Editing On2 Technologies (section)

==Technology==

===TrueMotion S===
According to the company itself, development started in the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://duck.com/duckfaq.html#question2 |title=Information from duck.com <!-- impossible date |access-date=1997-02-09 --> |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970209090752/http://duck.com/duckfaq.html#question2 |archive-date=1997-02-09 }}</ref> The first versions of the codec were mainly targeted at and used for [[full motion video]] scenes in computer games. One of the codec's competitive advantages in this field was that, unlike [[MPEG]], it does not require a separate decoder, thus reducing costs to game publishers.<ref name="GPro62"/> At the time, MPEG's dominance was nearly secured, especially with hardware-implementations of the codec, meant to run on special hardware boards only.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MN2EAgAAQBAJ&q=hardware-based+truemotion+duck&pg=PA34|title=An Introduction to Digital Media|last=Feldman|first=Tony|date=2003-09-02|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134734962|language=en}}</ref>

This was the first version in the TrueMotion series of [[Proprietary software|proprietary]] [[Lossy compression|lossy]] [[video compression]] formats and [[video codec]].  This format compressed frame in either a 32-bit or 16-bit RGB [[color space]] with a [[FourCC]] of <code>DUCK</code> (or <code>TMOT</code> for a version of TrueMotion S that was licensed by Horizon Technologies<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=244421|title=Codecs - Winamp & Shoutcast Forums|website=forums.winamp.com|date=23 April 2006 |access-date=31 January 2019}}</ref>). It is usually put in an [[Audio Video Interleave|AVI]] [[Container format (digital)|container]]. The [[filename extension]] varies from game to game. Some leave it with <code>.avi</code>, other games use <code>.bin</code> or <code>.duc</code>. Gaming consoles which were licensed to use the codec include the [[Sega Saturn]],<ref name="GPro62"/> [[Sega 32X]],<ref name="GPro62"/> and [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Gex Related to a Duck?|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=69 |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=April 1995|page=147}}</ref> [[Simon & Schuster]] first person games such as ''[[Star Trek: Borg]]'' also used the compression format. Some of the files can be played back with a video player that uses the [[libavcodec]] library, such as [[MPlayer]].

In 1995, Horizons Technology Inc. began shipping the TrueMotion-S Compressor software for Macintosh and MS Windows.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Horizons+Technology+ships+the+Windows+version+of+its+TrueMotion-S+...-a017434566 | title=Horizons Technology ships the Windows version of its TrueMotion-S software-only video compressor; TrueMotion-S Compressor can be implemented without expensive desktop upgrades. |  url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013090517/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Horizons+Technology+ships+the+Windows+version+of+its+TrueMotion-S+...-a017434566 |archive-date=2012-10-13 |  date=1995-10-26 | access-date=2009-10-24 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Horizons+Technology+signs+new+international+distributors+for...-a017098558 | title=Horizons Technology signs new international distributors for TrueMotion-S software-only video; new distributors to bring high-quality software-only video to Europe and Israel. | date=1995-06-21 | access-date=2009-10-24 | archive-date=2012-10-13 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013090530/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Horizons+Technology+signs+new+international+distributors+for...-a017098558 | url-status=dead }}</ref> TrueMotion-S was originally developed by the Duck Corp. for applications such as the Sega game box.

In 1996, the main competitors for TrueMotion S software codec were [[Cinepak]] and [[Indeo]] in games for first-generation CD-ROM based game consoles.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.synthetic-ap.com/qt/trumot.html | title=Horizon Technology's TrueMotion-S Codec | year=1996 | author=Robert Currier | access-date=2009-10-24 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081225135251/http://www.synthetic-ap.com/qt/trumot.html | archive-date=2008-12-25 }}</ref>

===TrueMotion RT===
The "real time" version in the series was released in 1996. It was meant for real time capturing and processing of digital video.

===TrueMotion 2===
The second version in this series only supported a 24-bit RGB [[color space]] optimized for Windows rendering which orders components as BGR with a [[FourCC]] of ''TM20''. Used for ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' and ''[[Star Trek: Klingon]]''.

In 1997, Microsoft Corp. licensed The Duck Corp.'s TrueMotion 2.0 video codec technology to bring TV-quality video to the PC platform.<ref>Microsoft Corp. (April 28, 1997) [http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/1997/apr97/trumtnpr.mspx Microsoft Licenses Duck Corp.'s TrueMotion 2.0 To Bring Television-Quality Video to the PC] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430065324/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/1997/apr97/trumtnpr.mspx |date=2008-04-30 }}, Retrieved on 2009-08-11</ref>

===DK ADPCM Audio 3/4===
There are two obsolete versions for associated [[ADPCM]] audio compression.

===TrueMotion VP3/4===
{{Main|VP3}}
On June 1, 2000, brought version 3.1; August 16, 2000 version 3.2.  The third version in the series switched to using a planar Y'CbCr 4:2:0 [[color space]].

In late 2001, On2 released their [[VP3]](.2) compression technology into the open-source community including their patents on the technology. The technology lives on in the form of [[Theora]].  The [[Xiph.Org Foundation]] created its codec ''Theora'' as a fork of the codebase of VP3.2.  The forked version added 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 sub sampling for better color quality options.

In April 2001 VP4 was published, which brought an improved encoder for the same bitstream format.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}

=== TrueMotion VP5/6 ===
{{Redirect|VP5|}}
A preview version of VP5 was published on February 21, 2002, with production version being available as of May 1, 2002.<ref>On2 (2002-02-21) [http://www.on2.com/index.php?id=486&news_id=337 On2 Releases Preview Version Of VP5, The World's Most Powerful Video Compression Technology] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130233524/http://www.on2.com/index.php?id=486&news_id=337 |date=2010-01-30 }}, Retrieved on 2009-08-16</ref><ref>CNet (2002-02-22) [http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-843457.html On2: Move over, MPEG-4], Retrieved on 2009-08-16</ref><ref>StreamingMedia.com (2002-02-27) [http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=8185 On2 Previews VP5] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017210205/http://streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=8185 |date=2007-10-17 }}, Retrieved on 2009-08-16</ref> The production version of VP5 codec was released in May 2002.<ref name="vp5-production">On2 (2002-05-01) [http://www.on2.com/index.php?id=486&news_id=321 On2 Technologies Releases Production Version Of VP5 & TrueCast 7.2] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204065821/http://www.on2.com/index.php?id=486&news_id=321 |date=2007-12-04 }}, Retrieved on 2009-08-16</ref>

When the codec was in [[Development stage#Beta|beta]], to preview its quality, On2 created a plug-in for [[RealPlayer]].<ref name="vp5-production" /> Lately the final version of the codec was ready. The VP5 codec was limited, when the VP6 came out.

{{Main|VP6}}
The sixth version like VP3 and VP4 kept the same bitstream as VP5 and added an optional alpha channel to the [[color space]].

In April 2003 [[AOL]] has bought broad licensing rights for VP5 and VP6 codecs.<ref>CNET News (2003-04-04) [http://news.cnet.com/AOL-licenses-On2-video-codecs/2100-1025_3-996790.html?tag=mncol AOL licenses On2 video codecs], Retrieved on 2009-08-17</ref> More recently,{{When|date=February 2011}} On2 licensed its technology to AOL for use in an IP-based video telephony product, to Tencent Holdings of China for use in its instant messaging products, and to Saver Corporation of Japan to enable new Flash 8 mobile video applications.

On May 12, 2003, On2 announced the release of VP6.<ref>{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/on2.com/pressreleases.php3?qs1=vp6_launch |date=* |title=Press release of On2 on the release of VP6 }}</ref> Revised versions 6.1 and 6.2 followed later that year.
Since October 2003 it may be used free of charge for personal use.

In late 2003, On2 announced that its VP5 and VP6 codecs were selected by Beijing E-World as a video coding method to be used in a Chinese-developed competitor to the [[DVD]] format called the [[Enhanced Versatile Disc|EVD]] (Enhanced Versatile Disc) format. Then in April 2004, On2 announced that its business relationship with E-World had soured, and that On2 would file multiple breach of contract claims against E-World in arbitration proceedings. The arbitrator reached a conclusion on March 10, 2005, according to [[SEC filings]] by On2 on March 14, 2005. The arbitrator dismissed each of On2's claims and ruled that E-World owed nothing to On2 and had not breached the contract. It seems unlikely that On2 will ultimately get any significant payback from the EVD initiative, although some contract relationship remains in effect.

A number of less highly visible deals with other customers and partners seem to have worked out more amicably than the Chinese DVD project. Recent announcements have related to deals with Apex Datacom, IWAPI Inc., [[Vividas]], Digital Witness, [[XM Satellite Radio]], PowerLinx, and [[LeapFrog Enterprises]]. In particular, the company indicated that it expected to recognize some revenue from the Leapfrog deal in the third quarter of 2005 and also made optimistic statements about the future with XM Satellite Radio.

In 2004, On2's [[VP6]] was selected for use as the [[Macromedia]] [[Flash Video]] 8 codec. This apparently stems from a deal made in the second quarter of 2004 with revenue in that quarter of $1.4 million for the licensing agreement. In related news, On2 announced on April 5, 2005, that it had acquired the Flix Flash video encoder technology from Wildform, Inc. On2 added support for Flash 8 video output to the Flix 8 product line that they released on September 13, 2005.

=== TrueMotion VP7 ===
{{redirect|VP7|text=For virus protein 7; see for example the [[Rotavirus]]}}
The seventh version changed the bitstream from previous versions for better coding efficiency and was released in March 2005; since July it may be used free of charge for personal use.

It is a codec with both [[Video for Windows|VFW]] and [[DirectShow]] support that On2 Technologies claims has better compression than leading competitive codecs such as [[MPEG-4 AVC]] (H.264) and [[VC-1]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}}

On2 Technologies announced TrueMotion VP7 in January 2005.<ref>{{cite web|author=On2 Technologies |title=On2 Technologies Launches TrueMotion VP7 Preview |publisher=On2 Technologies |date=2005-01-10 |url=http://www.on2.com/index.php?id=470&news_id=214 |access-date=2009-09-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071129060815/http://www.on2.com/index.php?id=470&news_id=214 |archive-date=November 29, 2007 }}</ref> The public release of VP7 codec software was available in March 2005.<ref>{{cite web|author=On2 Technologies |title=On2 Launches VP7 Codec and TrueCast 8 Client/Server |publisher=On2 Technologies |date=2005-03-07 |url=http://www.on2.com/index.php?id=470&news_id=349 |access-date=2009-09-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071129060425/http://www.on2.com/index.php?id=470&news_id=349 |archive-date=November 29, 2007 }}</ref>

On March 9, 2005, On2 announced a new codec, VP7. On2 claimed that VP7 is superior to the [[H.264]]/AVC standard, based on claims of comparative technical capabilities and licensing costs. This claim has been disputed by a developer of [[x264]], a popular H.264 encoder.<ref>{{cite web|last=Glaser|first=Fiona|title=The first in-depth technical analysis of VP8|url=http://x264dev.multimedia.cx/archives/377|work=Diary Of An x264 Developer|date=2011-10-23|quote=VP7, for example, was claimed to be 15% better than H.264 while being much faster, but was in reality neither faster nor higher quality.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209061213/http://x264dev.multimedia.cx/archives/377|archive-date=2012-02-09}}</ref>

In April 2005, On2 Technologies licensed On2 Video Codecs (including VP6 and VP7) for [[Adobe Flash#History|Macromedia Flash]].<ref>{{cite web|author=On2 Technologies |title=On2 Technologies Licenses On2 Video Codec for Macromedia Flash |publisher=On2 Technologies |date=2005-04-05 |url=http://www.on2.com/index.php?id=470&news_id=204 |access-date=2009-09-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130070650/http://www.on2.com/index.php?id=470&news_id=204 |archive-date=November 30, 2007 }}</ref>

On December 1, 2005, [[Skype]] announced that they had licensed current and future versions of its video compression software and had integrated it into the beta version of Skype 2.0 for point-to-point video conferencing [[Skype protocol]].<ref>{{cite web|author=On2 Technologies |title=On2 Technologies Codec Offers High Quality Video to Skype |publisher=On2 Technologies |date=2005-12-01 |url=http://www.on2.com/index.php?id=486&news_id=164 |access-date=2009-09-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204065709/http://www.on2.com/index.php?id=486&news_id=164 |archive-date=December 4, 2007 }}</ref>  No financial terms were disclosed relating to the deal.

On August 13, 2007, On2 announced the addition of H.264 support to its [[On2 Flix]] product line.<ref>[http://www.on2.com/company/news-room/press-releases/?id=411 About<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070903093954/http://www.on2.com/company/news-room/press-releases/?id=411 |date=September 3, 2007 }}</ref>

Move Networks also used the VP7 codec in its Move Media Player plugin for Firefox and Internet Explorer, used by [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] for its streaming of full network shows.<ref>{{cite web|title=Widevine and Move Networks Announce Partnership & Integration to Secure Delivery of Video Content for Major Broadcast Networks |publisher=Move Networks |date=2008-01-08 |url=http://www.movenetworks.com/news-releases/widevine-and-move-networks-announce-partnership-integration-to-secure-delivery-of-video-content-for-major-broadcast-networks |access-date=2009-09-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206033958/http://www.movenetworks.com/news-releases/widevine-and-move-networks-announce-partnership-integration-to-secure-delivery-of-video-content-for-major-broadcast-networks |archive-date=December 6, 2008 }}</ref>

=== TrueMotion VP8 ===
{{Main|VP8}}
VP8 was published in 2008 and marked the transfer of formats to [[Google]] with their acquisition of On2 and was [[open sourced]] on May 19, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2010/05/19/live-google-makes-major-announcements-at-google-io/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210928/https://mashable.com/2010/05/19/live-google-makes-major-announcements-at-google-io/| archive-date=2021-09-28|title=LIVE: Google Makes Major Announcements at Google I/O|first=Ben|last=Parr|website=Mashable| date=19 May 2010|access-date=31 January 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>  The [[VP8]] codec was licensed under a [[BSD]] license.<ref>{{citation |url=https://arstechnica.com/web/news/2010/05/google-pounds-the-open-standards-drum-during-io-keynote.ars| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210928/https://arstechnica.com/web/news/2010/05/google-pounds-the-open-standards-drum-during-io-keynote.ars| archive-date=2021-09-28 |title=Google pounds the open standards drum during I/O keynote |first=Ryan |last=Paul |date=2010-05-20 |publisher=Ars Technica}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://rcpmag.com/Articles/2010/05/20/Google-Goes-Open-Source-With-WebM-VP8-Codec.aspx?p=1 |title=Google Goes Open Source With WebM, VP8 Codec |first=Kurt |last=Mackie |date=2010-05-20 |publisher=Redmond Channel Partner}}</ref>