The Joint Photographic Experts Group decided earlier this week to officially endorse the Microsoft HD Photo file format as the eventual heir apparent to the JPEG standard. In order to be adopted, the format has lost its vendor-specific name and other Microsoft proprietary controls to ensure universal compatibility. The new format will hence be known as JPEG XR whereby XR stands for eXtended Range.

Microsoft believes that wide-spread use of this file format could begin in about a year.
Key features include:
  • wider colour palette
  • finer gradations
  • in-camera imaging processing support
  • faster burst-mode photography
  • better compression
  • supported by Windows Vista
  • support has been pledged by Adobe (a plug-in for Photoshop is already available)

Download: HD Photo Plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop® Software - Windows
Download: HD Photo Plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop® Software - OS X
News source: CNET


There are 18 additional comments
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(3 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #1 Posted by Fred Derf on 07 Feb 2008 - 20:43
First of all, this news is a few days old but it seems to have slid under the radar a bit. That may be because an announcement of this kind was expected almost a year ago but now we have a formal confirmation.

I thought it was worth bringing to the attention of Neowinians. If you've already heard about it then you can move on. There probably is a forum thread but the search function is being worked on.

Edit: I manually looked in BPN and I didn't see anything.
Quote this comment #1.1 Posted by vetmarkjensen on 07 Feb 2008 - 20:49
What a shame that so many disclaimers have to be posted at the start of a FPN item.

And, heaven forbid, someone mis-type "MB" instead of "GB".


As for the news item, glad to see that the format will lose proprietary controls. Should aid in cross-platform (and cross-vendor) use without need to license and such.
Quote this comment #1.2 Posted by Fred Derf on 07 Feb 2008 - 20:54
(markjensen said @ #1.1)
And, heaven forbid, someone mis-type "MB" instead of "GB".

What idiot would do that?

I'm still nearly a front-page virgin. Don't hurt me.
Quote this comment #1.3 Posted by Angel Blue01 on 07 Feb 2008 - 21:40
(markjensen said @ #1.1)
What a shame that so many disclaimers have to be posted at the start of a FPN item.

And, heaven forbid, someone mis-type "MB" instead of "GB".


As for the news item, glad to see that the format will lose proprietary controls. Should aid in cross-platform (and cross-vendor) use without need to license and such.


I hope you're right, and any editor will be able to use this even under the GPL.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #2 Posted by simon360 on 07 Feb 2008 - 21:23
Another renaming of HD Photo? It's already been through 2 or 3

Good news to hear, anyway
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #3 Posted by chris69nz on 07 Feb 2008 - 21:24
Excellent work MS!
(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #4 Posted by vespesian on 07 Feb 2008 - 22:09
"Endorse", not "endorce".
Quote this comment #4.1 Posted by Fred Derf on 07 Feb 2008 - 23:06
(vespesian said @ #4)
"Endorse", not "endorce".

Yes, I got a PM about that too. Fixed.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #5 Posted by dentaku on 07 Feb 2008 - 23:37
I tried out this new format right when the Photoshop plug-in came out and I'm quite impressed by it. I hope camera makers start adding it to their hardware because we need something like this to fill in the space between artifact filled jpegs and giant RAW files.

I hope Canon is listening.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #6 Posted by bangbang023 on 07 Feb 2008 - 23:41
I wonder if current cameras will be given the opportunity to support this through a firmware update. I literally just purchased a Canon SD1000 and would love support for this in the future.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #7 Posted by Galley on 08 Feb 2008 - 00:04
.jpgxr?
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #8 Posted by TigerFX on 08 Feb 2008 - 00:36
No, .wdp and .hdp. I've just installed the CS2 plugin:



http://allenellis.com/public/Textopia.jpg (8 bits per channel jpeg @ 28KB)
http://allenellis.com/public/Textopia.hdp (16 bits per channel HD photo @ 140KB)

What's odd is that Microsoft's file association search doesn't know about either format:
http://shell.windows.com/fileassoc/0409/xm...dir.asp?Ext=HDP
http://shell.windows.com/fileassoc/0409/xm...dir.asp?Ext=WDP
(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #9 Posted by Intelman on 08 Feb 2008 - 02:09
I love .wdp, but no one supports it.

Getting support is so hard, which is why we'll be using mp3 for a while, i prefer aac, but not everything supports that still.
Quote this comment #9.1 Posted by toadeater on 08 Feb 2008 - 03:27
(Intelman said @ #9)
I love .wdp, but no one supports it.

Getting support is so hard, which is why we'll be using mp3 for a while, i prefer aac, but not everything supports that still.


If MS serious about keeping it an open format then it will get adopted. But no one wants a new format with a licensing time bomb in it, like what was tried with the GIF format.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #10 Posted by Shadrack on 08 Feb 2008 - 05:01
Thats cool. Its about time that there is a successor to JPEG that is 'better' (although I don't fully understand technically how exactly, I'd have to see it).
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #11 Posted by randomevent on 08 Feb 2008 - 08:41
Am I missing something? The 'source' is from November 2007.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #12 Posted by +Orlando Rays on 08 Feb 2008 - 13:28
The question is, what will the extension be? Will it remain .hdp or will it move to another one like .jxr?
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #13 Posted by ryoohki on 10 Feb 2008 - 03:59
Nice.. i downloaded a photo from dpreview.com (jpeg) at FUll 10mpixel res that was 4.5megs, i use the CS plugin.. with 100 quantization , cut down to 88k, and unless i use a painfull about of zoom it (even at 400% it's not evident to find a difference) doest show the flaw. It will be great for online photo, save bandwitdh and space..
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