Microsoft loves Google's codecs, adds WebM and VP9 in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update

By Justin Pot Published April 19, 2016

Microsoft is playing nicely with Google. At least, Microsoft is adding support for two Google-supported, open source video codecs: WebM and VP9.

Both will be included in an upcoming update for the Edge, along with support for the open source Opus audio format. The change will bring more HTML5 video capabilities to the default browser in Windows 10, Winbeta.org is reporting. The version of Edge bundled with the Windows 10 Anniversary Edition update will be the first to include these codecs.

Recommended Videos

Firefox, Chrome, and Opera users likely use WebM and VP9 every day. YouTube’s HTML5 player, which replaced Flash in recent years on those browsers, plays back WebM video encoded in VP9. Edge and Internet Explorer both work with the HTML5 player, via the proprietary codec H.264 also used in Blu-ray discs. Sites offering video encoded in that codecs must pay royalties to do so. Because WebM is open source, there are no fees for using it.

“Starting with EdgeHTML 14.14291, the open-source WebM container format and the VP9 video and Opus audio codecs are supported in Microsoft Edge,” said a post on the Windows development blog. “These are available to websites that use Media Source Extensions (MSE) to adaptively stream video content.”

The post added that Windows Web Apps, which you can find in the Windows Store, will also support theses codecs. This is because Windows Web Apps are displayed using Edge’s web engine.

Outside of YouTube, there aren’t many major sites that use WebM or VP9 at this point. Microsoft’s move could change that, because now every major web browser but Safari natively supports the open format.

For users, this doesn’t mean much in the short term. But in the long term, it could be a big deal of the online video industry. Imagine if, every time you loaded a JPEG image, the websites hosting the image had to pay the patent holder. That’s the current situation with online video, and technologies like WebM could be the solution.

Former Contributor

Justin's always had a passion for trying out new software, asking questions, and explaining things – tech journalism is the…

Topics

Computing

OpenAI’s new GPT-6.1 Terra model gets Astra-like results for one-tenth the price

The new model is designed to get through computer-based tasks quickly without sacrificing too much capability.

ChatGPT-6.1 Terra model launched

Nearly a month after announcing the GPT-6.1 Sol model, OpenAI unveiled GPT-6.1 Terra today. The latest addition to the family focuses on computer use, visual reasoning, coding, and professional work, while costing 50% less through the API than GPT-5.6 Terra.

OpenAI says Terra can handle everything from filling out browser forms and working inside spreadsheets to interpreting technical drawings and editing videos. The company says it can also complete computer-based tasks more than three times faster than GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol.

Computing

ASUS is charging RTX 5090 money for Intel Arc, and your wallet may need a moment

ASUS prices its Intel Arc Pro B70 at nearly twice Intel’s original starting price

Intel Arc Pro B70

ASUS has started selling its UGen Intel Arc Pro B70 graphics card in Europe, bringing its take on Intel’s workstation GPU to customers with a hefty €1,799 recommended price. The card is available in Germany and Austria, while ASUS lists it at CHF 1,799 in Switzerland.

Intel first introduced the Arc Pro B70 in March 2026, with its own branded model starting at $949. ASUS’s version arrives several months later with the same core GPU architecture but a different cooling design and a higher power rating. The price also places it well above Intel’s original starting point, although the two prices are not directly comparable because ASUS’s European figure includes VAT.

Computing

As Anthropic goes public, it warns of AI’s catastrophic and existential risks to humanity

The risks range from rogue AI behavior and cyberattacks to geopolitical instability and existential harm.

Anthropic has officially filed to go public, and buried inside its S-1 is a blunt warning about the technology at the center of its business. The maker of Claude AI says advanced AI could cause everything from large-scale cyberattacks and geopolitical instability to catastrophic or even existential risks for humanity.

The warnings take up a surprisingly large part of the filing. Axios notes that more than 90 pages, or roughly a third of the prospectus, focus on risk factors. Many of them warn about what could happen as AI systems become more capable and autonomous.