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Windows Media Format Could Hit Linux-Based Devices

Posted by timothy on from the mux-demux dept.

An anonymous reader writes "LinuxDevices.com reports that Microsoft has licensed InterVideo Inc. to supply Windows Media Technology to makers of Linux-based consumer devices. Under the agreement, InterVideo is licensed to take the components of the Windows Media Format, port them to Linux, and provide them to manufacturers who are interested in running Windows Media Technology on Linux-based consumer devices such as set-top boxes, personal video recorders, and other hybrid multimedia devices."

8 of 264 comments (clear)

  1. You mean LinDVD? by Supp0rtLinux · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Most interesting since it was Intervideo that made LinDVD over 3 years ago. To date, only IBM has every shipped it (pre-packaged on some stinkpads). Their site still (3 years later) says it's released to OEMs and developers only. I've emailed them, but they didn't want me as a developer I guess. :) Funny that the first legal DVD player for Linux never made it to the public arena, yet MS could now bring it there...

  2. Haha, smart move from MS by coupland · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You can rightly accuse Microsoft of many things but being dumb isn't one of them. Due to their lack of headway in the embedded systems market and the extreme popularity of Linux in this same market Microsoft is smart enough not to mortgage the Windows Media farm on the success of their embedded OSes.

    The cynical among us might think that by porting Windows Media to Linux and then "enhancing" the Windows versions faster than the Linux version you could lure Linux-committed companies to make an "easy port" to CE. Personally I think it should be watched-for but unlikely as embedded-Windows is decent, companies are abandoning it not for functionality issues, but cost and choice -- things much more important in the embedded space.

  3. Re:thr1d ps0t by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "Con: Probably NOT going to be open-source."

    Is that really a big stinking deal in this case? Maybe I'm just going numb to the "It's only good if it's Open Source' crap that keeps flying around here.

    P.S. I'm being serious here, I'd really like to know if it's a big deal or not. Not really my intention to troll or be insulting.

  4. MPlayer by swtaarrs · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For you Linux nuts who are worrying about it not being open-source and therefore not being able to use it in your own distro, just use MPlayer .I use it, and it plays Windows Media files very well. There are plenty of other progs for *nix that can play Windows Media, so this isn't really that special.

  5. Re:thr1d ps0t by SunPin · · Score: 5, Funny

    Then don't post AC and somebody might answer.

    --
    Laws are for people with no friends.
  6. Hmmn by Hawthorne01 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I am reminded of an Arab proverb about not letting the camel's nose into the tent, as soon the rest of the camel will follow.

    --
    "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
  7. Re:Movie theaters? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    5. ???
    6. Profit!

  8. Re:A good thing, with some caveats... by gregmac · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Why is it a good thing? WMV is a closed, proprietary format. DRM or not (no matter if you like DRM or not), its not good to have proprietary formats. Porting it to linux means that content creators have less reason to encode things in open formats, espessially with the way microsoft crams things down everyone's throats.

    Marketing + availability on many systems + marketing + being the only encoder included with many products + marketing = content creators only making their stuff available in proprietary formats.

    I don't want to pay another $1 when I rent a dvd to pay for the WMV licence to be able to decode the content.. :p

    --
    Speak before you think