"The Merging Idea": better coder, freer coder (from patents too), better core tools, intelligent merge
Carlo Strata
I think that if you read this whole mail you will be happy!
I am an open multimedia format promoter and enthusiast. I am an Italian
computer engineer and I am part of various Italian Open Source Groups
(software, document formats, multimedia formats, 2D/3D graphical
formats, hardware and so on), but I spoke here as single person.
I am also an OpenOffice.org/Go-OO and OpenSuSE linux user and bug reporter.
For some years I am asking myself why BBC and the whole
Dirac/Schr�dinger group are not so active in catch the "Web opportunity"
and not only this!
The standard would became a "de facto" one if in the Web yields and uses
many Dirac/Schr�dinger files.
In the past years MySql has a bigger diffusion than the PostgreSql one
because MySql has a win32 installer (Windows platform support) much time
before the PostgreSql one (and the things repeat now with the win64
installer that MySql already has and PostgreSql gain only with the next
and near 9.0 release).
In the same way and in the last past, we saw DivX file widespread
because it comes with an easy (!) to install and use Windows (!) codec
(I mean the Direct Show video filter you could find in the list here:
Microsoft Windows -> Control Panel -> System Properties -> Hardware tab
-> Device Manager -> Audio and Multimedia devices -> Video Codecs) with
many and advanced options that you could set and choose and, last but
not least, a very nice and powerful support to extended multimedia
istruction set (SIMD and so on like MMX, SSE...SSE4, ...),
multithreading (and than multicore) support, ...
All this yield a powerful and easy encoding tool and take on a large use
of it...
Easiness in encoding videos is also the main cause we saw the large .flv
web diffusion (youtube, daylymotion, vimeo and so on).
Now my first suggest is to produce two (!) Windows codecs: a win32 one
and a win64 one, both with all the powerful just listed above (SSE4,
multithreading, ...).
I absolutely do not want to support and promote Microsoft Windows (it
need not), but if you want to reach the critical mass to your objectives
you must still exist well in that environment/operating system. In the
recent past you has to well support Windows platform and easiness. Now
things are Web oriented and from the Web enough driven.
BBC should better spread and trust on the Dirac/Schr�dinger scalable power!
But now I want to go a big step forward, WebM readers will be happy now,
and I suggest you to "intelligent merge" the two technologies
(Dirac/Schr�dinger and WebM) taking from each one the "best".
I know Dirac is: wavelet filter based, modular in the architect to
permit future improvements and, here links my idea, to permit rapid
software substitution in case of patent troubles.
So why, instead to fork or maintain two or more "state of the art" video
codecs, we all (BBC, Google and The Whole Single Community) do not merge
the two (Dirac/Schr�dinger and VP8/WebM) codecs (into a Matroska container)?
I mean an intelligent merge ("the merging idea") that must evaluate for
each (!) codec feature/part:
- to keep both codecs technology "state of the art" parts (merging the
base ideas of them where needed or listen new ones from new people, if
some);
- in case of highly risky to infringe/violate patents feature/code, use
the other codec analogue part (if one) or rewrite it.
And so build a new, powerful, scalable, open, free, royalties free and
XXI century video codec!!!
With a "state of the art" container (Matroska has been chosen instead of
OGG one, but the "merging idea" may also be used to merge these two
container too!!!).
This merge has to be done in the same way WebM is borning
(collaborating): but with BBC, Google and The Whole Single (!) Community
we all are.
So we has to well develop things like specifications, ideas, code,
money, marketing (!!!), support (also for adopter), people listening
abilities/new ideas, diffusion, adoption, create specific Foundation or
similar Open and Free Institution that owns/manages rights (if some)...
And than yield a Windows win32/win64 codecs both with all the powerful
just listed above (SSE4, multithreding, ...) and free web specific
appliances (for coding, streaming, ...).
But not only for Windows also "state of the art" (power and easiness)
codecs for MacOSX and, last but not least, linux (with main distros
installers or distro's repositories support).
I finally say that I live near Venice (24 km about) and on september
2010 from 1st to 11th there is the famous "Film Festival": I think
events like this must be taken (on the fly) as a big opportunity thanks
to their world visibility and for they video / cinema / television /
streaming correlation to a new advanced scalable video standard!
We can start from an official announce this year from a Google / BBC
stand and/or (why not?) a Rai stand (Rai is the big Italian television
national broadcaster and producer) or similar idea with the Venice
Festival Management Group we can contact.
http://www.labiennale.org/en/Home.html
In this mail I spoke about codecs and I did not speak about DRM
technologies: these are other matter, other things.
My following/next ideas are:
- you must make money around standards and not on standards (!);
- to attract Italian national broadcaster (http://www.rai.it/ and
http://www.rai.tv/) so that they use free (time readability) and
royalties free codecs for its video web portal/streaming technologies
which are payee from public money that is to be used to pay contents and
not royalties! Rai now use .asx/WMV-WMA/silverlight technologies to
stream contents on the Web;
- continuing spread "the merge idea" (BBC, Google, Rai, the Web, ...);
- BBC: what about your p2p streaming project (a simple and clever python
TCP/IP middleware to improve collaborative network bandwidth usage)? I mean:
http://www.p2p-next.org/
Here BBC make a Rai stand presentation some months ago...
- to promote free video codec to content producers, providers and to
favourite the birth, the growth and diffusion of enthusiast content
communities like those of short films, films, televisions, web TVs,
young TVs, ...;
- to spread new XXI century licenses like Creative Commons ones
http://creativecommons.org/
- to evaluate/promote diffusion method/criteria like
http://www.clearbits.net/
http://www.clearbits.net/about/faq
- to interest hardware designer and vendor to sell cameras (consumer,
prosumer and professional field too), and IP cameras
(video-surveillance) that can record on a high quality free and royalty
free video format (and optionally in other ones);
- and so on...
I hope having been more attractive/interesting than tedious ;-) and that
my long mail is not a little stone in the see, but like an italian
pizza: irresistible. :-)
Have a nice day,
Carlo Strata