The video patents aren't just "patent troll" patents, either. They are highly enforceable, and were registered by corporations like Ampex.
I have been trying to write a simple app to stream RTSP (security cameras), and that has been a pain.
I need to basically use either proprietary (paid) or GPL software to do it.
Video software is not for the faint of heart. Much as I grouse about the licensing, I am not about to develop my own codec.
I did write this one app, which is an ffmpeg wrapper, to convert RTSP to HLS (Which is not -currently- suitable for realtime streaming): https://github.com/RiftValleySoftware/RVS_MediaServer
It's GPL, because I need to use the GPL ffmpeg H.264 codec.
> It's GPL, because I need to use the GPL ffmpeg H.264 codec.
I don't understand the problem?
I can see the problem with people patenting things and preventing you from writing your own implementation, but it seems you just want other people to do the hard work of implementing it so you can wrap a skin around it and do what?
It was a statement of fact.
I've been writing open-source software for well over 20 years (actually, well over 30 years –Where does the time go?).
I think I understand the issues involved.
edit: Your project reminds me, https://github.com/arut/nginx-rtmp-module is super worth checking out and might be helpful to you.
One of the frustrating things about implementing video software, even licensing it, is pretty much everything out there is an expression of ffmpeg, which is a really, really good system, but does have some baggage.
And retaliation clauses are present in basically every free software license that has clauses dealing with patents (including Apache-2.0).
I'm more and more fond of calling it all a big game of chicken, a MAD without nukes,
Apparently, they aren't. There are at least 2 other patent pools that claim patents for HEVC, and I think I saw 3 in some other article before:
https://streaminglearningcenter.com/codecs/hevc-ip-mess-wors...
The existence of Theora, VP8, VP9, and now AV1 seems to contradict that theory.
You could argue that they infringe on some unknown patents, but that is also arguably true of patent cabals like MPEG (you just hope that the cabal is big enough that there aren't any patentholders lurking outside). The only difference is that with a patent cabal you have the fun of having to obey the restrictions of everyone who showed up with a possibly-related-in-some-way patent and joined the cabal.
Not to mention that it isn't necessary for a patent pool to be a cabal. AOMedia has a similar structure to a patent cabal except it doesn't act like a cabal (its patent pool is royalty-free in the style of the W3C). So even if the argument is that a patent pool is a good idea (and video codecs cannot be developed without them), there isn't a justification behind turning the patent pool into a cabal.
> At least the patent licenses usually used with MPEG mean that private use of open source implementations is free.
You say that, but there's a reason why some distributions (openSUSE for one) still can't ship x264 (even though the code itself is free software). Not to mention the need for Cisco's OpenH264 in Firefox (which you cannot recompile or modify otherwise you lose the patent rights to use it). The existence of the MPEG patent cabal isn't a good thing, and any minor concessions you get from them do not justify their actions.