05 August 2009 | Author: Katie Todd

Google to acquire On2 Technologies video compressor

While it may feel as though we're still waiting for the massive boom online video was mean to experience, it's undoubted that video plays a large part of our online experience these days. From the scope and scale of video-sharing network YouTube to the BBC's video news section, digital movies are everywhere we turn - and Google is determined to snag this corner of the market for itself.

Hot on the heels of last week's industry-shaking deal between Microsoft and Yahoo! which will see the two companies pairing up to battle Google's search sphere, the Mountain View giant is taking some time out from the battle to turns its sights elsewhere. And as video already plays such a significant part in Google offerings - from YouTube to technologies contained within its Android mobile platform - why not boost its capabilities and pin down yet another section of the industry?

Today, Google announced that it is making moves to acquire On2 Technologies, a creator of high-quality video compression technology. Jeremy Doig, a Google Engineering Director, posted on the Google Blog: "Because we spend a lot of time working to make the overall web experience better for users, we think that video compression technology should be a part of the web platform."

Doig added that they expected to close the deal in Q4 following approval by On2 Technologies' stockholders, but it looks like the acquisition will go ahead and empower Google to start making powerful waves in the online video sphere. Google won't reveal what its plans are yet, but, as Doig said, "we are committed to innovation in video quality on the web, and we believe that On2 Technologies' team and technology will help us further that goal."

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