Move Over JPEG, Revisted

 Microsoft’s digital image file format HD Photo took another step closer to realization as a true industry standard when the Joint Photographic Expert Group (or JPEG) said it would vote to consider standardizing the format under the tentative title of JPEG-XR.

According to Microsoft, the format “offers better image fidelity, higher image-compression efficiency and flexible editing features.” Higher compression will yield quicker wireless uploads and longer battery lives, while improved dynamic range will improve low-light images, Microsoft says.

The vote is expected to occur in October. If Microsoft’s standard is approved, it will offer a royalty-free grant for its patents, allowing other vendors to implement the standard.

So what does it all mean? Aimee Baldridge at Popular Photography has a good interview with Microsoft’s HD Photo program manager Bill Crow that sheds some light on that question.