Linux has it though, through GStreamer (but you need to set media.gstreamer.enabled to true in about:config).
Is there any way to set a preference for free formats by the way? I.e. if the page specified several sources for the audio or video tags, but puts MP4 first let's say, is there way to override that and say "always prefer WebM if present" or something like that?
Licensing is the responsibility of the party distributing the codec. When using the platform decoder any licensing fees have already been paid by, e.g. Apple.
Depends on whether XP outlasts the H.264 patents (currently 2028 but they like to keep adding new patents to these pools to extend the time they have lock in for).
2028? Its incredible how we're using 18th century understanding of intellectual property in the modern age. The monied interests have really figured out how to game this broken system.
Is there any way to set a preference for free formats by the way? I.e. if the page specified several sources for the audio or video tags, but puts MP4 first let's say, is there way to override that and say "always prefer WebM if present" or something like that?