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JPEG XL and the Pareto Front (cloudinary.com)

497 points by botanical · 899 days ago · 319 comments on HN

Article summary

The article discusses the latest version of libjxl, the reference implementation for JPEG XL, which brings significant improvements in memory usage and speed for lossless compression. The new version achieves Pareto-optimal results, producing smaller files than other formats like PNG and lossless AVIF or WebP. The article also explores the concept of the Pareto front in analyzing compression techniques and discusses the challenges of measuring image quality. The latest version of libjxl improves upon the previous version, especially for non-photographic images.

Main themes

  • JPEG XL compression
  • libjxl improvements
  • Pareto front analysis
  • image quality measurement
  • browser support
  • patent issues

What commenters say

  • The removal of JPEG XL support from Chrome is seen as a significant setback, and some argue that it should be re-added without being hidden behind a flag.
  • Others believe that re-adding JPEG XL support is not useful and that the focus should be on developing better products rather than relying on Chrome.
  • Some commenters argue that the benefits of JPEG XL do not outweigh the costs of integrating it, and that its adoption is hindered by the lack of native browser support.
  • There are differing opinions on the importance of JPEG XL, with some seeing it as a valuable format and others believing it is not widely used and therefore not worth supporting.
  • Patent issues are cited as a major obstacle to the adoption of JPEG XL, with some companies holding patents that could expose others to lawsuits.
  • The use of JavaScript libraries to decode JPEG XL is seen as a suboptimal solution, and some argue that it is not a viable path to widespread adoption.
  • Some commenters believe that the focus on JPEG XL is misplaced, and that other formats like AVIF are more suitable for certain use cases.
  • The concept of the Pareto front is seen as a useful tool for analyzing compression techniques, but its application is not without challenges and complexities.