What is AVIF
A technology we are excited about is AV1 (.avif) image file format. It is a type of super-compressed image. According to Netflix, .avif offers more excellent image quality and compression ratio than JPEG, PNG, and even the newer WebP formats. In collaboration with Google, Cisco, and Xiph.org (which collaborated with Mozilla, the creator of Firefox), the Alliance for Open Media developed the format. It was designed as an accessible, open-source image format (unlike JPEG XR, which is a format that compresses down minimal but necessitates expensive licenses for implementation). Format options include supporting any image codec, lossless or lossy compression, alpha channels (transparency for UI elements), and even storing animated frames (think light, high-quality animated GIFs). Furthermore, it supports HDR color support, providing higher brightness, greater color bit depth, and wider color gamuts.
What is VLC Media Player
The VLC media player (formerly known as the VideoLAN Client, and more commonly referred to as VLC) is a free, cross-platform, portable, accessible, and open-source media player software and streaming media server developed by the VideoLAN project. VLC is available for desktop operating systems and mobile platforms, including Android, iOS, and iPad. You can also download VLC through digital distribution platforms such as Apple's App Store, Google Play, and the Microsoft Store. The video and audio formats supported by VLC include DVD-Video, video CD, and streaming protocol. It is capable of streaming media across computer networks and transcoding multimedia files.
VLC supports AVIF
This development version of VLC Media Player 4.0.0 -dev Otto Chriek supports not the opening of AVIF images but also the playback of AVIFS animations. Support was buggy years ago, but it seems that most of these issues have been resolved by now. The release date of 4.0 is not yet known. In the meantime, you can try the nightly builds. Open VLC and drag the AVIF file into it, or open the file from the File menu.
The support is no surprise, given that the VideoLAN association is a member of the Alliance for Open Media that created the AVIF format.