Microsoft has come out in support of the newly announced open-source WebM video solution. Internet Explorer 9 will include support for VP8 video, but users will have to have a VP8 codec already installed on their Windows PC.
The announcement of support and existing codec requirement was made on The Windows Blog by Dean Hachamovitch. The need to specify a separate codec requirement seems to be down to issues with IP rights when using the browser to playback video. Dean explains:
In choosing a video codec, customers and partners have many issues to consider. Codecs have been a source of security and reliability issues for some users. New code often faces security issues; the H.264 codec in Windows 7 has been in broad use for some time now. Sites also need to think about the issues in supporting multiple formats.
He also gives some example links as to why these issues occur. But the main point being made is that IE9 will support WebM, and that it should be very easy for users to watch VP8 video in Microsoft’s browser. That’s the case for any of the major browsers with the exception of Safari as Apple has yet to announce support.
