[rtcweb] The MTI Codec Questions (what to ask and how to ask them)

[Sean Turner <[e-mail]>]

All,

One of the remaining major technical decisions for the RTCweb WG is which codec(s) should be  MTI.  The issue has been on hold for over 6 months and the original plan to was the re-attempt determining consensus at the IETF 91.  To make the best use of the WG’s face-to-face time at IETF 91, we want to give the WG ample time to digest/discuss the questions the chairs intend to ask the WG concerning the MTI codec (or codecs).  We want to know before the meeting whether to ask the questions and then what questions to ask - in other words we want to inform the WG of the questions before the WG session so as to not waste time debating what questions should be asked.

Without further ado, these are the proposed questions:

Question #0 (hum)

Do you want to discuss this issue at this meeting?

Question #1 (stand up)

Please stand (or signal in the jabber chat) if you will be part of that consensus process for this question. If you're here to read email or watch the show, we want to know that your sitting throughout this isn't expressing opinions for the consensus process.

    To many this might seem like a silly question,
    but the chairs believe the problem is well enough
    understood by those actively involved WG
    participants so we would like to confirm this
    understanding.  The chairs will also use to the
    determine the informed pool of WG participants.  

Question #2 (hum)

Do you believe we need an MTI codec to avoid negotiation failures?

    Previous attempts at determining the MTI did not
    yield a result but did confirm that there is a desire
    for an MTI to avoid negotiation failures.   Recently,
    some on the mailing list have expressed an interest
    in postponing this discussion until after IETF 91.  The
    purpose of this question is to reconfirm the original
    consensus.

Question #3 (open mic)

Are there any codecs that were not included in the previous consensus calls that warrant consideration?  If yes, which one and why.

    The assumption is that the viable codecs are a) VP8,
    b) H.264, or c) VP8 and H.264.  This is based on the
    extensive poll results from the last consensus calls.
    But time has passed so we need to entertain the ever
    so slight possibility that another codec has miraculously
    appeared.  Remember, we want to ensure we’re going
    to get maximum interoperability.

Question #4 (open mic)

Are there any new or unaddressed technical issues that will not allow us to narrow the field to VP8 and H.264?

    We do not want to revisit previous discussions; we only
    want new or unaddressed technical issues and will throttle
    the discussion accordingly.  We’ll rely on WG participants
    and our former RAI AD (Mr. Sparks) for help in this area.

    We believe the technical discussion will fall into two
    buckets:
      - New or unresolved technical points.
      - Licensing.  WRT licensing, the IETF tries not discuss
        whether IPR is valid, but an IPR issue that can be used
        as input to the decision making process is if enough
        people say they can’t/won’t implement because of the IPR.

Question #5 (hum)

With respect to the MTI codec:
    - Who can live with a requirement that WebRTC User Agents
      MUST support  both VP8 and H.264 and WebRTC devices
      MUST support  either VP8 or H.264?
    - Who can live with a requirement that all endpoints MUST support VP8?
    - Who can live with a requirement that all endpoints MUST support H.264?

Thanks for your time,
t/c/s