What is On2 Technologies?

Updated

On2 Technologies was a video technology company whose products and technology were acquired by Google in February 2010. If you have landed on on2.com looking for Flix software, the key fact is that the Flix product line is no longer for sale: the site states that Flix Pro, Flix Standard, Flix Exporter, Flix PowerPlayers, Flix Live, Flix DirectShow SDK, Flix Publisher, and Flix Engine are all discontinued. The site now serves as a historical notice rather than a storefront or support portal.

What On2 Technologies was

On2 was a provider of video compression technology and related authoring tools. Its public identity centered on the Flix brand, which covered both end-user encoding applications and developer-facing components. The company's technology was its core asset, and that is what Google acquired.

The Flix product line

The archived notice lists the products by name, which is the most reliable inventory available:

Product Type (as named)
Flix Pro Encoding application
Flix Standard Encoding application
Flix Exporter Export/plug-in tool
Flix PowerPlayers Player component
Flix Live Live encoding tool
Flix DirectShow SDK Developer SDK
Flix Publisher Publishing tool
Flix Engine Encoding engine

The mix of desktop apps, players, and SDKs shows On2 sold to both individual video producers and developers embedding encoding into their own software.

What happened: the Google acquisition

Google acquired On2 Technologies and its video products and technology in February 2010. After that point, the Flix products were withdrawn from sale. The on2.com page carries a 2010 Google copyright line, consistent with the site being frozen at the time of the acquisition rather than maintained as an active business.

What this means if you need Flix today

  • You cannot buy it from On2. The site explicitly says the products are no longer for sale, and there are no pricing or purchase links to use.
  • There is no vendor support path described on the page. No downloads, documentation, or contact channels for the Flix line are offered there.
  • Plan on alternatives. For encoding and publishing workflows, you will need to evaluate current tools rather than expect to obtain a Flix license. The page gives no information about availability, licensing terms, or compatibility, so treat any third-party claims about obtaining Flix with caution.

Why the name still comes up

On2 is frequently referenced in discussions of video codecs and web video history because its technology became part of Google's portfolio. If your interest is historical or technical context rather than acquiring software, the on2.com notice is the authoritative starting point: it confirms the company identity, the product names, the February 2010 acquisition, and the discontinued status in a single short statement.