Bespoke Android and web app development for Preston

Why choose New Media Aid?
Low cost web app & website developers and Android mobile app developers for Preston, Lancashire. We are only only 161 miles away from Preston. The development cost of a bespoke Android app, web app or ecommerce website for organisations in Lancashire will usually be between £2,000 and £5,000.

We are expert web, ecommerce and Android app developers for your business in Preston, Lancashire. Our bespoke web, Android & ecommerce application development team specialise in cutting-edge app development and have an office only 161 miles from Preston.


Useful Android app developers term of the day: High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF)

The Android HEIFWriter library is a software development kit (SDK) provided by Google that allows developers to write HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) files on Android devices. HEIF is a newer image format that provides better compression and quality than older image formats like JPEG and PNG.

The HEIFWriter library is available as part of the Android Support Library, and can be included in an Android project through Gradle. Once added to a project, the HEIFWriter library can be used to create HEIF files from image data in memory or on disk, and can be customized to set encoding parameters like image quality, compression level, and color format.

HEIF files created with the HEIFWriter library can be used in Android apps and shared with other devices and platforms that support the format. However, it's worth noting that not all devices and platforms support HEIF yet, so it may not be the best choice for all use cases.


The Android HEIFWriter library is a library that allows Android developers to write High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF) files in their Android applications. HEIF is a modern image format that provides higher compression rates and better quality than traditional image formats like JPEG.

The HEIFWriter library is part of the Android media framework and can be used in Android applications starting from Android 8.0 (API level 26). The library provides a simple and easy-to-use interface for creating HEIF files from Android Bitmap objects or YUV image data.

To use the HEIFWriter library in your Android application, you need to add the following dependency to your app's build.gradle file:

dependencies { implementation 'com.android.support:support-media-compat:28.0.0' }

Once you have added the dependency, you can use the HEIFWriter class to create HEIF files. Here's an example code snippet that shows how to create a HEIF file from a Bitmap object:

Bitmap bitmap = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(getResources(), R.drawable.my_image); HEIFWriter writer = new HEIFWriter("/path/to/my_image.heif", bitmap.getWidth(), bitmap.getHeight()); writer.start(); writer.addBitmap(bitmap); writer.stop();

In this example, the HEIFWriter constructor takes the path to the output HEIF file and the width and height of the input Bitmap. The start method initializes the HEIFWriter instance, the addBitmap method adds the Bitmap data to the HEIF file, and the stop method finalizes the HEIF file.

Note that the HEIFWriter library is only available on Android devices that support HEIF encoding. If you are targeting devices that do not support HEIF, you can use a third-party HEIF encoder library like libheif to encode HEIF files on those devices.

The High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF) is a file format for storing and sharing images and other media content. HEIF is a more advanced format than the older JPEG and PNG formats, offering higher quality images and smaller file sizes. In this article, we will discuss how HEIF works and what benefits it provides over other formats.

HEIF uses a more efficient compression algorithm than JPEG, which is the most commonly used format for sharing images on the web. JPEG uses a "lossy" compression method, which means that some of the image data is lost during compression. HEIF, on the other hand, uses a "lossless" compression method, which retains all of the original image data. This means that images saved in HEIF format can be compressed to a much smaller size without losing any quality.

One of the main advantages of HEIF is its ability to store multiple images and media content in a single file. This is done through a feature called "containerization," which allows multiple images, videos, and other media types to be stored together in a single file. This is useful for photographers and videographers who want to share their work in a more organized way, or for users who want to store all of their media content in a single file.

HEIF also supports advanced image features such as high dynamic range (HDR) and deep color. HDR images have a wider range of colors and brightness than traditional images, which makes them look more realistic and vibrant. HEIF also supports the Rec. 2020 color space, which provides a wider range of colors than the sRGB color space used by most other formats.

Another benefit of HEIF is its ability to store "image sequences," which are multiple images taken in rapid succession, such as those taken by a burst mode on a camera. HEIF stores these images as a single sequence, which can be viewed as a video or as individual images. This feature is useful for photographers who want to capture fast-moving subjects or for users who want to create animations or GIFs from their image sequences.

HEIF also has built-in support for image editing features such as cropping, rotation, and metadata editing. This means that users can edit their images without having to save them in a separate format, which can save time and reduce the risk of losing image quality during conversion.

HEIF is also more secure than other formats, as it supports digital rights management (DRM) features. This allows content creators to protect their work from unauthorized use or distribution, which is particularly important for professional photographers and videographers.

HEIF is supported by many major operating systems and devices, including iOS, macOS, Windows, and Android. However, some older devices and software may not support HEIF, which can make sharing and viewing HEIF images more difficult. To address this issue, many devices and operating systems now include built-in support for HEIF conversion or viewing, or users can use third-party software to convert HEIF files to other formats.

In conclusion, HEIF is a more advanced and efficient file format for storing and sharing images and other media content. HEIF offers higher quality images, smaller file sizes, and advanced features such as HDR and image sequences. HEIF is also more secure than other formats and is supported by many major operating systems and devices. However, HEIF may not be supported by all devices and software, which can make sharing and viewing HEIF images more difficult.



Crimes reported in Preston
Our custom app development prices are criminally low, but not as criminal as these events recently reported in Preston.

Why are we showing recent crimes in Preston Lancashire?
We are showing a few example crimes for Preston reported in Jan 2025 so you can see how we can automatically integrate real-time data from various external web services. Our web app developers specialise in developing complex bespoke web app development projects which includes systems integration!

bicycle theft
  • Nightclub (Investigation complete; no suspect identified)
  • Deepdale Street (Investigation complete; no suspect identified)
  • Manchester Road (Awaiting court outcome)
  • Union Street (Under investigation)
  • Stocks Street (Investigation complete; no suspect identified)
burglary
  • Regent Street (Unable to prosecute suspect)
  • Bath Street (Under investigation)
  • Boltons Court (Under investigation)
  • Shopping Area (Under investigation)
  • Goodier Street (Awaiting court outcome)
criminal damage arson
  • Theatre/concert Hall (Local resolution)
  • Butler Place (Under investigation)
  • Newton Street (Unable to prosecute suspect)
  • West Cliff (Unable to prosecute suspect)
  • Bus/coach Station (Investigation complete; no suspect identified)
drugs
  • Lord Street (Local resolution)
  • Rodney Street (Offender given a caution)
  • Bishopgate (Under investigation)
  • Crofters Green (Offender given penalty notice)
  • Abbey Street (Local resolution)
other theft
  • Ruskin Street (Investigation complete; no suspect identified)
  • Library Street (Investigation complete; no suspect identified)
  • Kingfisher Street (Unable to prosecute suspect)
  • Theatre/concert Hall (Investigation complete; no suspect identified)
  • Fylde Road (Investigation complete; no suspect identified)
possession of weapons
  • Birley Street (Awaiting court outcome)
  • Guildhall Street (Under investigation)
  • Villiers Street (Under investigation)
  • Parking Area (Offender given a caution)
  • St Paul's Road (Under investigation)
public order
  • Graham Street (Under investigation)
  • Porter Street (Under investigation)
  • Falkland Street (Awaiting court outcome)
  • Isherwood Street (Under investigation)
  • Theatre Street (Under investigation)
robbery
  • Market Street (Under investigation)
  • Meadow Street (Under investigation)
  • Shopping Area (Awaiting court outcome)
  • Cadogan Place (Under investigation)
  • Malthouse Court (Under investigation)
shoplifting
  • Supermarket (Investigation complete; no suspect identified)
  • Shopping Area (Offender given penalty notice)
  • Butler Street (Offender given penalty notice)
  • Parking Area (Unable to prosecute suspect)
  • Butler Street (Awaiting court outcome)
vehicle crime
  • Eastham Street (Under investigation)
  • Ribbleton Street (Investigation complete; no suspect identified)
  • Theatre/concert Hall (Under investigation)
  • Ladywell Street (Under investigation)
  • Ashmoor Street (Investigation complete; no suspect identified)
violent crime
  • Lincoln Street (Local resolution)
  • Strutt Street (Under investigation)
  • Petrol Station (Action to be taken by another organisation)
  • Villiers Street (Under investigation)
  • Aberdeen Close (Under investigation)
other crime
  • Goldfinch Street (Under investigation)
  • Ripon Street (Under investigation)
  • Patten Street (Under investigation)
  • John William Street (Under investigation)
  • Bus/coach Station (Under investigation)
We are only 161 miles from Preston
ab@newma.co.uk