WebMs

WebMs refers to WebM video files, the royalty-free, open multimedia container format designed for use on the web. The typical file extension is .webm, and the format aims to enable efficient streaming and native playback in web browsers.

The WebM project began around 2010 as a Google-led initiative to create an open standard for web video with minimal licensing friction. It uses a Matroska-based container and is defined by the WebM specification, with the goal of providing a freely implementable format for HTML5 video.

Technically, a WebM file encapsulates video and audio streams inside a Matroska-derived container. Video streams are encoded using VP8, VP9, or AV1, while audio streams commonly use Vorbis or Opus. Text tracks and metadata can accompany the streams, making WebM suitable for broad web video applications and dynamic streaming.

Adoption has been broad among modern web browsers, media players, and web services that rely on HTML5 video. WebM has been used by various platforms to deliver web-optimized video content, contributing to cross-platform compatibility and scalable streaming.

Licensing and governance emphasize openness: WebMs are designed as an open, royalty-free format to support the open web. While WebM itself is open, the codecs used within WebM (such as VP9 and AV1) have their own licensing considerations, which apply separately from the container specification. The WebM Project maintains the specification and promotes interoperability across implementations.

See also: WebM Project, Matroska, HTML5 video, VP9, AV1.