WebM

WebM
logo
Filename extension
.webm
Internet media type
video/webm,
audio/webm
Developed byInitially On2, Xiph, and Matroska; later Google
Initial releaseMay 18, 2010 (14 years ago) (2010-05-18)[1]
Latest release
v1.13.0[2]
January 31, 2023 (21 months ago) (2023-01-31)
Type of formatContainer format
Container forVP8/VP9/AV1 (video)
Vorbis/Opus (audio)
Extended fromLimited subset of Matroska
Open format?Yes[3]
Free format?Yes[4]
Websitewebmproject.org

WebM is an audiovisual media file format.[5] It is primarily intended to offer a royalty-free alternative to use in the HTML video and the HTML audio elements. It has a sister project, WebP, for images. The development of the format is sponsored by Google, and the corresponding software is distributed under a BSD license.

The WebM container is based on a profile of Matroska.[3][6][7] WebM initially supported VP8 video and Vorbis audio streams. In 2013, it was updated to accommodate VP9 video and Opus audio.[8] It also supports the new AV1 codec.[9]

An example of a WebM video
  1. ^ Release v0.9.0 – webmproject/libvpx – GitHub, May 18, 2010, archived from the original on October 1, 2020, retrieved February 8, 2016
  2. ^ "Release 2023-01-31 v1.13.0 "Ugly Duckling"". github.com. January 31, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "WebM FAQ". May 19, 2010. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2016. WebM is an open media file format designed for the web. WebM files consist of video streams compressed with the VP8 video codec and audio streams compressed with the Vorbis audio codec. The WebM file structure is based on the Matroska media container.
  4. ^ WebM (Partial draft). Sustainability of Digital Formats. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. August 19, 2020. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  5. ^ "The WebM Project – About WebM". webmproject.org. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  6. ^ Doig, Jeremy; Jazayeri, Mike (May 19, 2010), Introducing WebM, an open web media project, WebM Project, archived from the original on April 19, 2012, retrieved May 19, 2010
  7. ^ Montgomery, Chris (May 19, 2010), Xiph.Org announces support for the WebM open media project, Xiph, archived from the original on May 23, 2010, retrieved May 20, 2010
  8. ^ "The WebM Open Media Project Blog: VP9 Lands in Chrome Dev Channel". webmproject.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  9. ^ "Media container formats (file types) - Web media technologies | MDN". developer.mozilla.org. Retrieved January 15, 2023.