Delphi (since the version 3, I guess) is shipped with the standard Jpeg library implementation,
from the Independent JPEG Group(IJG). It links C-
Nowadays, most applications (Dot Net, GDI+ oriented) use Microsoft's standard IPicture component, available as a COM object interface to any language, in any modern Windows system. It not only handles JPEG files, but works with GIF, BMP, and other formats.
At the beginning of this century, Intel released an optimized library for manipulating Jpeg images, the “Intel Jpeg Library” (IJL) . This implementation, on MMX- enabled OB systems, was two or three times faster than Microsoft or IJG implementation. So why don’t we use it?
Here is my attempt to unify IJG and IJL approach: MyJpeg.pas links to the IJG .obj files, and, if the IJL dll is available, will use it. The interesting point is that it defines a “quite” standard TJpegImage class, which exposes most properties of the Borland implementation. So you just have to rename Jpeg to MyJpeg in your uses clause, and your software will gain from the IJL library.
Sometimes, the IJL fails to download pictures - in this case, my TJpegImage object will transparently read it using the standard IJG, which, by definition, never fails.
Officially, “Intel no longer supports this old library and strongly recommends users to check the Intel IPP that will bring more benefits for functionalities and performance”. But this new library is not free to use on Windows, and guess its size? Ten of megabytes, of course, comparing to the 190kB of our old ijl15.dll. So make up your mind, and remember that MyJpeg can make use of IJG code if IJL fails. We won’t need Intel support this time. :)
Source code is licensed under the MPL.
Note: The IJL15.dll is available with the installer distribution of my MicroPic utility, which makes use of MyJpeg library.
Take a look at my new pure Delphi unit (no .dll required) for reading jpeg images on SSE and SSE2 CPU.
