http://websvn.kde.org/branches/work/avkode/avkode/

AvKode’s author, Allan Sandfeld (carewolf), claims that going straight to the source (FFmpeg) will make it easier to add new features like encoding.

]]> http://blogs.gnome.org/uraeus/2006/10/24/gstreamer-and-phonon/#comment-601 Jakob Petsovits Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/uraeus/2006/10/24/gstreamer-and-phonon/#comment-601 Whoa, this is great!<p/>I always wondered if there would be someone stepping up for a GStreamer plugin (after all, Xine, NMM, and MPlayer through FFmpeg are already being worked on), however I didn't expect the GStreamer people to do it themselves.<p/>Big praises from my side!<p/>And for the dedicated GStreamer-Qt stuff - I'm sure people will eventually use GStreamer for pro-audio or video editing stuff. It's just that simple players don't need GStreamer's power, and being able to select from various engines is more important to them.<p/>GStreamer will be the standard media framework, that way or the other. No need to lock out other frameworks to achieve that, the plain superiority of GStreamer will suffice :D<br/>As long as it's not distributed by default even in KDE-centric distributions, it's just not superiour enough. But it will be, no question on that. Whoa, this is great!

I always wondered if there would be someone stepping up for a GStreamer plugin (after all, Xine, NMM, and MPlayer through FFmpeg are already being worked on), however I didn’t expect the GStreamer people to do it themselves.

Big praises from my side!

And for the dedicated GStreamer-Qt stuff - I’m sure people will eventually use GStreamer for pro-audio or video editing stuff. It’s just that simple players don’t need GStreamer’s power, and being able to select from various engines is more important to them.

GStreamer will be the standard media framework, that way or the other. No need to lock out other frameworks to achieve that, the plain superiority of GStreamer will suffice
As long as it’s not distributed by default even in KDE-centric distributions, it’s just not superiour enough. But it will be, no question on that.

I believe the GStreamer backend will cover encoding from the beginning. GStreamer is not a playback only multimedia framework. FFMpeg does not cover hardware audio output/input, video output/input well.

Also the big crunch is that ffmpeg is not legally distributable in the USA and other countries due to patent restrictions. The LGPL and GPL require you to transfer all rights on the code (including IP such as patent licences) on distribution. This would of course be crippling financially on distributors. Quote from LGPL (licence ffmpeg is under):
“For example, if a patent license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Library by all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then the only way you could satisfy both it and this License would be to refrain entirely from distribution of the Library.”

Thanks for the announcement, thanks to Fluendo, and thanks to the “major industry player” that isn’t known yet :).

It’s always great to hear about collaboration. Good example of people having differences (need for Phonon), but seeing the larger picture and working together.

Thanks again!

Thanks for your explanation. Hate it how US patent policy is so anti-consumer.

Not sure about the benefits of shipping proprietary codecs though. It may be the easiest option, but every penny you pay to them goes to their pro-swpat lobbyists and their enforcement legal department. So it rather annulls any philosophical high ground you may be heading for in the long run.

As author of one of the pro-Phonon essays when this first started I’d just like to say that I’m very excited to hear this news. I just wish I actually had the time to contribute to chip in myself.