Re: Better Video Codecs - was Re: [GnomeMeeting-list] ideas..

[Craig Southeren <craigs postincrement com>]

On Thu, 15 Dec 2005 15:36:04 +0930
Malcolm Caldwell <malcolm caldwell ntu edu au> wrote:

> Just on the the whole 'better video codecs' thing.
> 
> I will be brutal and say that gnomemeeting will only every be a 'voip
> client that can also basic video' until there are better video codecs.
> h263 at the last, h264 to be a bit more modern, and theora to be 'open
> source'
> 
> We cannot afford to wait until Craig and Robert implement video plugin
> codecs.  This might never happen.

Please correct if I am wrong, but I don't think that anybody is holding
back on coding video plugins because they think I am doing them. 

If anybody is holding back, then I recommend they don't wait. If they
feel they have the skills and the time, then they should go right ahead
and do it.

Having said that, I am fully intend to implement video codec plugins as
soon as I can (unless someone beats me to it) and there is a chance that
this could be started soon if certain negotiations proceed as I hope.

In the mean time, I will be doing stuff to OpenH323/OPAL in my spare
time, much like Damien and the other contributors. And occasionally, I
will be able to spend part of my work day adding code to OpenH323/OPAL
for other people. 

> While on the subject: gstreamer is gaining rtp packetisation abilities.
> Perhaps gstreamer could help implement codecs in gnomemeeting?  Or
> perhaps even video codecs?  gstreamer is lgpl.

The LGPL license introduces some challenges when integrating with
OpenH323/OPAL, but these are not insurmountable. This could be an
interesting direction to follow. 

However, the RTP packetisation is only a part of the story. The creation
of valid and inter-operable H.323 and SIP capability definitions is a
large part of the work, as is solving the licensing issues (as mentioned
before).

   Craig

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