I can see the motivation to pay big bucks for video codecs. Using
Mpeg4 can reduce your bandwidth costs and save real money. I can see
why there was a big incentive to save money on audio codecs in the
1990s.
At this point an audio codec is going to have to save a huge amount ot
bandwidth to be worth the hassle, let alone the cost of using
encumbered technology. A useful starting point would be to establish a
safe fallback using technology such a mu-law or a-law that nobody can
possibly claim they own without being referred to the reply given in
the famous case of Arkel vs. Pressdram.
The objective here is not necessarily to use mu-law as the default
codec (but I really don't think that is unthinkable as some have
suggested in the past), the objective is to reduce the bargaining
leverage of any possible patent troll from being able to demand the
economic value of the bandwideth saved by using their codec.
2010/1/4 Mans Nilsson <mansaxel(_at_)besserwisser(_dot_)org>:
Subject: Re: WG Review: Internet Wideband Audio Codec (codec) Date: Mon, Jan
04, 2010 at 05:57:56PM +0100 Quoting Patrik Fältström
(paf(_at_)cisco(_dot_)com):
We actually already have done work in this area, RFC 3951.
What I think you say is that it in the IETF is hard to do work starting with
a white sheet of paper. And I agree with that. I do though think that is not
something special for IETF as an SDO, and I do specifically not think that
is specific for this kind of work.
(I'm answering both Patrik and Philip here)
But we are not running out of proposals for codecs to adapt. Both CELT
and SILK seem reasonable.
The patent troll threat is a more sinister one, since a lot of revenue
and lock-in is won by FUDing people into buying unfree codecs --
giving a lot of companies ample reason to fight this.
The users need CODEC. The industry maybe does not, at least not the
myopic parts of it. Do we build and document what the users need or
what the industry orders?
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Måns Nilsson primary/secondary/besserwisser/machina
MN-1334-RIPE +46 705 989668
Jesuit priests are DATING CAREER DIPLOMATS!!
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