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Video has been on the web since the internet was first created,
and codecs have been around for decades.
So, why do we need another video codec now?
We created WebM because we realized the web needs a video codec specifically optimized for the internet,
and for the way users watch videos on the web today.
Codec development emerged in the late 1980s,
primarily for teleconferencing and broadcast television.
As video became popular on the web in the 1990s,
engineers simply applied the existing technologies to the web.
After all, a screen is a screen, right?
Well, not always.
Broadcast television is just that: a broadcast.
The stream of frames is cast far and wide over the air, or cable.
If you want to watch, you simply "tune in" to the stream and view it.
The broadcaster only has to send one stream for everybody.
The web is different because it's a unicast system.
To watch a web video, you request the video from a server,
as it's impractical for a website to continuously broadcast every video in its catalog,
on the chance that a few people might want to watch it.
The server responds by sending you your very own stream, straight to your browser.
So, if a thousand people request the video,
the server has to send and manage a thousand streams.
And unlike watching video on a television set,
web video must adapt to the different conditions of each user,
such as, for example, the video player software,
browser, screen resolution, and internet connection speed.
These are only a few of the reasons why web video is different from conventional television,
and why the web needs technology that was designed for these unique requirements.
And that's the goal of the WebM Project:
To create the best video technologies for the web.
Sound cool?
Well, our project is 100% open-source. So get involved.