New JPEG Rival, Windows Media Photo
Tuesday May 30, 2006
Windows Media Photo is a new file format for continuous-tone still images that surpasses the limitations of existing image formats. Windows Media Photo supports a wide range of features including:CNET.com also has some details on the Windows Media Photo format from a presentation at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference last week.Windows Media Photo delivers a lightweight, high performance algorithm with a small memory footprint that enables practical, in-device encoding and decoding.
- Multiple color formats for display or print
- Fixed or floating point high dynamic range image encoding
- Lossless or high quality lossy compression
- Extremely efficient decoding for multiple resolutions and sub-regions
- Minimal overhead for format conversion or transformations during decode
Related Articles:
• JPEG Artifacts in Graphics Files
• About JPEG and JPEG 2000 File Formats
• JPEG Tools and Software
• Myths and Facts About JPEG
• Should You Capture Digital Photos In Raw or JPEG Format?
• The Pitfalls of JPEG Compression
Comments
Do I think the world needs another digital photo file format? No, no, no, no, no. UNLESS Microsoft has had a big change of heart on licensing.
But even so, if JPEG is deficient, why not move for a cross-vendor development? Why does Microsoft have to have only its hands on the wheel?
All good and fine that Microsoft wants to become the biggest monopoly with tons of hackers and such, constantly making us upgrade our spyware and and virus protection because so many people want to see Billy Gates go down (and the entire U.S. lives by everything Microsoft), but what ever happened to the PNG files? Weren’t they supposed to be the more favored file format for photos a few years ago. Not much has ever been written or spoken about the PNG files - are they that unfavorable?
I like using PNG wherever and whenever it can be supported by software and print shops - it works pretty good. Who knows…too many changes too quickly, I cannot afford to pay for more training every six seconds because Microsoft wants to force us to change that quickly. I like change because it helps get work done quicker (but we also work harder and longer because of it and it’s killing those that actually do have jobs..while the rest of us are unemployed). I need more information on both Windows Media Photo format and what’s up with PNG.
Why if we have JPEG2000? Microsoft would like to lock customers in DRM with their pictures and improve monopoly.
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Pixel image editor - http://www.kanzelsberger.com
I’m tired of Microsoft. I’m tired of the money grabbing. Ie: I had Win ME. What trash. I paid for it. You think I got my money back? Noooooooo. I’d bought a router from them. When the damn thing didn’t work, they wanted my credit card number. Hello!?
I would welcome a new picture fromat from anyone so long as it passes the following tests:
1) it is Loss-less no loss of quality for every save.
2) it can be edited in any of my favorite photo editors e.g. Photoshop
3) it doesn’t increase my file size
4) it can be resaved in any format I chose.
I don’t care if it comes from Microsoft or anybody else, so long as it is solid. This isn’t the space for Bill Gates Bashing. this is old and tiresome.
I’d far rather seen resolution of the legal issues inhibiting widespread adoption of the JPEG2000 format. I have no interest in proprietary specs; nobody wants to go through the GIF mess again! I don’t believe that any format that falls short of enabling full access to developers can expect adoption on wide enough scale to be worth adding to the mix. Focus support and development on jp2 and png!
I would never use any Microsoft format. Right now if I use a JPG for a specific purpose I still have the Photoshop original, no no big deal. Have to agree with others taht JPEG2000 seems a LOT more desireable.
I don’t care which format I use as long as its good for the purpose I put it to. But what worries me about this situation is that a Microsoft specific format may have issues with other software manufacturers (will Microsoft charge huge licence fees to Adobe so that Adobe can write filters for Photoshop), and will I be charged by the image to use the Microsoft format? I honestly do not trust Microsoft not to try either of these revenue tactics.
I simply agree with
Comment No. 5 by David
only one addition.
any new format must be totaly MAC copatible.
Gerd
Let Microsoft fix all of the errors and failings in their current software before venturing into yet another area which they want to monopolize.