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0 pointstomrod7mo ago0 comments

Free codecs have been available a long time, surely, as we could install them in Linux distributions in 2005 or earlier?

(I know nothing about the legal side of all this, just remembering the time period of Ubuntu circa 2005-2008).

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zappb7mo ago

Free codecs without patent issues were limited to things like Vorbis which never got wide support. There were FOSS codecs for patented algorithms, but those had legal issues in places that enforce software patents.

breve7mo ago

AV1, VP9, and Opus are used on YouTube and Netflix right now.

It's hard to get more mainstream than YouTube and Netflix.

account427mo ago

Now, not in 2005.

notpushkin7mo ago

> which never got wide support

Source? I’ve seen Vorbis used in a whole bunch of places.

Notably, Spotify only used Vorbis for a while (still does, but also includes AAC now, for Apple platforms I think).

scott_w7mo ago

Pre-Spotify, MP3 players would usually only ship with MP3 support (thus the name), so people would only rip to MP3. Ask any millennial and most of them will never have heard of Ogg.

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