Firefox 100 brings HDR video & picture-in-picture playback to Mac

Mozilla Firefox has reached version 100, with the milestone release including HDR video on Mac, new browser wallpapers, Picture-in-Picture with subtitles, and more.

Arriving just over a month after Google Chrome hit its own milestone release, Firefox 100's update in May has been a long journey for the browser since its 2004 launch. Along with an update with new features, the triple-digit release is marked by a selection of artworks featuring the browser that Mozilla will be sharing throughout May.

Arguably the biggest feature of Firefox 100 is the introduction of High Dynamic Range video on macOS. Mozilla says that this "brings higher-fidelity video content to Firefox users on macOS 11+ (with HDR-compatible screens)."

Also added in Firefox 100 is subtitles to Picture-in-Picture. Following feedback via Mozilla Connect, subtitles are supported on YouTube, Prime Video, and Netflix, as well as on websites that use the WebVTT format, such as Twitter.

The team intends to expand subtitle support to more sites in the future.

Wallpapers, used to decorate the default pages of the browser when opening a new tab, were introduced for the mobile iOS and Android versions of the browser in the U.S. in March. With the 100 release, two new wallpapers have been added, and are available globally.

The mobile browses also "clutter-free" history and tabs, which are intended to simplify and organize the content of each section. For History, this involves grouping items by the original item viewed in a series of pages, such as different models of an item on an online store.

The clutter-free history also removes duplicates from view, as well as enabling searching within the history itself. Mozilla assures that the searches are conducted in a way that is privacy-preserving.

The clutter-free tabs, previously released on Android in 2021, are arriving on iOS inn Firefox 100. For users who tend to keep older tabs open, the update will shift tabs that haven't been viewed within 14 days to an "inactive state" in the tab tray, temporarily removing them from view.

Other new additions include a first-run language switcher to make it easier to select a preferred language, and an expansion of credit card autofill out from North America into the U.K., France, and Germany.

Firefox, as always, is available for free for macOS. Firefox 100 will be arriving on iOS and iPadOS later in the week.