Microsoft Proposes Different WebRTC Standard

By | August 7, 2012


Microsoft Proposes Different WebRTC StandardWants more flexibility, a support for legacy devices.

Even though Google has proposed their own version of the WebRTC standard, it looks like the software giant has different ideas for the real time communication and they call it “Customizable, Ubiquitous Real Time Communication over the Web” or CU-RTC-Web.

So how exactly does it differ?

According to Matthew Kaufman, the principal architect for Microsoft Skype on WebRTC, they want more flexibility and implement technology on the legacy devices, “the history of voice over IP is filled with incompatibility”, he said.

However, those are not the only differences, while Mozilla and Google want to use a video codec from the search giant itself (VP8), Microsoft is not exactly a big supporter of the mentioned video compression format and their stance haven’t changed yet, “Flexibility in its support of popular media formats and codecs as well as openness to future innovation – A successful standard cannot be tied to individual codecs, data formats or scenarios.”, he said.

“At Microsoft, we have a bit of a more deliberate release cycle,” he said, suggesting that the company wouldn’t support the technology in its consumer products until it’s actually a standard. And, when asked specifically about Google’s support for WebRTC, he replied: “Our companies have a different way of working.”

“Flexibility in its support of popular media formats and codecs as well as openness to future innovation – A successful standard cannot be tied to individual codecs, data formats or scenarios.”

Whether or not Microsoft’s proposal will appear in the final draft, only time will tell.

[Via GigaOM]


About (Author Profile)


Vygantas is a former web designer whose projects are used by companies such as AMD, NVIDIA and departed Westood Studios. Being passionate about software, Vygantas began his journalism career back in 2007 when he founded FavBrowser.com. Having said that, he is also an adrenaline junkie who enjoys good books, fitness activities and Forex trading.

Comments (3)

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  1. Przemysław Lib says:

    Yes VoIP must be compatible across all.
    But look how MS support “video” and “audio” tags in HTML5. That is as far from compatibility as possible.

    Why on earth MS can not support WebM too, is beyond me.

    The same situation would happen again but with VoIP.

    Those are useless standards without MANDATORY codec, that could be implemented by all.

  2. Iecustomizer says:

    there are no internet police. ‘standards’ are just that. ratification in no way implies enforcement. freedom implies the right to have walled gardens. they all do it and the trend is to proprietry solutions that reward innovation with proprietry solutions. Suits, lots and lots of Suits

  3. Marc (Opera Lover) says:

    http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/08/microsoft-proposes-alternate-spec-for-web-audiovideo-chat-standard/

    great article about this.  Looks like the two aren’t too far apart actually, but I still think VP8 and open is superior to h.264 proprietry solutions.