Swiftly following Microsoft's release of Internet Explorer 9, Google has issued a plug-in for the new browser that allows users to play videos in Google's WebM video file format.
The release, a technical preview, can be installed for IE9 running on either Microsoft Windows 7 or Windows Vista.
The release represents the latest installment in the ongoing saga of bringing video to HTML5, the next-generation standard for designing Web pages.
Browser makers have not reached consensus on which video format to use. While Apple and Microsoft have put their weight behind the widely used H.264, Mozilla and Opera have declined to support that codec, citing worries over eventually having to pay patent royalties.
While this new WebM release still requires a plug-in, it will at least allow content creators using WebM to have their creations be played on the world's most widely used browser, which may help Google attract more users to the format.
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