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What is On2 Technologies?
On2 Technologies was a video technology company best known for its codecs and encoding tools; its site now serves as a notice that Google acquired the company and its video products and technology in February 2010. The same notice says the Flix line—Flix Pro, Flix Standard, Flix Exporter, Flix PowerPlayers, Flix Live, Flix DirectShow SDK, Flix Publisher and Flix Engine—is no longer for sale.
What this means in practice
If you arrived looking for On2's encoder software, there is nothing to buy or download from the company itself. The practical next step depends on your goal:
- You need to encode video today: choose a current tool built around widely supported codecs rather than searching for the discontinued Flix products.
- You maintain an old workflow that references Flix: plan a migration, since the products are no longer sold and support from the original vendor is not available.
- You are researching codec history or patents: treat On2 as a historical vendor whose technology passed to Google in 2010, and look to Google's own documentation for what succeeded it.
For background on the codec family On2 developed, Wikipedia covers the history, while current encoding guidance is best taken from the documentation of whichever tool you adopt.
What happened to On2 Technologies after Google acquired it in 2010?
After Google acquired On2 Technologies in February 2010, the company's video products and technology were absorbed into Google, and the On2 product line was discontinued. According to the On2 site, the Flix family—Flix Pro, Flix Standard, Flix Exporter, Flix PowerPlayers, Flix Live, Flix DirectShow SDK, Flix Publisher and Flix Engine—is no longer for sale. The page carries a 2010 Google copyright, so it now functions as a notice rather than a product site.
What this means in practice
- Existing Flix users: there is no vendor channel to buy licences or upgrades, so plan migration rather than renewal. If you still depend on Flix Exporter or Flix Engine in an encoding pipeline, treat it as legacy software and test alternatives before your next project.
- Teams evaluating video tooling: don't shortlist On2 products; the acquisition ended their commercial availability. Look at current encoder and transcoding options instead.
- Anyone researching codecs: On2's technology is part of Google's video work, so historical material on On2 codecs remains relevant background even though the Flix tools are gone.
A useful next step
If you're replacing a Flix-based workflow, list the specific functions you rely on—batch encoding, format export from an editor, or live streaming—and match each to a current tool. For general video encoding and playback guidance, MDN Web Docs covers web video formats and browser support, which helps when choosing what to encode to.
Can I still purchase or download Flix Pro, Flix Engine, or other On2 video products?
No. The On2 Technologies page states plainly that Google acquired On2 and its video products in February 2010, and that the Flix line — Flix Pro, Flix Standard, Flix Exporter, Flix PowerPlayers, Flix Live, Flix DirectShow SDK, Flix Publisher and Flix Engine — is no longer for sale. There is no purchase or download path offered there.
What this means in practice
- If you need to encode video today, the practical route is a current encoder or a cloud transcoding service rather than a discontinued desktop tool. The job Flix Pro once did (converting source video into web-friendly formats) is now handled by tools such as HandBrake for local batch encoding or FFmpeg for scripted pipelines.
- If you are maintaining an old workflow that depends on Flix Engine or the DirectShow SDK, treat it as end-of-life software: plan a migration to a supported encoder rather than searching for installers, since the vendor no longer distributes them.
- If you are looking for documentation or format background, the Flix products were tied to On2's VP codecs; WebM Project covers the successor lineage that matters for modern web video.
A sensible next step is to write down what your current setup actually outputs — container, codec, resolution, bitrate — and then reproduce that preset in a maintained encoder before retiring the old tool.
Which On2 video codecs and technologies did Google acquire, such as VP6 or VP7?
Google acquired On2 Technologies' video codec portfolio and its Flix line of encoding products when the deal closed in February 2010. The best-known codecs in that portfolio were VP6 and VP7, along with the earlier VP3 lineage and related encoding technology. The Flix products named on the site — Flix Pro, Flix Standard, Flix Exporter, Flix PowerPlayers, Flix Live, Flix DirectShow SDK, Flix Publisher and Flix Engine — were part of the same acquisition and are no longer sold.
What this means in practice
If you are working with legacy media, the practical consequence is that VP6 and VP7 content still exists in older Flash-era archives, but the commercial On2 encoders that produced it are discontinued. For new work, the useful decision criterion is format support in your target players rather than brand lineage: check whether your playback stack handles the specific codec before committing to a migration path.
For background on the codec family and its later open-source descendants, the Wikipedia article on VP6 and the WebM Project documentation are reasonable starting points.
How does On2's video compression technology relate to modern formats like VP8 or WebM?
On2's compression work is a direct ancestor of VP8, and therefore of WebM. Google acquired On2 Technologies and its video products in February 2010, and the VP8 codec it released as open source that year descends from that acquisition. WebM is not a codec itself but a container format; its original video codec was VP8, later joined by VP9 and AV1. So the line runs: On2's codec research → VP8 → WebM as a packaging format.
What this means in practice
- For encoding today: You would not reach for On2's tools. The page states that Flix Pro, Flix Standard, Flix Exporter, Flix Live, Flix Engine and the other Flix products are no longer for sale. Modern encoders such as libvpx (VP8/VP9) or SVT-AV1 are the practical successors.
- For playback and publishing: WebM files play in current browsers, so a VP8 or VP9 WebM is a reasonable choice when you want royalty-free, openly specified video for the web. Compare against H.264/AAC in MP4 if broad device and editor compatibility matters more than openness.
- For archival or legacy work: If you encounter old Flix-encoded files, treat them as historical artifacts and transcode to a current format rather than expecting vendor support.
Choosing between the lineages
| Need | Better fit | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Open, royalty-free web video | VP8/VP9 in WebM | Weaker hardware support on some older devices |
| Widest compatibility | H.264 in MP4 | Licensing considerations for some uses |
| Best compression at scale | AV1 | Slower encoding, heavier decode on low-end hardware |
A concrete case: a small publisher preparing a site video could export both a WebM (VP9) and an MP4 (H.264) and let the browser pick, gaining the open format where supported without losing older viewers. For background on the codec family, see The WebM Project.
Where can I find support or legacy documentation for the discontinued Flix software?
The official On2 Technologies site now serves as a notice page: it states that Google acquired On2 Technologies and its video products in February 2010, and that the Flix line (Flix Pro, Flix Standard, Flix Exporter, Flix PowerPlayers, Flix Live, Flix DirectShow SDK, Flix Publisher and Flix Engine) is no longer for sale. There is no support portal, download archive or legacy manual library on that page, so you should not expect official help from On2 Technologies.
Practical places to look
- Archived versions of the old site. Web archive services often preserve vendor pages, PDF manuals and release notes from before 2010. Search the archive for the product names above rather than the domain alone.
- Google's own documentation trail. Because Google absorbed On2, some Flix technology and documentation turns up in material about the VP6/VP7 codecs and in developer discussions from that era.
- Video-encoding communities. Old forums and mailing lists about Flash video and VP6 encoding are where former Flix users traded settings, workarounds and copies of manuals. Treat any downloaded installer with caution, since it is unsigned, unsupported software.
- Your own records. If you still have a licensed copy, the installed help files and any original purchase emails are often the most complete documentation you will find.
A realistic scenario
Suppose you maintain an archive of Flash-era video and need to re-encode clips to VP6 with the settings a project originally used. The fastest route is usually to locate the old Flix manual in a web archive, confirm the preset values, and then reproduce them with a current encoder rather than trying to keep Flix running on a modern machine.
Decision criterion
If you need only the technical parameters, archived documentation is sufficient. If you need a working, supported tool, plan to migrate to a maintained encoder; the Flix products have had no vendor support since 2010, and no official channel will answer questions about them.
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