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But experts said they expect the biggest codec battle to be fought in the cable and satellite business, which has relied on MPEG-2 compression technology for more than a decade. The stakes are highest in this industry because the compression technology will help with the efficient delivery of billions of hours of content viewed every year and define the way people watch television.
Marc Tayer, technology strategist for high-definition satellite TV start-up Voom, put his company on the front lines of the debate when he agreed to license VC-9 earlier this year. Microsoft quickly touted the deal as one of the first endorsements of its technology by a commercial broadcast service. But Tayer has hedged his bets, making sure Voom can also support H.264.
"For now, the plan is to keep both options open," Tayer said. "We have the luxury of a few months to decide...For us, cost and schedule and also seeing how the licensing shakes out are all important criteria."
Voom is months or even years ahead of most in the professional video business, but its dilemma is ultimately expected to become industrywide. The VC-9 and H.264 formats are in the early stages of a struggle that could ultimately define the next generation of professional video technology for a decade or longer.
But experts said they expect the biggest codec battle to be fought in the cable and satellite business, which has relied on MPEG-2 compression technology for more than a decade. The stakes are highest in this industry because the compression technology will help with the efficient delivery of billions of hours of content viewed every year and define the way people watch television.
Marc Tayer, technology strategist for high-definition satellite TV start-up Voom, put his company on the front lines of the debate when he agreed to license VC-9 earlier this year. Microsoft quickly touted the deal as one of the first endorsements of its technology by a commercial broadcast service. But Tayer has hedged his bets, making sure Voom can also support H.264.
"For now, the plan is to keep both options open," Tayer said. "We have the luxury of a few months to decide...For us, cost and schedule and also seeing how the licensing shakes out are all important criteria."
Voom is months or even years ahead of most in the professional video business, but its dilemma is ultimately expected to become industrywide. The VC-9 and H.264 formats are in the early stages of a struggle that could ultimately define the next generation of professional video technology for a decade or longer.
(guess not that soon since we still dont even have the right hardware for that correct?)
