Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Development
    • IT Management

    Does Google Want On2 for a Gaming Console?

    By
    Clint Boulton
    -
    August 6, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      The blogosphere abounds with questions about Google’s Aug. 5 purchase, a $106.5 million stock bid for video compression software maker On2 Technologies. The leading question seems to be: Wherefore On2?

      Google owns YouTube, the world’s leading video-sharing Website, which streams 1.5 billion video clips every day.

      On2 makes On2 Video, a line of codecs that could compress video piped through YouTube for easier transmission over the Internet and cellular networks. On2 also makes video encoders that output Adobe Flash, Sun’s JavaFX video and H.264 video for Apple’s iPhone and iPod. On2 counts Amazon.com, Disney and Microsoft as encoding customers.

      Finally, On2 designs embedded video codecs for chip sets and devices such as mobile phones, mobile Internet devices, set-top boxes, games decks, digital TVs and DVD players. Nokia, Samsung and Sony use these technologies. ZDNet breaks down the On2 assets, showing that they are woven intricately across a broad swath of digital devices and applications from various vendors working or dabbling in video.

      Why On2 indeed? There are many theories, but a few will likely suffice.

      Google may want video compression technology to support its YouTube video-sharing site, which is approaching profitability, according to Google executives. Some believe Google wants to leverage On2’s assets for its Chrome browser, its Android mobile operating system and, eventually, its Chrome Operating System.

      After all, companies that want to play in video have developed their own proprietary video technologies. Adobe has the market-leading Flash, Apple has QuickTime and Microsoft has Silverlight in the hopper. Google surely desires to include native video capabilities in Android, Chrome and Chrome OS without relying on rivals’ technology.

      Perhaps Google will take the On2 video codecs and open-source them, giving corporate customers a lower cost barrier to entry than the proprietary options. It would certainly fit with Google’s modus operandi of open-sourcing just about any technology that isn’t search- or advertising-related.

      Other Possible Google Plans for On2

      eWEEK spoke to Gartner analyst Andrew Frank, who blogged about the On2 buy here Aug. 5. Frank said he believes the purchase shows Google’s interest in leveraging our living rooms for Web services. Think about the targeted advertising possibilities that come with Android set-top boxes and Chrome OS-based televisions.

      Frank said he believes Google is trying to embed itself more deeply in the online video space, beyond just the YouTube entry point. Adobe’s Flash, which leverages On2’s VP6 codec but is moving to the MPEG H.264 format, powers the bulk of online video, while Sun Microsystems’ JavaFX platform is embedded in the infrastructure of most standard advanced television platforms.

      Google can leverage the On2 assets against H.264 to make sure video compression remains competitive and nonexclusive.

      “It may chose to open-source the technology to achieve these goals, as has been its pattern with other core technologies, but in any case they can use the acquisition to assure [that] the quality and economics of online streaming continue to improve,” Frank wrote in his blog post.

      Frank further said he believes that Google needs On2 to ensure that the public Web is piped in high definition without cable, satellite or IPTV providers charging for quality of service or limiting video access to screens.

      “For over-the-top video to really work at a scalable level, you really need pretty good compression to get the quality,” Frank told eWEEK. “This would allow Google, for example, to deliver ‘out-of-band’ advertising options to broadband-connected set-tops that could be targeted using Google technology.”

      The wildest theory about how Google will leverage On2 comes from eWEEK reader Gaetano Marano, who suggested that the On2 codecs will be used in a secret Google gaming console the company is building to challenge the Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.

      Of course, that is wild conjecture, but so is everything at this point because Google has declined to discuss its plans for On2.

      What do you think Google will do with On2? Will it be for a gaming platform?

      Clint Boulton
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×