MPEG question.

[London Geezer]

Right. Now this one is gonna be hard to explain.

The way i understand it, MPEG (be it MPEG, MP3, MPEG2, MPEG4 etc) is a set of codecs. Also, until some time ago i thought MPEG was a "company" that made the codecs. Don't laugh too loud.

The questions are:

-Who really makes MPEG codecs?
-If it is a single company, then how do they make money (most of their codecs are free from my understanding)...

Same questions apply to DivX...

Thank you.
(oh i put the usual poll so u can insult me more easily)

 

[PC-Engine]

MPEG is a standard setting body and I think they do get licensing royalties. MPEG is kind like the DVD Forum.

 

[epicstruggle]

MPEG is a standard setting body and I think they do get licensing royalties. MPEG is kind like the DVD Forum.

im pretty sure they get money on the encoding process, but not decoding. ie you can play it, but you have to pay to make it.

later,
epic

 

[London Geezer]

Oh, so if i make a kick ass new codec, I would then go to Mr Mpeg&Sons so they can make 1000 times more money from distributing it than i do from creating the damn thing. Nice...

I get it now...

 

[Simon F]

I'm not sure that it's necessarily the Motion Picture Experts Group (i.e. MPEG) that are after cash but other companies who have prior art claims to technology that was used in the MPEG specification.

As for paying money for your developlement of a "kick ass** new CODEC" it depends what you mean. If you are just writing a more CPU efficient version of MPEG then you are probably infringing. If, OTOH, you have invented a brand new technique for encoding/decoding video (but therefore incompatible with MPEG2 etc) then you'd be fine.



** don't be cruel to donkeys

 

[RussSchultz]

Thompson claims royalties in MP3 (I think) and definately in MP3Pro.

Fraunhoffer Institute (I believe is the name) collects royalties because most decoder implementations are based off of their reference implementation.

I don't think the MPEG, themselves, get any money. They're more like ARB.

 

[London Geezer]

It was just an example with an emphatic use of the "I". U know, more impact on the story. I harldy know the difference from MPEG2 and MPEG4 apart from one looking better than the other, and one being smaller and therefore faster for porn downloads than the other.

So basically, someone would make 1000 times more money than I would for creating my imaginary kick ass** revolutionary new codec. If it's not Mr Mpeg&Sons, it's the other companies. So much for capitalism hey...


**I agree, leave the donkeys alone, take it on the pigeons.

 

[Simon F]

So basically, someone would make 1000 times more money than I would for creating my imaginary kick ass** revolutionary new codec.

Unless you are terrible at business, that would seem like a very unlikely ratio.

 

[London Geezer]

So basically, someone would make 1000 times more money than I would for creating my imaginary kick ass** revolutionary new codec.

Unless you are terrible at business, that would seem like a very unlikely ratio.

Well, I just created the best, most reliable, revolutionary codec ever. Runs HDTV resolutions at full screen and full 24fps even on an Intel 286.

You don't expect me to be good at business too, do you?

 

[epicstruggle]

So basically, someone would make 1000 times more money than I would for creating my imaginary kick ass** revolutionary new codec.

Unless you are terrible at business, that would seem like a very unlikely ratio.

Well, I just created the best, most reliable, revolutionary codec ever. Runs HDTV resolutions at full screen and full 24fps even on an Intel 286.

You don't expect me to be good at business too, do you?

Maybe im not understanding what your trying to say. Lets rephrase it:

If you use an existing codecs algorithm and just make it better than i think you have to pay.
if you make a codec thats independent of any other companies codec than you dont have to pay anyone.

I think that covers it.
epic

 

[Captain Chickenpants]

Generally you would include any licensing costs that you incur for using someone elses work in the price you charge for your application/hadware.