Mozilla has officially released Firefox 157, featuring the Nova interface, which the company describes as its most significant visual update in years. The redesign modernizes the browser's top frame, sidebar, and menu system to improve visual consistency and user navigation.
A key technical addition is the first-time support for hardware-accelerated AV1 decoding for WebRTC video calls. By offloading these tasks from the CPU to dedicated hardware, the browser aims to reduce processor load and improve power efficiency during video conferences.
The update also addresses HDR display issues, ensuring that high dynamic range content renders correctly. Additionally, Mozilla has refined audio-video synchronization, resolving errors that previously occurred when users adjusted playback speeds for online media.
In a shift regarding search defaults, Amazon has been removed as a pre-installed search engine in Firefox 157. Users who wish to continue using Amazon for search must now manually add it to their browser settings.
