GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 374773
[qtdemux] [PLUGIN-MOVE] Move from -bad to good
Last modified: 2007-06-12 19:38:14 UTC
Sorry, no patches.
I would like to see first: - move node dumping debug code to separate file - use structs to parse nodes instead of the random byte probing. featurewise it's pretty ok. The known problems: - no RTSP redirect support - unknown media handlers are just ignored currently. Some wierd files don't generate an error for this reason. - complicated edit lists are not handled (see bug #345830)
> - no RTSP redirect support qtdemux does emit a GST_MESSAGE_ELEMENT 'redirect' with the uri AFAIK (check out around line 1454)
Due to licensing issues with quicktime format I and changing header to be move from -bad to -ugly.
Why do you think qtdemux has licensing issues?
Apple demand you sign a licensing contract with them to use the quicktime container format. MPEG LA demands a license with them to use the ISO format which essentially Quicktime. MPEG LA also sports a patent list for the MPEG4 systems license.
Actually, the wording in: http://developer.apple.com/softwarelicensing/agreements/quicktime.html says: " QuickTime File Format License (PDF) To be used by consumer electronics manufacturers who use the QuickTime format in their products. All other developers interested in using the QuickTime File Format should contact Software Licensing with details about their products. " ie. we don't even know what to do for software. Care to contact them? We don't need the QuickTime logo, or anything else.
Christian, Do you have any documentation of this?
Here is Apple's Quicktime licensing contract: http://developer.apple.com/softwarelicensing/agreements/pdf/qtfileformat.pdf Here is MPEG LA's list of patents they think appply: http://www.mpegla.com/m4s/m4s-patentlist.cfm MPEG LA's contract text can be ordered for free from MPEG LA here: http://www.mpegla.com/m4s/m4s-agreement.cfm
Bastien: sure I can try contacting Apple. Its just that my experience with these organisations is that you *never* get them to not own something :)
First of all, there are no patents prior to 2000. Thus, anything in a QuickTime spec from before 2000 can be implemented. Second, there are a bunch of patents with titles like "Method and system for encoding rotations and normals in 3D generated scenes". We'll just ignore that one. Third, most of the patents cover muxing, not demuxing, and only cover specific aspects of muxing. Like encoding rotations and normals in 3D generated scenes. So, I'd like to see some specific actual IP that covers QuickTime demuxing that qtdemux does or is likely to do in the near future. Otherwise, I'm likely to label this as just paranoia.
I would be fine with considering it a non-issue. Did get a reply from Apple to my question, but it was a nonsensical answer about not needing a license if we just used the Quicktime SDK. Seriously doubt one could ever hope of getting anything else.
(In reply to comment #1) > I would like to see first: > > - move node dumping debug code to separate file I believe that's been done already, right? > - use structs to parse nodes instead of the random byte probing. There's a lot of that, and some of it wouldn't actually fit in struct, as they're variable lengths. > featurewise it's pretty ok. The known problems: > > - no RTSP redirect support > - unknown media handlers are just ignored currently. Some wierd files don't > generate an error for this reason. Do you have examples? > - complicated edit lists are not handled (see bug #345830) The example file is gone. Do you still have it around?
Ok, got some feedback on the patent situation so it seems in terms of demuxing the patents in question cover things like the QuicktimeVR stuff, which I don't think we support anyway and some streaming hinting stuff, which we don't support either. So this makes moving the plugin to -good more interesting. I am waiting for one more source of feedback before we should make a final decision on where this plugins goes.
Ok, after some final delibirations the concensus is that the qtdemuxer can go into good as long as we don't support QuicktimeVR or the RTP hinting stuff. Once the plugin is moved I will create a readme in the plugin source directory mentioning this so that if anyone ever implements or want to implement support for these will will have to discuss how we do that or if the plugin should be moved to -ugly at that point.
Setting this a 0.10.5 blocker.
qtdemux has moved to -good