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Microsoft's HD Photo to Become JPEG Standard?

Posted by Zonk on from the what's-wrong-with-jpeg dept.

Mortimer.CA writes "Ars Technica is reporting that Microsoft has submitted their HD Photo to the JPEG committee: 'Microsoft's ongoing attempt to establish its own photo format as a JPEG alternative (and potential successor) took another step forward today when the JPEG standards group agreed to consider HD Photo (originally named Windows Media Photo) as a standard. If successful, the new file standard will be known as JPEG XR.' Microsoft has made a 'commitment to make its patents that are required to implement the specification available without charge.' While JPEG 2000 exists, HD Photo has several advantages (not the least of which is a lot less CPU power is needed). Is this a big of an issue as ODF/OOXML?"

4 of 369 comments (clear)

  1. Re:can this be the only solution? by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Microsoft makes their promise to make this free. The exact wording from the article is, "offer a royalty-free grant for its patents that are required to implement" --I'm sure there are more details to the offer, but just because it is royalty-free doesn't necessarily mean that there won't be other terms that are deal breakers.
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  2. transfer all control or forget it by DriveDog · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If MS gives away all rights to the format spec and any algorithms required to use it, fine. JPEG can declare particular implementations in compliance or not. Otherwise, no way.

  3. Re:As long as anyone can implement it ... by ajs · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They key issue, can anyone implement the standard directly without payments, without agreements without any restrictions? MSFT can very well say, there is no payment but all implementors should sign some agreement with us. Then there could be a clause that could revoke the agreement. You're not thinking deviously enough. What they REALLY want to do is have all of the most popular Web data formats require the use of their patents, and then issue a blanked right to use those patents for free to anyone... but in a way that's not GPLv3 compatible.

    This is Microsoft's dream because you can't contest it in court. The agreement you're violating if you mix this technology with GPLv3 code is NOT the agreement with Microsoft, but the GPLv3! You would have to sue the FSF in order to use Microsoft's image format in your GPLv3 code.

    For all that I despise the tactic, I have to admit that it's a clever little hack.
  4. The "evil" in MS's actions: by Gr8Apes · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well, the inability to use it in GPL v2/3 code would be the evil part that the OP was referring to. There you go.

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