Netflix Now Exploring AVIF For Image Compression

[shmerl]

Well, Netflix alone isn't enough to adapt a JPEG replacement. So hopefully some truly free format will emerge.

[skierpage]

Is there actually any thing in a container that is patentable? As far as I know a container is just cutting up a file space. Bits 0 - 20 contain X, bits 21-45 contain Y etc. If that is all it is, it isn't patentable material even in a country with as F'd up of a patent system as the US.

The HEIF site links to Nokia Tech's GitHub repository for an implementation of HEIF reader/writer, whose LICENSE.txt says

Nokia Technologies Ltd (“Nokia”) hereby grants to you a non-sublicensable, perpetual, worldwide,
non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable (except as stated in this license) license,
under its copyrights and Licensed Patents only to, use, run, modify (in a way that still complies
with the Specification), and copy the Software within the Licensed Field. For the avoidance of
doubt the Licensed Patents shall not include Codec Patents.

So again it sounds like there's no patents involved in reading or writing the HEIF container format. It's really unfortunate that nobody clearly comes out and says this!!!

[shmerl]

All it says it that Nokia allow using their patents for free with this implementation, but that doesn't mean those are the only patents attached? Given MPEG history, I'm not sure this is enough.

[bug77]

Is there actually any thing in a container that is patentable? As far as I know a container is just cutting up a file space. Bits 0 - 20 contain X, bits 21-45 contain Y etc. If that is all it is, it isn't patentable material even in a country with as F'd up of a patent system as the US.

Some managed to patent the design of a rectangular device, so who knows?