looser used our newssubmit to tell us some more info on the new MPEG-4 licenses which we alread reported about here and here:
Apple Computer has rejected proposed licensing terms for the emerging MPEG-4 video standard, leaving the future of its QuickTime multimedia technology in limbo. At a company-sponsored conference Tuesday, Apple previewed the latest versions of its QuickTime digital media player and new QuickTime broadcast technology, both built on MPEG-4. But the company said those products will remain grounded indefinitely as it seeks to change MPEG-4 licensing terms unveiled last month by a key licensing clearinghouse. |
On hold
The licensing terms leave a cloud over the future of two Apple products unveiled Tuesday: QuickTime 6 media player and QuickTime Broadcaster, a free application that aims to simplify using MPEG-4 in live video feeds over the Net.
The media player includes support for MPEG-4 video encoding and decoding, as well as support for Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), a new audio format. It is compatible with earlier MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 formats.
Apple would not say whether it might be willing to pay more to spare the content distributors from having to pay a per-stream fee. In an interview, Frank Casanova, director of QuickTime product marketing at Apple, said that although MPEG-4 is the best codec for Apple's needs it is not the only one. However, he would not put a time frame on when Apple might abandon MPEG-4 if licensing terms could not be worked out.
Casanova said the company did not feel it would be handicapped in negotiations by having announced products that are dependent on the MPEG-4 technology.
"We announced, showed, demo-ed, talked about, and delayed our release," Casanova said. "That was right thing to do."
Streaming media analysts said Apple's stance could prod MPEG LA to revisit its licensing terms.
Read the full article here.
Source: News.com
