As you may, or may not know, the Internet is changing. And I don't just mean its slow, corporate take-over and subsequent ruination. No, I mean the advent of HTML 5. Why should you give a crap about something that doesn't involve sports, religion or celebrities? I'm glad you asked.

HTML 5, the newest spec for Internet websites offers a bunch of new technologies only a die-hard geek would care about. But it also offers something someone as “normal” as you should know about. It's called Theora.

Theora is a multi-platform, open-source video ‘codec’ (short for ‘compression and decompression’). And much like other video formats such as .mpeg, .m4v, .wmv and .mov it lets you shrink video down to a manageable size. But where it differs is that Theora is, with the advent of HTML 5, the default video codec for web browsers. So, instead of having to download plug-ins—like Flash or Quicktime—people will be able to install a current browser (like Firefox) and watch video on a website right out of the box—as anyone who's ever tried to explain web-browsing to a small child or old person knows, this is no small achievement.

But beyond convenience, there are larger implications, too. Theora is free to use, unlike proprietary formats such as Flash, .mpeg, .m4v, .wmv and .mov. And as the guys over at MakeTelevision.com put it:

All these [video] formats are encumbered by patents or have licensing costs associates with them. Costs that I, you, tool creators, and our audience will have to pay, either directly or in-directly. (This means that watchers and makers of Internet TV will have to pay money to some person or company just to watch and make Internet TV shows that have absolutely nothing to do with that person or company.)

In contrast, Theora's creator, the Xiph.org Foundation, is “a non-profit corporation dedicated to protecting the foundations of Internet multimedia from control by private interests.” So the format isn't dependent on the anti-user whims of corporate lawyers, exclusivity contracts, or Wall Street pressures.

Tech pundits, telcoms and start-ups have long talked about the convergence of the Internet and Television. But proprietary formats such as Flash, give companies too much control over the creation, editing and display of something as basic—and now, as commonplace—as video.

Imagine if you still had to surf the web using AOL? If that were still the case, AOL could dictate which sites you got to visit. Likewise, proprietary video formats dictate which videos you get to see. Having to license a video codec could have a needlessly chilling effect on small, independent producers who will no doubt create the next wave of television and free us from Hollywood Studio garbage factories.

And while it might not matter if you can't watch a monkey drinking its own pee, it becomes a problem when you can't watch a news story that could affect how you vote. (For a more reasons, visit the Open Video Alliance website.)

In addition to lofty licensing concerns, Theora solves the more practical problem of longevity and archiving. Say you encode a video as an .wmv file and Microsoft decides to stop supporting that format (something they’ve already done with the ironically named, PlaysForSure format. See “PlaysForSure officially dead”).

Well, then you'd be screwed.

Open-source formats, on the other hand, can always be converted into a more current format because there aren't any legal wranglings necessary to implement the code (and there's always a coder who will create the conversion software if you buy him enough beer). So for archival purposes, I'd recommend converting your irreplaceable proprietary format video files—i.e. your porn—into the more compatible open format, Theora. Because you’ll always be able to convert a file from Theora to a proprietary format, but you may not be able to go the other way.

The Xiph Foundation also offers Ogg Vorbis, an open-source audio codec comparable to .mp3 (some would say Ogg provides the most accurate audio compression at the smallest file size). And for audiophiles looking for a lossless codec like ‘Apple Lossless,’ there’s the open-source FLAC (Free, Lossless, Audio Codec).

Sure, there are some snags to working with some open-source formats like Ogg Vorbis, such as its lack of support in iTunes and the iPod (though you can tweak iTunes to play Ogg Vorbis files. But the reason Apple gives for not supporting it is simply, “No one is asking for it.”

Clearly, that's not a valid reason considering that Apple has a history of doing things no one asks for (See iPod, iPhone, Mac Cube, MacBook Air, etc.) Still, if simply asking for Ogg support is all it will take, then by all means, let's ask. Click here to send Steve a quick email now.