Xiph.Org Foundation Explained

Founder:Christopher Montgomery
Type:501(c)(3)
Location:Somerville, Massachusetts, U.S.
Key People:Christopher Montgomery, Jack Moffitt, Ralph Giles (Theora), Jean-Marc Valin (Speex, CELT, Opus),[1] Josh Coalson (FLAC), Michael Smith, Timothy B. Terriberry[2] [3] [4] [5]
Area Served:Worldwide
Products:Free multimedia formats, libraries, and streaming software

Xiph.Org Foundation is a nonprofit organization that produces free multimedia formats and software tools. It focuses on the Ogg family of formats, the most successful of which has been Vorbis, an open and freely licensed audio format and codec designed to compete with the patented WMA, MP3 and AAC. As of 2013, development work was focused on Daala, an open and patent-free video format and codec designed to compete with VP9 and the patented High Efficiency Video Coding.

In addition to its in-house development work, the foundation has also brought several already-existing but complementary free software projects under its aegis, most of which have a separate, active group of developers. These include Speex, an audio codec designed for speech, and FLAC, a lossless audio codec.

The Xiph.Org Foundation has criticized Microsoft and the RIAA for their lack of openness.[6] They state that if companies like Microsoft had owned patents on the Internet, then other companies would have tried to compete, and "The Net, as designed by warring corporate entities, would be a battleground of incompatible and expensive 'standards' had it actually survived at all." They also criticize the RIAA for their support of projects such as the Secure Digital Music Initiative.

In 2008, the Free Software Foundation listed the Xiph.Org projects as High Priority Free Software Projects.[7]

History

Chris Montgomery, creator of the Ogg container format, founded the Xiphophorus company and later the Xiph.Org Foundation.[8] The first work that became the Ogg media projects started in 1994.[9] The name "Xiph" abbreviates the original organizational name, "Xiphophorus", named after the common swordtail fish, Xiphophorus hellerii.[10] It was officially incorporated on 15 May 1996 as Xiphophorus, Inc.[11] The name "Xiphophorus company" was used until 2002,[12] [13] [14] when it was renamed to Xiph.Org Foundation.[15]

In 1999, the Xiphophorus company defined itself on its website as "a distributed group of Free and Open Source programmers working to protect the foundations of Internet multimedia from domination by self-serving corporate interests."[16]

In 2002, the Xiph.Org Foundation defined itself on its website as "a non-profit corporation dedicated to protecting the foundations of Internet multimedia from control by private interests."[15]

In March 2003, the Xiph.Org Foundation was recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization,[17] which means that U.S. citizens can deduct donations made to Xiph.Org from their taxes.

Xiph.Org Foundation projects

OpenCodecs

OpenCodecs is a software package for Windows adding DirectShow filters for the Theora and WebM codecs. It adds Theora and WebM support to Windows Media Player and enables HTML video in Internet Explorer. It consists of:

QuickTime Components

Xiph QuickTime Components are implementations of the Ogg container along with the Speex, Theora, FLAC and Vorbis codecs for QuickTime. It allows users to use Ogg files in any application that uses QuickTime for audio and video file support, such as iTunes and QuickTime Player.

Since QuickTime Components do not function in macOS Sierra and above, the project was discontinued in 2016.[22]

Notes and References

  1. Xiph.Org people.xiph.org - personal webspace of the xiphs - Jean-Marc Valin, Retrieved 2009-09-11
  2. Web site: Timothy B. Terriberry . people.xiph.org - Timothy B. Terriberry, Ph.D. . Xiph.Org . 2009 . 2009-09-11 .
  3. Web site: Summer of Code Mentoring . Xiph.Org . 2009 . 2009-09-11 .
  4. Web site: Minutes of the Xiph.org Monthly Meeting for May 2003 . 2003-05-10 . 2009-09-11 .
  5. Web site: Minutes of the Xiph.org Monthly Meeting for September 2003 . Xiph.Org . 2003-09-16 . 2009-09-11 .
  6. Web site: About . 2011-03-05 . xiph.org .
  7. Web site: High Priority Free Software Projects. Free Software Foundation. 2008-08-25.
  8. Web site: Xiph.org: Contact information. Xiph.org. 2008-08-25.
  9. Web site: A Challenger to MP3? . Tristan Louis . 2001-01-16 . 2008-09-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130617220110/http://tnl.net/who/bibliography/vorbis.php . 2013-06-17 . dead.
  10. Web site: naming. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120202100746/https://xiph.org/xiphname. 2012-02-02. 2008-08-25. Xiph.org.
  11. Web site: XIPHOPHORUS, INC. :: Massachusetts (US) . 2022-11-06 . OpenCorporates.
  12. Web site: vorbis - Dvorak Interviews Monty. Brian Zisk. 2000-04-19. 2008-09-04.
  13. Web site: Interview: Christopher Montgomery of Xiphophorus. Advogado. Advogado. 2000-04-04. 2009-09-02. 2017-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20170628144125/http://www.advogato.org/article/56.html. dead.
  14. Web site: Xiphophorus home. Xiphophorus company. 2001-12-12. 2009-09-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20011212024227/http://www.xiph.org/index.html . 2001-12-12.
  15. Web site: Xiph.org home. Xiph.org Foundation. 2002-11-27. 2009-09-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20021127233506/http://www.xiph.org/ . 2002-11-27.
  16. Web site: Xiphophorus home. Xiphophorus company. 1999-11-28. 2009-09-02. https://web.archive.org/web/19991128204405/http://xiph.org/ . 1999-11-28.
  17. Xiph.Org (2003-03-24) Speex reaches 1.0; Xiph.Org now a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization, Retrieved 2009-09-01
  18. Web site: Ogg Skeleton 4 - XiphWiki . 2022-11-06 . wiki.xiph.org.
  19. Michael Smith (2005-08-29) Tarkin, vorbis-dev mailinglist, Retrieved 2009-09-06
  20. Web site: Xiph.org :: daala video . 2022-11-06 . xiph.org.
  21. Web site: libao: a cross platform audio library . Xiph.Org . 2009-06-29 . Libao is a cross-platform audio library that allows programs to output audio using a simple API on a wide variety of platforms..
  22. Web site: XiphQT discontinued . 13 June 2016 . Xiph.org .