SANTA CLARA - Content delivery specialist Speedera Networks says it has the answer for companies tired of the time-consuming task of manipulating and storing static images on graphics-heavy Web sites.

Speedera is partnering with imaging software maker TrueSpectra to provide a fully hosted service that lets customers make changes to Web site images on the fly. The Speedera Dynamic Imaging Service, being introduced this week, integrates TrueSpectra's Image Servers into Speedera's content delivery network.

Typically, Web sites start with a high-quality graphic and then make derivatives of that graphic for various uses, such as a zoom view or an image with a text overlay. Each modified image is then stored as a static file. TrueSpectra eliminates the need to create and store static images by letting Web sites generate dynamic images on the fly.

The technology uses a URL query string based on HTTP or XML to tell the application server how to modify an existing image. For Speedera customers, images are uploaded to the Speedera network and changes can be made via SpeedEye, Speedera's monitoring and management user interface.

"Our technology allows you to work from original high-quality source images, but instead of manipulating them on a software package, you use a URL string and tell the server what to do with it. Then the server goes and does it for you," says David Watkins, CEO of TrueSpectra. "It eliminates most of the repetitive tasks and provides a lot more flexibility because if you decide you want your thumbnails to be a little bit bigger, you just basically change a parameter on your application server and now your images are just a little bit bigger."

The technology also enables zoom capabilities, a real plus for retail sites that want to give customers a closer look at merchandise, Watkins says.

Jill Aldort, a research analyst at InfoTrends Research Group, says TrueSpectra competes with firms such as Equilibrium, PictureIQ and iPIX. By partnering with Speedera, TrueSpectra is offering a unique service, she adds.

"This enables them to offer their service at a much lower price point," Aldort says. "For a couple thousand dollars a month customers get this service, and they don't have to invest thousands and thousands of dollars for start-up costs. Rather, it's just something that's added to an existing service."