Dear Habr, GIF format is outdated, please turn on H.264

image

Animated GIF. The file weighs 4MB



This animated GIF weighs 4MB , although it can weigh TEN TIMES LESS - 380kb! This is terrible, because it loads Internet channels dozens of times more than it should.



Why GIF Must Die



  • GIF file weight is exactly 10 times more than H264
  • Animated GIF only supports 256 colors
  • The H264 format is supported by ALL modern browsers
  • Since H264 is essentially a video, you can optionally add controls to it: rewind, pause.


I make complex big articles with tons of videos, function demos, animations. My conscience does not allow me to insert 20MB gifs into an article, because this is a crime against modern technologies and provider channels. Therefore, I ask Habr to add the ability to insert H264 with autoplay WITHOUT sound, while hiding the player controls.



Sample animation H264





The animation in h264 format weighs 10 times less

UPD : the block above is inserted through the imgur site. It may not work with some providers and phones. This is not an H264 problem, but a specific oembed element problem. Try to check the animation here blog.zhovner.com/GIF-vs-H264



The same GIF in H264 format embedded on imgur weighs ten times less. But inserting it through oembed is inconvenient, imgur adds a bunch of unnecessary garbage. Therefore, I ask Habr to add native support for mp4 containers so that they can be inserted directly into the body of the article without third-party services.



Inserting media via iframely







There is such a service iframely.com. Through it, you can mold an oembed element for insertion on Habr. But I didn’t manage to blind mp4 video with autoplay.



Help, I am suffering!



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