A collaboration between big names in technology is rare. But seven big names in the tech industry joining forces is even more rare. It is just what has happened on when seven of the most prominent names in tech-Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, Intel Corporation, Cisco, Netflix and Amazon formed the Alliance for Open Media. The group is working on encoding and decoding video streams.
The Verge reported that the seven tech industry giants are developing a next generation codec for video streams which are going to be free of charge. The move will also organize codec licenses and make it open source. Some of the companies make use of video streams and are paying millions for licenses. Netflix is paying huge sums of money for codec licenses, and the disorganized system they have, like competing formats and unclear standards, has caused problems for the companies.
Issues on patents have also stemmed from the non-uniformity of codecs. The seven companies are working to make one codec for their respective platforms. The move allows the Alliance for Open Media to maximize the upcoming technology for the better organization. The group is looking at a two-year timeline to produce the one codec to better meet the demands for video content on the internet.
"The new Alliance is committing its collective technology and expertise to meet growing Internet demand for top-quality video, audio, imagery and streaming across devices of all kinds and for users worldwide," the Alliance wrote on its press release on Sept 1, Tuesday. Gabe Frost, the Alliance's executive director, said of its first project, "Customer expectations for media delivery continue to grow and fulfilling their expectations requires the concerted energy of the entire ecosystem."
The seven companies have each released statements regarding the newly-formed Alliance in their official post. The group will be updating information on how to join the Alliance, which will be made available later in the year. The Alliance for Open Media cited that it aims to create a new video format that optimizes the internet and is compatible for many platforms.
The Alliance further added that it seeks to improve video streaming experience on the internet for its users. The Alliance for Open Media has Cisco as its founding member and is a project of the Joint Development Organization, a non-profit group.
