HTML5 video war heats up

The H.264 video codec has been set royalty-free in the latest move on the battle for dominance between the two leading HTML5 video codecs, says Tech Central.

H.264 and the royalty-free, Google-supported WebM are the two candidates to become the HTML5 video codec, which will allow users to watch Web video without downloading separate plug-ins.

Microsoft and Apple have both opted to use H.264 in their browsers, while Google, Mozilla and Opera are backing WebM.

Fraunhofer IIS, a source of audio and multimedia technologies, plans to present 'telepresence@home' and HD video conferencing systems at IFA 2010 in Berlin, according to Business Wire.

This systems feature low-delay, high-quality audio and video. Fraunhofer's technology is said to allow users to experience completely natural conversation just as if the participants were sitting in the same room.

The telepresence@home system demo is part of the European Union's 'Together anywhere together anytime' project, which aims to enable new media experiences to nurture relationships between families and friends.

Japanese researchers have created a 3D TV system that allows viewers to manipulate the image with their hands, states TG Daily.

A team at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) says its i3Space system uses cameras and haptic technologies to give the users the illusion of being able to stretch, squash and move the 3D images.

In one example, a user grasps an image of the earth and stretches it out into an oval shape. AIST envisages applications in computer-aided design and surgical simulation, as well as gaming and entertainment.