work on a next generation of codec and transport stream standards.

I have summarized a pro royalty-free viewpoint on how ITU and ISO/MPEG can and should go forward and complete this royalty free undertaking here.


Comments

3 responses to “A Royalty-Free MPEG: It’s Time for ISO and ITU to Deliver”

  1. I am curious what advantage this would have over using something like Ogg Vorbis and Theora that are at least claimed to be royalty free.

  2. Okay. I guess the other thing that is happening (at least on the same half decadeish time scale as MPEG standards get created) is that MPEG-1 and H.263 baseline should have their patents expire.