Is MPEG-4 video technology the next big thing?
Apple Computer’s Steve Jobs thinks so. On Tuesday the company released a public preview of QuickTime 6, Apple’s proprietary media player. What was unusual about it was the absence of a final licensing agreement with a patent group that holds the rights to MPEG-4, a next-generation compression format for video and audio and the technology that QuickTime is built around. Jobs says that Apple is close to making a pact with MPEG LA, a licensing body representing 18 patent holders that have claims on MPEG-4 technology. Yet prior delays and debates with the group could still derail those plans. In an interview with CNET News.com, the Apple CEO talked about the range of MPEG-4 technology and also touched on new plans to make the eMac available for the retail market. Q: Is your release of the QuickTime 6 preview a sign that licensing issues for MPEG-4 have been worked out? A: The licensing stuff is getting worked out. It isn’t totally worked out yet. Every “i” is not dotted and every “t” is no
