Re: HTML5 Last Call May 2011 & DASH/Adaptive Streaming

On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 8:38 AM, Mark Watson <watsonm@netflix.com> wrote:
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Feb 16, 2011, at 12:58 PM, "Silvia Pfeiffer" <silviapfeiffer1@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 3:02 AM, Mark Watson <watsonm@netflix.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> On Feb 15, 2011, at 11:29 PM, Silvia Pfeiffer wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 5:03 PM, Mark Watson <watsonm@netflix.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> On Feb 15, 2011, at 4:59 PM, Philippe Le Hegaret wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Tue, 2011-02-15 at 18:40 -0500, Ali C. Begen (abegen) wrote:
>>>>>>> I think folks need to agree on the container format not the codec type. A good container format will be good for several codecs that exist today and will yet to come.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My understanding is that the IP issues surrounding the codec types are
>>>>>> also surrounding the container formats and the streaming technologies.
>>>>>
>>>>> IANAL but I don't think that is quite true. To my knowledge there are no IP issues with the ISO Base Media File Format (ISO/IEC 14496-12) which is one of the more widely used container formats.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I believe it is the MPEG-2 systems patent pool that is relevant here:
>>>> http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/M2S/Pages/Intro.aspx
>>>
>>> That would be relevant if you wanted to use DASH with MPEG 2 Transport Streams. But that's just an option and Basic On-Demand profile is based on the ISO Base Media File Format. DASH is not part of MPEG-2 Systems.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> And MPEG-4 systems still has a patent pool, even though licenses are
>>>> not offered any more.
>>>> http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/M4S/Pages/Intro.aspx
>>>>
>>>
>>> So, again, IANAL, but I believe the ISO Base Media File Format is widely used without anyone paying any royalties to anyone else. The situation with mp4 may be different.
>>
>>
>> Philippe's point about IP issues did not refer to DASH, but to
>> container formats for video and the discussion was about whether we
>> should use the MPEG container formats as baseline for the Web. The
>> systems pools show there are patents on the ISO Base Media File
>> Format, even if the pool for mp4 systems is not collecting license
>> fees any more.
>>
>> I sure hope MPEG-LA gets together quickly to try and set up a patent
>> pool for DASH, so they can confirm there won't be any claims.
>>
>
> I doubt very much that will happen and if it did it doesn't confirm there won't be any claims.
>
> The MPEG process is that member companies that have essential IPR must declare whether they will license it and on what terms. What we are hoping is that those companies will all tick the RF box (Option 1) and I hope they will do that sooner rather than later. This is the strongest assurance you will get and is just as good as the assurance for W3C standards.
>
> Discussion about patent pools would be relevant only if companies declared IPR with non-RF terms, at which point DASH would be dead, IMO, and so there would be no point in a patent pool.
>
> MPEG-LA is a private company which does what it does for it's own benefit, not for or on behalf of the MPEG committee.
>


OK, fair enough. But if both happens, then we are even more certain of
the RF terms.

Silvia.

Received on Wednesday, 16 February 2011 22:03:44 UTC