XnView Software

They're introducing a new JPEG format in response to M$'s HDphoto format. This new JPEG format is actually a revisit to an old format, arithmetic coding. They removed/replaced the patented portions that shut down arithmetic JPEGs before with non-patented ones. There's an alpha stage, open source implementation available HERE (but only in source code form, no binaries). More info on the format HERE. This format looks promising, and promises to be fairly easy to implement on wide scale, since it's just a modification of an existing format (and claims to be backwards compatible) instead of an entirely new format. It'd be great if Xnview were the first prog to have support for the new format.

—> Drahken

Hello !

…It'd be great if Xnview were the first prog to have support for the new format.

• Of course ! I support that wish +++!

KR
Claude
Clo

Not backwards compatible, which would be quite a feat. ;_; It is a lossless reversable transform, however, in the same way that lossless rotation or cropping works. In other words, when the support shows up, it'd be possible to losslessly re-compress your entire jpeg library to this, and batch change a number back to normal jpegs if you need them for some reason, without any quality loss.

A ~10% gain isn't incredible, but it's nothing to sniff at if it comes for free. I just wonder how it compares to progressive output. Unfortunately, I can't build IJG or ImageMagick without crashes, or I'd post a build.

(This would be a fantastic addition to the versatile jpegtran tool, as well.)

The first line on the info page I link states:

The new ITU-T Recommendation T.851 offers better (and faster) compression by introducing a new (backward incompatible) alternative Q15 arithmetic coding.

Whether that's true or not, I don't know.

Drahken wrote:They're introducing a new JPEG format in response to M$'s HDphoto format. This new JPEG format is actually a revisit to an old format, arithmetic coding. They removed/replaced the patented portions that shut down arithmetic JPEGs before with non-patented ones. There's an alpha stage, open source implementation available HERE (but only in source code form, no binaries). More info on the format HERE. This format looks promising, and promises to be fairly easy to implement on wide scale, since it's just a modification of an existing format (and claims to be backwards compatible) instead of an entirely new format. It'd be great if Xnview were the first prog to have support for the new format.

Ok, thanks i'll check...

Drahken wrote:... It'd be great if Xnview were the first prog to have support for the new format.

Thank you for this brand-new info. I'd also like to see this format added to XnView very soon.

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.

More: http://www.news.com/8301-13580_3-9810024-39.html

Well that just sucks.
The microsoft hd format is not very good, the new arithmetic jpeg format promised to be much better. (The old arithmetic format was better than M$HD, so if the new format is at least equal to the old...)