WebM is the new format invented by some of the most important IT companies to manage media files. That means both audio and video.

 The main characteristics of this new format are the Openness and Innovation and the Optimization for the web. The first is the issurance that the format is 100% free and open source. It also uses standard technologies like HTML (also in the new version of HTML5), HTTP and TCP/IP. It is also optimized for the web in the extension of which it performs low computational operations, minimum codec requirements to have the best quality possible on the web. 

 The strong points of this format are the huge collaboration of companies who partecipeted at different level. Some of them were more concentrated on the quality, some on the openness, some on the encoding, some in the development of new videos. It is possible indeed to create videos with FFmpeg, DirectShow filter, VP8 and many other commercial products.

 The benefits for users are to see great quality video and for companies to embedded and create their own videos directely into their web site. 

 An example of the new format is the video at the bottom of the page: change the resolution on the bottom left side of the video itself and choose the highest one, it will be a cinema effect!