Image MIME Reference
Net-FPX
Network FlashPix
image/vnd.net-fpx
VS
WebP Image
image/webp
WebP
A complete technical comparison of Network FlashPix and WebP Image — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
WebP wins on browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | Net-FPX | WebP |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | Yes | Yes |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | Yes |
| Progressive Loading | Yes | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | Yes | Yes |
| ICC Color Profile | Yes | Yes |
Network FlashPix
image/vnd.net-fpx
Extension
.fpx
Container
Microsoft OLE Structured Storage (COM)
Compression
JPEG (Lossy) / Uncompressed / Single-color (Solid)
Algorithm
JPEGNone
Color Depth
8-bit (Grayscale/Indexed), 24-bit (RGB), 32-bit (CMYK/RGBA)
Developed by
Digital Imaging Group (Kodak, HP, Live Picture, Microsoft)
Released
1996
Magic Bytes
D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1
WebP Image
image/webp
Extension
.webp
Container
RIFF
Compression
Lossy / Lossless
Algorithm
VP8VP8L
Color Depth
8-bit
Developed by
Google
Released
2010
Magic Bytes
52 49 46 46 XX XX XX XX 57 45 42 50
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | Net-FPX | WebP |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ |
✓ 32+
|
Firefox
|
✕ |
✓ 65+
|
Safari
|
✕ |
✓ 14+
|
Edge
|
✕ |
✓ 18+
|
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
Net-FPX
Net-FPX Strengths
- Revolutionized web imaging in the late 1990s by proving that massive gigapixel images could be navigated seamlessly over 56k dial-up modems
- Pioneered the tile-based, multi-resolution pyramid concepts that eventually evolved into modern standards like IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework)
Limitations
- Completely obsolete, having been replaced by standard JPEG servers and modern tiling formats like Deep Zoom or JPEG 2000/XR
- Relied on proprietary Java applets or ActiveX controls to render the tiles dynamically in a web browser
- Extremely complex to parse server-side due to the heavy OLE filesystem container
WebP
WebP Strengths
- Superior lossy compression — 25–35% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality
- Supports both animation and full alpha transparency
- Lossless mode available with smaller file sizes than PNG
Limitations
- Slower encoding than JPEG, especially for lossless
- Not supported in Internet Explorer or very old browsers
When to choose which format
Net-FPX
Use Net-FPX when…
- Historical Internet Imaging Protocol (IIP) Streaming
- Early E-Commerce Deep Zoom Implementations
- Legacy High-Resolution Image Servers
WebP
Use WebP when…
- Websites
- Ecommerce
- Mobile Apps
- CMS Images