While today the image format is a vast subject on the web it usually turns out to be PNG or JPEG, the latter being much the most popular format. Over the years, companies like Microsoft and Google have released their own formats, but none of them has managed to win. Google now often uses its WebP format on its own sites for those using its own Chrome browser, but it does not seem to draw crowds for its use outside the Mountain View company.
Mozilla promises that version 2.0 of its encoder reduces the file size, it is the basic format, but also a progressive JPEG with an average of about 5% . Depending on the image, the number may be much higher (up to 15%) or slightly lower. Unlike the first version, which focused solely on progressive JPEG files, this new version also improves the images stored in the database format.
The CTO of Mozilla, Andreas Gal, said that the organization has found that WebP, JPEG XR Microsoft and open formats similar rights do not offer enough improvements JPEG to justify the cost of adding a new image format on the Web.
For Facebook - and other sites with rather large images - the smaller file sizes mean that it will allow sites to be loaded much faster, and save a few euros on overall bandwidth bill. In other words, it is not surprising that the company is interested in this project. "Facebook provides support to the work of Mozilla and more particularly on the JPEG encoder that can create small JPEG files without compromising visual quality photos» said Stacy Kerkela in charge of ingienerie Facebook.
As Mozilla has promised in his first version of mozjpeg launched earlier this year, the new version makes use of the optimization of trellis coded vector quantization , a compression algorithm that has traditionally been used by various video encoders, and improves the compression of both base and progressive JPEG files without sacrificing anything in terms of compatibility.
Other improvements include support for JPEG input suggesting that it is easier to re-compress existing images and number of small changes that improve compatibility with existing JPEG decoders.
Mozilla aims to create a JPEG encoder quality that aims to improve the compression while maintaining compatibility with most encoders deployed in the market, with the ultimate goal of reducing time to load pages. To do this, the company is willing to explore the limits of JPEG rather than take direction Google has created its new image format and pushed for its adoption. Thanks to its backward compatibility, mozjpeg allows all browsers to benefit improvements without having to adopt new image formats.
So far, studies have proved inconclusive, and mozjpeg certainly breathed new life in JPEG format. Anyway, the work has certainly attracted interest from at least one major high-tech company.
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