[asterisk-users] H.264 *Not Patented*

[Lee Jenkins]

Matthew Rubenstein wrote:
> 	The H.264 codec patent by Qualcomm has been ruled invalid by a San
> Diego Federal jury:
> http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197001066 .
> That means that H.264 codecs can now be written, distributed and revised
> freely under any license their authors choose, including GPL, public
> domain, or any other, and $free now that royalties are no longer
> required.
> 
> 	How does H.264 compare with GSM and G.729 in CPU demand (MIPS:Kbps) and
> audio quality at low bitrates? GSM is $free, but G.729 is higher quality
> (tho patented with at least $10 per running codec instance royalties).
> Will H.264 become the favorite high-quality Asterisk codec, or will it
> perhaps force G.729 to become free, or negligibly cheaper?

Although I wouldn't complain about a free G.729 codec, I have to be 
honest in saying that $10.00 isn't that great of an expense considering 
the better call quality you get.

-- 

Warm Regards,

Lee