WebRTC, Video Codecs and Why You Should Care

By Scott Raynovich  |  Nov 5, 2013

Right now, a bunch of nerds on the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in Vancouver are making big decisions about the next big wave in web communications standards. And these decisions will have a big impact on some of the largest technology companies, for many years to come.

Real Time Communication

The IETF is hashing out some of the final details of WebRTC, the standard that will enable real time video calling in a web browser, among other things. This includes a decision on a controversial video codec standard, which has flared up in a skirmish between Cisco and Google.

WebRTC stands for Web Real Time Communication (RTC). When it's finalized and starts to be deployed over the next year it will affect nearly all of the technology giants, including Apple, Cisco, Google and Microsoft, among many others. It includes a lot of features, but the headline item will be enabling you to make real time voice and video calls from a web browser such as Google Chrome or Firefox Mozilla. See ya, Skype?

Because deploying real time video and voice calling software in web browsers will have the effect of democratizing and expanding real time voice and video calling in standard web software, the politics are already red hot. Not only does this threaten proprietary platforms such as Skype and Apple's FaceTime, but it opens up the potential for a whole new generation of open collaboration tools to be built into a web browser.

For this reason, many technology firms are lining up with strong opinions — or are at least a little nervous — about WebRTC. Google and Mozilla really like it. Cisco kind of likes it. Microsoft isn't really sure it likes it at all and Apple has been pretty much silent.

The Old and the New

This week's IETF meeting is expected to decide which video codec to include in the WebRTC standard — the older, but more legacy-friendly H.264 backed by Cisco or the more aggressive, Google-favored VP8. This is symbolic of the huge technology implications that WebRTC for large technology companies as it is deployed in the next year.

"Google opened up the codec. Cisco hates Google's codec. And Apple's ignoring the codec," said Brian Riggs, Unified Communications (UC) analyst with research firm Ovum, explaining how the various vendors were lining up their strategies. "All of the vendors are squabbling over the underlying technology base."

With Google having given away VP8, its free video codec technology, Cisco made a last-ditch effort to shore up support for H.264 in WebRTC. Just last week it made its version of H.264 avaible as open source, and agreed to absorb the licensing costs.

Who Wants What?

While Cisco says it supports WebRTC, it really wants H.264 to be a part of the standard, because Cisco and its clients have invested a lot of money in H.264. They want to make sure existing Cisco infrastructure works with WebRTC.

"The standards are there to facilitate interoperability," said Jonathan Rosenberg, vice president and chief technology officer of Cisco's Collaboration unit. "We've been strong supporters of WebRTC. We were one of the folks that initiated this effort. It's core to what we believe in. We feel that the technology that should be built in a way that it works in a way it exists today. The Internet is full of H.264. There is a lot of that on the Internet."

Ovum's Riggs says the battle is not so much about the past but the future of Internet video communication. H.264's successor, H.265, is already in development. A victory for VP8 would put more power in the hands of Google, which distributes VP8 freely, and it will likely kill momentum for H.265.

"Cisco's pushing H.264, but it's old-school and it's starting to lose its relevance because it's been around for so long," says Riggs.

Just the Start

The video codec, however, is just the beginning of what are likely to be huge impacts of WebRTC, which threatens a lot of established businesses, such as Skype. For example, Microsoft, which owns Skype, has not even said when it will support WebRTC in its Internet Explorer browser, even though Google and Mozilla have said they will aggressively roll out WebRTC into their respective browsers, Chrome and Firefox.

So, the video codec decision is only the beginning of what will be a long and fascinating strategic battle with this important web standard. Tomorrow, in a continuing look at WebRTC, we'll look at the long-term implications for collaboration and software vendors.

*Article courtesy of http://www.cmswire.com

**full newsarticle here HERE

Android apps 'leak' personal details

Millions of people are using Android apps that can be tricked into revealing personal data, research indicates.

Scientists tested 13,500 Android apps and found almost 8% failed to protect bank account and social media logins.
These apps failed to implement standard scrambling systems, allowing "man-in-the-middle" attacks to reveal data that passes back and forth when devices communicate with websites.
Google has yet to comment on the research and its findings.
Researchers from the security group at the University of Leibniz in Hanover and the computer science department at the Philipps University of Marburg tested the most popular apps in Google's Play store.
By creating a fake wi-fi hotspot and using a specially created attack tool to spy on the data the apps sent via that route, the researchers were able to:

• capture login details for online bank accounts, email services, social media sites and corporate networks
• disable security programs or fool them into labelling secure apps as infected
• inject computer code into the data stream that made apps carry out specific commands

An attacker could even re-direct a request to transfer funds, while making it look to the app user like the transaction was proceeding unchanged.
Some of the apps tested had been downloaded millions of times, the researchers said.
And a follow-up survey of 754 people suggests users could struggle to spot when they were at risk.
"About half of the participants could not judge the security state of a browser session correctly," the researchers wrote.
"Most importantly, research is needed to study which counter-measures offer the right combination of usability for developers and users, security benefits and economic incentives to be deployed on a large scale."

*story taken from bbc.co.uk

 

 

Every Little Helps

Have you been doing your shopping online with Tesco's recently? Then you may be interested to know that UK's security watchdog is examining Tesco's security after some concerns where highlighted.
Tesco insist that their security is 'robust' and
"We know how important internet security is to customers and the measures we have are robust," the company said in a statement.
"We are never complacent and work continuously to give customers the confidence they can shop securely."
Troy Hunt, a security expert who revealed details of the flaws on his blog, told the BBC he believed the Tesco website was breaking some fundamental data storage rules.
Mr Hunt also criticised Tesco for not using HTTPS - Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure - across its entire site.

Green!!! I think not

So Ikea has decided to create a cardboard camera called 'Knappa' that it will be handing out to shoppers in selected stores. Their idea is to try and get customers to share images of their furniture on the chains website. My only concern is the fact that they are promoting this as a green idea. This day and age people use their smart phones or digital cameras to take pictures. To produce an additional device that takes batteries surely creates a carbon footprint that otherwise would not be there.

On another note...apparently Google knew they where snooping on peoples wifi networks whilst creating street view for Google earth. Well I never! Who would have thought that such a prestigious company would knowing  do something illegal in the drive for global domination.

SEO tip of the day:- 'Choose a phrase that is popular, but not too popular'

Images courtesy of www.bbc.co.uk

Microsoft screw up yet again

With the onset of the 'new improved' windows with the ground breaking news of 'Windows 8' yet more proof has come out that their software is weak and liable to have huge security flaws. The latest one is the fact that your Hotmail account has been susceptible to being accessed by a hacker who can change your password and lock you out. But usually you wont be locked out, maybe your Hotmail account is linked to your PayPal account, your eBay account, your Amazon account and worst of all your online banking. Just think of the devastation that could be rained on your life because Microsoft have once again forgotten to sew up a huge hole in their software.

Who's queuing for the next version of windows then?

BBC link to story

George Orwell is knocking on the door

I have been reading about the release of Peter Jackson's - The Hobbit which has been filmed in full 48fps 3D. Some critics say that it gives a feeling of a 'home movie' due to the quality of the image showing warts and all and not being able to hide the fake sets and fake clothing etc, whilst others waxed lyrical about the feeling of 'being there'. Then there's James Cameron explaining that the second Avatar movie will be filmed in 60fps 3D. Add to this that Dolby is starting to roll out its 'Atmos Sound System' over the next 12 months, it takes me back to a film released in 1983 Starring Natalie Wood and Christopher Walken called 'Brainstorm'. It's about a science lab, creating a technology that records your brain waves, so at a later date, a third party can have that brain wave pattern pushed into their brain, to make the user feel like that were experiencing what the original person had experienced. It blew me away when I first watched it(I was only fourteen and unfortunately the film has not aged so well). But with the new technologies arriving by the day, then a full immersive experience could be just around the corner. In fact website http://www.alphanerd.me/explains about technologies being explored that read brain signals and records them. So as the small steps move forward towards these technologies, a little alarm bell keeps going off at the back of my head. What with the fight over global domination by Google and Facebook, where the winner will control not just all your personal details but also your preferences, then if this technology gets in their hands they could be forcing consumer related products into our head. There's an old adage that goes on about life imitating art, but here we have some more evidence that the novel 1984 by George Orwell is closer to reality than we all think. 

On a happier note....how cool will it be to actually experience somebody elses mind...wow !!!

Image courtesy of http://www.alphanerd.me

Yahoo’s Re-Organization: Search Stays Alive, At Least On Paper

Following last week’s layoffs of about 2,000 employees, new Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson announced today an overhaul of the company’s structure — and, despite concerns about the future of Yahoo search, it remains alive. At least in the memo that Thompson sent to Yahoo employees this morning.
Yahoo’s new corporate structure will take effect on May 1st and have three primary divisions:

• Consumer – this will have three units: Media, Connections and Commerce
• Regions – this is the division that serves Yahoo advertisers and is “accountable for all Yahoo revenue”
• Technology – the infrastructure and platform division

AllThingsD has posted the full text of Thompson’s memo, which lists Yahoo’s search product as part of the “Connections” unit in the Consumer division:

Connections will be led by Shashi Seth, and include consumer businesses that connect and inform our users including Search, Communications and Social properties such as Mail, Messenger, Flickr, Answers, and more. The highest priority for Shashi and his team will be to think well beyond how users search, communicate and share online today. The Connections team is charged with fundamentally re-imagining how we design and deliver the next generation of these foundational Yahoo! experiences.

There were reports in recent weeks that Yahoo was at least considering ways to get rid of its search business altogether, a business that — quite remarkably — still has about 1,800 employees (according to a recent Reuters article that cited an unnamed Yahoo executive).
Thompson’s memo at least gives temporary reprieve to that group of Yahoo search employees. But given the company’s ongoing troubles, the layoffs and the fact that Yahoo doesn’t have its own search engine anymore, Yahoo Search may be alive on paper, but there’s no guarantee it’ll live a long life.