e now uses HTML5 programming techniques for mobile devices. Free versions of the software are often bundled into personal computers SO that people can view video created in Flash. Adobe Systems, Inc., owns the rights to and develops Flash. On2 Technologies, Inc., is the creator of the video compression used in Flash software. According to John Luther, WebM project manager at Google Inc., in the past four years there have been significant developments in video due in large part to improvements in Flash. Now, video downloaded or streamed from the Web works the same on Apple and Windows computers with different types of compression installed. This is because Google has created software extensions that reside on the same chips and support both Apple's QuickTime and Microsoft's Windows Media Player. Exten- sions are add-ons that extend the capabilities of other software or hardware. Thus, people who download video in the form of movies or sporting events, as an example, are generally no longer aware that they need a special type of compression software. Apple mobile devices are exceptions because they use HTML5 for viewing video. Developers are increasingly using HTML5 programming techniques for com- patibility with Apple and other devices. Using Codecs to Compress and Digitize Speech Speech, audio, and television signals are analog in their original form. Analog signals are transmitted in waves; digital signals are transmitted as on and off bits. Before they are transmitted over digital landlines or wireless networks, codecs compress (encode) analog signals and convert them to digital bits. Codecs sample speech at different amplitudes along the sound wave and convert it to a one or a zero. At the receiving end, decoders convert the ones and zeros back to analog sound or video waves. Codecs are located in cellular handsets, telephones, high-definition TV transmit- ters, set-top boxes, televisions, IP telephones, and radios. Codecs also compress voice in speech recognition and voicemail systems. With compression, codec