Comments on: Moonlight and the Microsoft Media Pack http://ossguy.com/?p=266 Ideas on how we can make the world a better place, with a technical bent Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:33:20 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9-rare hourly 1 By: ossguy http://ossguy.com/?p=266&cpage=1#comment-22927 ossguy Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:25:59 +0000 http://ossguy.com/?p=266#comment-22927 Unless you also pay a licensing fee to the codec patent holders, that would be technically illegal. Many codecs cannot be implemented without violating a patent so even the "free software" implementations require users to pay a licensing fee. See http://ossguy.com/?p=252 ("Evaluating codec freedom") for more details. This is why Debian and many other distributions cannot include free software implementations of certain codecs in their "main" repositories. They have been threatened with legal action by the patent holders for doing so. Practically speaking, the codecs are still available to people if they look hard enough. But using them without a license (and usually payment) is violating the patent holders' rights. For a more detailed list of problems with patented codecs, see http://ossguy.com/?p=233 ("The codec dilemma"). Unless you also pay a licensing fee to the codec patent holders, that would be technically illegal. Many codecs cannot be implemented without violating a patent so even the "free software" implementations require users to pay a licensing fee. See http://ossguy.com/?p=252 ("Evaluating codec freedom") for more details.

This is why Debian and many other distributions cannot include free software implementations of certain codecs in their "main" repositories. They have been threatened with legal action by the patent holders for doing so.

Practically speaking, the codecs are still available to people if they look hard enough. But using them without a license (and usually payment) is violating the patent holders' rights.

For a more detailed list of problems with patented codecs, see http://ossguy.com/?p=233 ("The codec dilemma").

]]> By: Kenneth Jakobsen http://ossguy.com/?p=266&cpage=1#comment-22921 Kenneth Jakobsen Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:37:47 +0000 http://ossguy.com/?p=266#comment-22921 Why not just use the codecs, already available under free software licenses?. Why not just use the codecs, already available under free software licenses?.

]]> By: ossguy http://ossguy.com/?p=266&cpage=1#comment-2574 ossguy Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:37:07 +0000 http://ossguy.com/?p=266#comment-2574 What are you trying to create? A video hosting service? Or is this just for you as a user that wants to use exclusively free software? If you're creating some sort of service, then embedding Dirac or Theora video with Vorbis sound in an object or video element would work, though you'd have to show Mac OS X and Windows users how to download the codecs. What are you trying to create? A video hosting service? Or is this just for you as a user that wants to use exclusively free software?

If you're creating some sort of service, then embedding Dirac or Theora video with Vorbis sound in an object or video element would work, though you'd have to show Mac OS X and Windows users how to download the codecs.

]]> By: gnuman http://ossguy.com/?p=266&cpage=1#comment-2566 gnuman Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:06:49 +0000 http://ossguy.com/?p=266#comment-2566 Thanks for the heads up. I'm looking at all these type of technologies at the moment. I can't use flash cause it's proprietary, same withh silverlight. that left me with JavaFX.....but codecs as well as the licence on scenegraph is still anyone's guess Thanks for the heads up. I'm looking at all these type of technologies at the moment. I can't use flash cause it's proprietary, same withh silverlight. that left me with JavaFX.....but codecs as well as the licence on scenegraph is still anyone's guess

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