To keep Windows 10 and 11 lightweight and to avoid paying royalties for users who never watch high-end video, Microsoft removed the codec from the base installation.
Unlike older formats or open-source alternatives, HEVC is not owned by a single entity. It was developed by the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC), a group comprising hundreds of tech giants like Apple, Samsung, Canon, and Dolby.
The story of why the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) extension isn't free is a tale of high-stakes patent wars and a complex web of corporate ownership. The Secret Cost of "Free" Video
The HEVC extension is not free because the technology inside it is protected by a web of patents held by multiple companies that demand royalties for its use. The complexity of these patent pools has made licensing expensive for software distributors. Consequently, companies like Microsoft have unburdened their base products by selling the codec as an optional add-on, passing the royalty cost directly to the consumer. While this may be an annoyance for users, it is the necessary result of a media landscape built on proprietary intellectual property rather than open-source collaboration.
To keep Windows 10 and 11 lightweight and to avoid paying royalties for users who never watch high-end video, Microsoft removed the codec from the base installation.
Unlike older formats or open-source alternatives, HEVC is not owned by a single entity. It was developed by the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC), a group comprising hundreds of tech giants like Apple, Samsung, Canon, and Dolby.
The story of why the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) extension isn't free is a tale of high-stakes patent wars and a complex web of corporate ownership. The Secret Cost of "Free" Video
The HEVC extension is not free because the technology inside it is protected by a web of patents held by multiple companies that demand royalties for its use. The complexity of these patent pools has made licensing expensive for software distributors. Consequently, companies like Microsoft have unburdened their base products by selling the codec as an optional add-on, passing the royalty cost directly to the consumer. While this may be an annoyance for users, it is the necessary result of a media landscape built on proprietary intellectual property rather than open-source collaboration.
