If Mozilla has its way, you'll soon be able to watch streaming video on sites all over the web without ever having to use a plug-in. The software maker announced Monday that native support for the open-source Threora video format will be added to Firefox 3.1, the next version of its popular web browser. Theora files can be embedded directly into web pages just like images and viewed in any browser that supports Theora playback - no plug-in to download, so special software to install. Furthermore, Mozilla has set up a USD 100,000 grant to foster the development of new tools, player technologies and codec enhancements to display, store and stream Theora videos and its companion Vorbis audio format. The grant will be administered by the non-profit Wikimedia foundation. Monday's news is sure to cause a heap of worry at Adobe, Apple and Microsoft. The giants own the web's leading media playback and streaming technologies, and collect the lucrative licensing payments for their use.
http://www.ejc.net/media_news/mozilla_goes_to_bat_for_open_source_video_on_the_web/
