I don't quite understand, Betamax had superior quality, but in this case this article shows that h264 has more detail at the same bit rate combined with much faster encoding.
Does your standalone device have vp8? All bluray devices can play h264 streams but almost never vp8.
Of course as everything switches to android this will change completely by the end of the decade, but for streaming in 2013, h264 is the better investment.
Once they move to h265 vs vp9 the point is moot but that won't be common for at least five years. The encoding requirements for those streams will also be significant.
You disagree that a free, solid OS like android with a commercial marketplace like the google play store will become ubiquitous?
I mean we are reaching the point where a $20 device can just plug right into a hdmi port and you have a full blown pc with standardized wifi and bluetooth support. By 2018 they will be $10 and sold at gas stations.
When that happens you can have any codec upgrade you want as long as it can still decode on that hardware spec in realtime.
Of course as everything switches to android this will change completely by the end of the decade, but for streaming in 2013, h264 is the better investment.
Once they move to h265 vs vp9 the point is moot but that won't be common for at least five years. The encoding requirements for those streams will also be significant.