iterm's protocol can display gifs, could use a streaming method via that, Kitty's protocol supports manual animating, though I have a feel it wouldn't be able to do video.
mpv supports both sixel and kitty's method for doing video
mpv supports both sixel and kitty's method for doing video
(1) Draw image repeatedly using the "don't move cursor" cursor movement policy[1a][1b].
(2) Draw image replacing an existing image with the same id.
(3) Use animation configured to use "loading mode"[2] ("in this mode when reaching the last frame, instead of looping, the terminal will wait for the arrival of more frames").
An actual terminal graphics/image protocol enables some IMO[3] pretty cool possibilities:
* A while back I implemented a proof-of-concept that displayed a simple interactive egui (a Rust immediate mode GUI project) GUI within WezTerm via the protocol.
* Later I discovered someone had gone as far as making a port[5] of the OpenGL gears demo to kitty terminal graphics protocol.
* And there's even a "full graphical web browser for Kitty terminal with mouse and keyboard support"[6][7].
---- footnotes ----
(Content advisory for links: Kitty terminal graphics protocol spec includes a sample image whose subject has requested that the image no longer be used for such purposes.)
[0] https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/graphics-protocol/#terminal-...
[1a] https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/graphics-protocol/#controlli...
[1b] This approach appears to be the method used by the mpv implementation: https://github.com/mpv-player/mpv/commit/874e28f4a41a916bb56...
[2] https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/graphics-protocol/#controlli...
[3] I'm aware that not everyone will think static or dynamic image display is something a terminal "should do" but to me it seems better to have actual image support in terminals rather than use (already currently used) existing "hacks" that provide a poor facsimile of support[4].
[4] Then again, I'm also of the opinion[4a] that perhaps terminals should support actual graphical UIs rather than the poor facsimile of them delivered by TUIs. *cough* :D
[4a] Motivated by the thought that at the current point in time perhaps the "essence" of a "terminal" is its linear "chronological" presentation of input/interaction/output history rather than its use of "text". (See also: "lab notebooks" & some tiling window manager features.)
[5] https://github.com/michaeljclark/glkitty
[6] https://github.com/chase/awrit
[7] Which I imagine DEC is turning in its grave about. :)
it's unfortunate that it's still only six bits per byte, but at least it supports png and 24-bit color