Video boost for Chrome OS

BANGALORE, INDIA: The developer's build of Google's Chrome browser has incorporated WebM, which is essentially an open-source and royalty-free video technology that allows browsers to use advanced streaming video features without publishers paying a dime.

The release is available for Chrome development in Windows, Mac, and Linux, and incorporates support for VP8 and Ogg Vorbis codecs. 

According to analysts, the developer's build of Chrome is now the third major browser to support WebM, along with versions of Firefox and Opera that are still in development. Chromium, the open-source fountainhead of Chrome, added rudimentary support in mid-May. Google has yet to indicate when WebM support will be made available in the beta version.

Google acquired the VP8 codec when it purchased On2 Technologies in February. The successor to the VP6 codec, which gained wide distribution when Adobe included it in its Flash Player, VP8's biggest claim to fame so far is that Google is releasing it royalty-free.