Weeks after Google dropped Chrome browser support for H.264 video, Microsoft restored the playback option for Windows users by releasing its own Chrome extension.

, Microsoft has restored the playback option for Windows users by releasing its own Chrome extension.

The Windows Media Player HTML5 Extension for Chrome lets Windows 7 users play H.264 videos in a Google Chrome browser. Microsoft already has similar extensions for Firefox and Internet Explorer users.

"We believe that Windows customers should be able to play mainstream HTML5 video," said Claudio Caldato, Principal Program Manager, Interoperability Strategy Team, in a blog post.

"H.264 is an excellent and widely-used video format that serves the web very well today. As such, we will continue to ensure that developers and customers continue to have an optimal Web experience."

In mid-January, Google unexpectedly pulled Chrome browser support for H.264 videos, citing the need to focus on open codec technologies like WebM (VP8) and Theora, instead of closed standards. The format war heated up when Microsoft exec , likening the search giant to a language dictator.

, Google upgraded the stable version of its Chrome browser to include WebGL, which brings hardware-accelerated 3D graphics to the browser without having to download additional software.