30 Years of Compression Evolution
The history of digital compression is a story of continuous innovation, enabling us to store and transmit ever more data with ever less resources.
MP3 Released
The MPEG-1 Audio Layer III (MP3) codec revolutionized music distribution. For the first time, high-quality audio could be compressed to about 1/10th of CD size while maintaining acceptable quality.
JPEG Standardized
The Joint Photographic Experts Group created the most successful image format ever. JPEG enabled digital photography and web images by compressing photos to a fraction of their original size.
H.264/AVC
H.264 became the dominant video codec, enabling HD video streaming and Blu-ray discs. It offered 2x better compression than previous standards.
WebP Introduced
Google released WebP, offering 25-35% better compression than JPEG. It marked the beginning of a new generation of web-optimized formats.
Opus Audio Codec
Opus emerged as the most versatile audio codec, excelling at both speech and music. It became the standard for real-time communication.
Zstandard (zstd)
Facebook released Zstandard, offering compression ratios similar to LZMA but with speeds comparable to LZ4. It's now used by default in many systems.
AV1 Video Codec
The Alliance for Open Media released AV1, offering 30% better compression than H.265 while being completely royalty-free.
AVIF Image Format
Based on AV1, AVIF emerged as the most efficient image format, offering 50% savings over JPEG with superior quality.
TomYaYa Brings It Together
TomYaYa combines the best of 30 years of compression innovation, making AVIF, AV1, and Opus accessible to everyone through an easy-to-use application.