Google is introducing major updates to its Hangouts service by adding high definition videos and it will also be a a plug-in free experience with the integration of WebRTC support in the coming months.
Google Inc., world's largest search company, is all about new developments and introducing innovative technology. And in keeping with its high-profile image in the technical consumer industry, Google has rolled out new updates for its free video chat service, Hangouts.
The new update from Google will give stiff competition to its rivals Cisco, Polycom and even Microsoft's Skype. Hangouts will be updated with 720p high definition video streaming to all users by the end of next week. With this latest update, Google is replacing the H.264 codec with the VP8 codec, a royalty-free one that it launched in 2010, according to an exclusive report from GigaOM.
Since Google supports multi-user video calls through Hangouts, getting high definition earlier was not possible with H.264 but now the experience will improve.
Google also announced that it would embrace the emerging WebRTC standard, which eliminates the need to download a plug-in before using its video chat service. Google's Vice President of Engineering Chee Chew revealed to GigaOM that the WebRTC support will be integrated into its service in the coming months.
"This is great news for the WebRTC community and takes our relationship with Google to the next level," Ofer Shapiro, cofounder and CEO of Vidyo, told Venture Beat. "WebRTC provides a vision of new communications possibilities for video-enabled web applications, and by leveraging Vidyo's expertise in SVC, we will jointly create a path to accessible quality video."
