OSTA Announces MultiPhoto/Video Specification

krazyninja writes "The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA), and the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A), have announced the release of v1.0 MultiPhoto/Video specs. This specifies a standard framework for storing and managing digital image content on CDs/DVDs. Companies such as HP and Roxio are involved in this development. Note that there is a similar spec for audio called MultiAudio, also from OSTA."

Comments

But will it work?

[Hi_2k]

If microsoft doesnt support this, or it doesnt get supported by winamp, it will end up falling by the wayside. Who needs another crappy video codec when we have mpg?

Sorry, but

[Slashdotess]

MPEG is severly dated, in my opinion, when we have stuff that can produce great quality at low bitrates. And, hell, this is an upstart isn't it? What kind've of open mind would say that we shouldn't even try and look into/make? another codec and blindly follow whatever preconcieved notions we have.

Re:Sorry, but

[C_To]

Perhaps MPEG-1 and even 2 is outdated, however, with that in mind, MPEG-2 is still being used exclusively in broadcasting and consumer distribution. If it's good enough to hit your television set (via Digital Cable or dish), and good enough for ENG use (a fair bit of digital stations transmit their data to a content provider using MPEG-2 based video), its most likely sufficent for consumer and even pro-sumer use. Dated technologies may be old, but they still provide simplicity and are still commonly used despite what Intel and Microsoft are boasting today. Not to mention, each newer MPEG technology (2 vs 4) provides a leap in a certain market area to provide sufficent standards for users without requiring the latest build of Windows Media Player.

Re:Hmmm... what kind of DRM nasties are in this?

[joebagodonuts]

"The MPV format will make it easy for consumers to transfer photos and video captured on a digital camera to a compatible DVD player or a computer using a memory card or recordable CD or DVD, and then play back the content exactly as captured without any additional steps," says Tara Bunch, general manager of digital imaging solutions at Hewlett-Packard Company.

Sounds like their attempting a hardware specifc combo. So this will work with my HP camera and my HP CD/DVD/RW/WHATEVER drive. Great! Oh wait, I don't have one. Curses!

Its just meta data folks...

[CharlieO]

Seriously, I've read most of the links now on the OSTA site, and I can't see anything that looks like DRM.

Repeatedly all I can find is that this is hardware/OS independant, and that non 'MPV-aware' software/hardware will still play the media because its just an extension system, that it is royalty-free...

So what is this - well this is my interpretation:

This is a index and archiving approach, using XML as a metadata format to support the approach.

Currently on a CD/DVD you have the ISO9660 filesystem that tells the firmware/software the bare minimum to access the data.

MPV looks like it takes this a step further, similar to what Kodak did with the PhotoCD standard, so that aware applications can get access to a fast loading and more descriprive index of the media on the disk.

So its an evolution of the filesystem that supports media content rather than raw data files.

I don't see that it mandates a particular underlying file system, or file format, or DRM, or brand of hardware.

Its just a standard to provide and index so that 'MPV aware' software/hardware can understand the media better and do more with it. If you're not MPV aware - then you just get the data in the filesystem like you do today.

Now if you've ever tried to use something like Uleads Photo Explorer to find the image you want off your CD-R archive and waited whilst the drive thrashed through the whole 700MB to generate thumbnails, or tried to use WinOnCD to generate CD PhotoAlbums by a neat use of the VCD standards - then you will know that this is possible, but not the easiest it should be.

How much nicer would it be just to dump your images onto media with some notes and categories, and for it to just work, in your PC, on your folks DVD player, in your mates IMac, heck even your local tame guru's *NIX boxen?

And I'm a lot happier seeing this done by an organisation with a broad range of interests, software, hardware, industry, consumers etc. I don't want OS forcing this on me with thier own agenda - M$ or *NIX - I don't want Media Industry influenced hardware companies like Sony utting thier own spin on it.

If this is to succeed then it needs contributions from a wide range of sources, that will keep it balanced and open. Look at how common HTML has become under the care of the W3C - and it still by and large resists customisation and bending towards specific views because so many diverse interests are part of the process.

Lets not view every technology announcement as a modern day 'REDs under the BED'('DRM under the HOOD??') paranoia - yes lets keep our eyes out, and when we are worried DO SOMETHING rather than rant. But lets not let the actions of RIAA/Fritz/M$/MPAA et al colour our views of every new announcement - that way they win. Lets remember that spirit of 'gosh wow' that drove the early internet and gave us /.

I'm prepared to be wrong, but to paraphrase 'To a hammer every problem is a nail' lets not end up as 'To the slashdot community every announcement has hidden DRM'