TL;DR
Get business pricing on networking and server gear
- Business-only prices and quantity discounts
- Tax-exempt purchasing
- Multiple users, one account, clear invoices
A November 2026 blog post argues that websites, social platforms and device makers should expand support for AVIF, a still-image format that generally compresses images more efficiently than WebP at comparable quality. The proposal is an argument, not an announced industry policy or independently measured estimate of savings; the post says format changes would not resolve hardware shortages.
A blogger has called on hosting providers, social platforms and phone makers to support the AVIF image format more widely, arguing that smaller image files could ease storage and bandwidth demands as hardware and hosting costs rise. The November 2026 post is an opinion and proposal, not evidence of a coordinated industry shift or a measured estimate of savings.
The author says prices for hard drives, solid-state drives and NVMe storage have risen and become harder to source, while hosting companies have raised prices during 2026. The post points to Hetzner as one provider that has increased prices multiple times this year, citing hardware costs. Those price claims are presented by the blogger; the supplied material does not include company statements or industry-wide data to verify their scale.
The central proposal is to expand support for AVIF images, while using WebP where AVIF is unavailable. The author says AVIF generally delivers better compression than WebP at comparable visual quality, potentially reducing the size of image files. The post argues that savings across large volumes of uploads could benefit hosting services, independent websites and users, but offers no measurements of total storage or bandwidth reductions.
The author acknowledges a trade-off: AVIF encoding uses more processing than some alternatives. One suggested approach is to let users convert images on their own devices before uploading, while services retain the efficient original and generate thumbnails or compatibility versions as needed. The blogger also calls for more native AVIF support in phones and says HEIC should be supported alongside AVIF, rather than as a replacement.
Potential Savings for Smaller Hosts
Images account for a substantial part of the content stored and delivered online, so a reduction in the size of each image could add up across sites with many uploads. If widely adopted and implemented without requiring inefficient duplicate copies, more compact formats could reduce storage use and data transfer. That may matter especially to smaller hosting providers and independent services, which can have less room to absorb rising infrastructure bills than large technology companies.
Those benefits are potential rather than established outcomes in this report. Actual savings depend on image types, compression settings, whether platforms keep multiple versions, and the extra processing needed to encode and serve files. Wider AVIF support would also need to work across users’ devices, browsers and software. A change in image format could help providers use resources more efficiently, but it would not itself increase the supply of storage hardware or reverse price rises.
Products Worth Considering
Amazon Kindle Scribe (3rd Generation), 64GB, 11-inch Display, Graphite, with Premium Pen
Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise-Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones, Twilight Blue
LG UltraGear 27-inch QHD OLED Gaming Monitor, 240Hz
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
A Format Proposal Amid Cost Pressures
The post connects its recommendation to rising hardware costs and hosting prices, which it attributes in part to increased demand for hardware associated with the AI boom. It argues that those supply and price pressures may take time to ease, but the source supplies no independent market figures or forecast establishing how long shortages might last.
The blogger also cites video as a reason to revisit compression formats, saying YouTube is preparing to move beyond AV1 and could begin streaming AV2 as early as 2027. That is a claim in the supplied post, not a confirmed announcement included with supporting evidence here. The article’s main focus remains images: the author says they have switched to AVIF on platforms that accept it and WebP where they cannot use AVIF.
AVIF, WebP and HEIC are image formats, while AV1 and AV2 are video codecs. The proposal is not that all services should switch immediately regardless of compatibility. The author’s stated position is that platforms should support AVIF where it makes sense, preserve efficient files where possible, and make conversion between formats less burdensome for users.
“I think AVIF would be one of the best choices for image storage”
— The blogger
Savings and Support Still Unmeasured
The source does not quantify how much storage or bandwidth a broad move to AVIF would save, or how those savings would compare with the added cost of encoding, compatibility work and file conversion. It also does not establish how many hosting providers or social platforms currently accept AVIF, how often they preserve uploaded files in their original format, or whether they plan to change their systems.
It is also unclear how quickly phone makers would add native AVIF capture or storage options, and whether users would see broad compatibility across apps and devices. The post’s references to rising prices, AI-related demand and a possible YouTube move to AV2 are not accompanied by independent data or direct statements from the companies concerned. No industry commitment to standardize on AVIF is reported.
Adoption Depends on Platform Choices
The next developments would be decisions by hosting services, social platforms, browser and device makers about which formats they accept, store and deliver. The post does not identify a scheduled policy change, product release or industry meeting. For now, it is a call for providers to test wider support and weigh file-size reductions against encoding and compatibility costs.
Readers and organizations considering AVIF will need to check whether their publishing tools and audiences can use it reliably, and whether any conversion process keeps the intended image quality and avoids unnecessary duplicate storage. The blogger’s broader point is that better compression could be useful even if hardware prices later fall; whether that case leads to wider adoption remains open.
Key Questions
What change is the blogger asking for?
The author wants websites, social platforms and hosting providers to support AVIF images more widely, and asks phone makers to offer better native support. The post also supports WebP where AVIF is unavailable and HEIC compatibility alongside AVIF.
Why does the post favor AVIF over WebP?
The blogger says AVIF generally offers better compression than WebP at comparable image quality, which could mean smaller files. The source does not provide tests or figures showing the size of that difference across real-world image collections.
Would wider AVIF use end hardware shortages?
No. The author explicitly says changing formats would not solve hardware shortages. The argument is that smaller files might reduce some storage and bandwidth demand and help services make more efficient use of existing resources.
What could make AVIF adoption difficult?
The post notes that AVIF encoding uses more CPU and raises compatibility as a practical concern. Services may need to create thumbnails or alternate versions, while users may encounter devices or platforms that do not support the format.
Has the industry agreed to switch to AVIF?
No industry-wide agreement or announced rollout is reported. The November 2026 post is the blogger’s recommendation; platform and device makers’ plans are not established in the supplied source.
Source: michaelponders.com
