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FFmpeg published release 0.6 of its set of multimedia tools and libraries this week. The release is code-named “Works with HTML5″ since it incorporates support for Google’s WebM open source video codec, as well as improved decoding for H.264 and Ogg Theora. FFmpeg is used by more than a hundred video players, transcoding applications and home theater solutions to support a wide range of video codecs, with VLC, Boxee, MythTV, Handbrake and MPLayer being some of the more popular projects utilizing FFmpeg. WebM was open sourced by Google at its developer conference in May and is based on On2′s VP8 video codec. It is meant to offer an open source alternative to the H.264 video codec, which is controlled by the MPEG LA licensing body — a fact that has stopped the makers of Firefox from supporting H.264 for Flash-free HTML5 video playback. Firefox and Chrome support the playback of Webm video content via preview-releases instead, and Adobe has announced that it will also bake WebM support into Flash.

Content security, advertising and tracking — these are all things that HTML5 video lags behind Adobe’s Flash. For most publishers, lack of support for any or all of these capabilities can be a deal breaker — which is why many have chosen to tread lightly or stay away from HTML5 video implementations altogether, despite the fact that HTML5 is the only way to get video on Apple’s iPhone or iPad. Because Flash has been used for years as the de facto standard for video publishing on the web, an ecosystem of tools has sprung up for reporting and analytics, monetization and content security. As a nascent web standard, HTML5 video still lacks the same kind of toolset that is available to Flash publishers for years. But some startups — like mDialog — are emerging to help video publishers tackle these problems. mDialog got its start in building video apps for iPhone publishers, but since the iPad uses the same formatting for video publishing, it was able to extend that expertise to those that want to publish on the new Apple tablet. As a result, mDialog’s HTML5 player already offers advertising support and reporting features for iPad publishers — and was one of the first companies to do so. Now the startup is extending its tool set to include content security.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is taking a cold, hard look at the market for advertising on the iPad and other tablet devices, launching a new “Tablet Task Force” and issuing a report on the future of “tabvertising.” (We didn’t come up with it — blame the IAB.) And while some may see the iPad’s lack of Adobe Flash as a potential barrier to advertising on the device, the IAB says that’s easy enough to overcome with a little HTML5.

As everyone on the Web knows by now, Steve Jobs does not think too highly of Flash and therefore you cannot watch Flash videos on the the iPad (or the iPhone). Apple’s position has stirred a lot of debate about how much video on the Web is iPad-friendly. It turns out that about two thirds of new videos are currently being encoded in the H.264 format, which is playable on the iPad, but media sites still need to either package that video in an app or in an HTML5 video player viewable in the iPad’s browser. Streaming Media decided to shed more light on the issue by surveying 1,147 online media professionals about their iPad and HTML5 video plans in a report available here. According to the survey, 49 percent plan to support HTML5 video on their media sites by the end of next year, and 36 percent plan to support video on the iPad either through dedicated apps or an iPad compatible Website.

Apple is one of the biggest supporters of HTML5, and Steve Jobs clearly thinks this new standard is the future of the web. To show why Flash is no longer necessary, Apple has launched a HTML5 showcase displaying what an HTML5-capable browser can do without the need of additional plugins. In typical Apple style, the showcase consists of simple, elegant, yet quite impressive demos of the technology. In one demo, you can type in some text, quickly change the font, its size and transparency, rotate it and add a shadow effect. Another lets you browse through a horizontal, vertical or grid-shaped gallery of images, while a particularly impressive demo lets you spin a 3D object by clicking and dragging.

MeFeedia, the Burbank, Calif.-based video search and advertising startup, is offering analytics capabilities to publishers that want to be able to track videos delivered via HTML5, for free. With the rollout of its new analytics suite for HTML5 video, customers can now track engagement metrics across the web and a number of mobile devices, including Apple’s iPad and those built atop Google Android. The new offering sorts metrics into sections, including Summary, Recent, Popular, Devices, Videos and Channels, each of which allows users to either drill down for granular data of individual videos or view aggregate data for all the videos in a library. Data can also be broken out by web address so that publishers with multiple video sites can view them individually, and all graphs can be exported for easy sharing. And the entire interface is built on HTML5, so it can be viewed on the iPad or other devices that don’t support Adobe Flash.

Fresh off the closure of its acquisition by Google, mobile ad network AdMob is officially launching an iPad-specific SDK to allow app developers to use the network’s ads within their apps. The SDK was previously in beta but is now available to the public. AdMob says that the SDK is unified across all devices running the iPhone OS, which makes it much easier for developers, who can can download one binary for development across all Apple iPhone OS devices – iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. The new also SDK supports two ad formats in native iPad applications: text & tile ads and image ads. Both of these ad formats are available in the three IAB standard ad sizes: 300×250, 728×90, and 468×60.

CBS may have the most aggressive plans to enable viewers to watch web video on the iPad, but so far, that’s all they are — plans. The broadcaster has made only a limited number of promotional clips available for viewing on the tablet device, along with one full-length episode of Survivor. But Anthony Soohoo, senior VP and general manager of CBS Interactive, told us that by the start of the fall season it plans to have all the same video available on the Apple iPad that is available on CBS.com.

Will they be the first of many to abandon flash in favor of an ipad friendly format?

The upcoming iPad may not have Flash, but that’s not stopping Apple from pitching it as the ideal device for personal video viewing. In its guided tour of the iPad, Apple touts the benefits of watching iTunes and YouTube video from the device, which will go on sale this Saturday…

Link to “the video”

When Apple first introduced the iPad to the world, there was more than a bit of consternation around the fact that the new device, which finally ships next week, wouldn’t support Adobe Flash. While limiting access to a whole range of Flash-based games and web sites that rely on the plugin for their user interface, lack of Flash support would also mean that iPad owners wouldn’t be able to watch a lot of web video that is delivered via Flash…

Online video management firm Brightcove is going after media companies that want to make their videos available on the Apple iPad by adding a whole new feature set to deliver iPad-compatible HTML5 video. The company also has unveiled a roadmap to eventually bring along features like advertising and advanced analytics support that will make HTML5 video playback more competitive with Adobe Flash video….