Microsoft has confirmed that its upcoming Internet Explorer 9 browser will not support Flash, and will run only H.264 video in a move that aligns with Apple's current stance of not supporting the Adobe format.

Dean Hachamovitch, general manager for Internet Explorer, said in a blog post that the future of the web lies in HTML5 as it will help the development of rich, interactive web applications and offer the best choice for video support.

"The HTML5 specification describes video support without specifying a particular video format. We think H.264 is an excellent format. In its HTML5 support, IE9 will support playback of H.264 video only," he wrote.

"H.264 is an industry standard, with broad and strong hardware support. Because of this you can easily take what you record on a typical consumer video camera, put it on the web, and have it play in a web browser on any operating system or device with H.264 support."

Full story: V3.co.uk