Standardization would also ensure interoperability between camera, printer, display and software companies.

Developed by Microsoft’s Core Media Processing team, the HD Photo technology is already included in Windows Vista, and the company says the new file format offers better image fidelity, higher image-compression efficiency, and more flexible editing features than traditional JPEG formats.

“We are voting on consideration of this new file format for standardization because we believe it will foster breakthrough, innovative products and services in the photography and printing industries that will have widespread value for consumers around the world,” said Dr. Daniel Lee, convener of the Joint Photographic Expert Group.

Lance Howarth, general manager of the Media Processing Division at ARM Holdings PLC, says the proposed JPEG XR format will improve the capabilities of digital cameras and wireless devices.

"Higher compression efficiency offers faster wireless uploads for longer battery life and an enhanced dynamic range that will help improve photographs taken in low-light conditions with a mobile phone or digital camera that does not offer sufficient flash assistance."

The higher compression is also thought to be important for web-based applications, as higher quality images are enabled by more digital information while decreasing upload and download times.

HD Photo will ship in Windows Vista, and use the .hdp file extension. Not only that, but HD Photo is F-R-E-E free:

We have also made a substantial change to the licensing. The previous Windows Media Photo Device Porting Kit (DPK) evaluation and distribution license agreements are gone. We have replaced them with a straight-forward click-to-install End User License Agreement (EULA) for the new HD Photo 1.0 Device Porting Kit. It’s now easy for anyone to receive the complete HD Photo DPK, including the compressed bitstream specification and the ANSI-C reference source code. The DPK is free, and we have eliminated all distribution royalties. HD Photo is 100% free for all developers.

Very cool. If Vista is about making things “clearer” for users, instead of more profitable for Microsoft, then they are definetly showing that they are on the path.

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Nathan Weinberg writes the popular InsideGoogle blog, offering the latest news and insights about Google and search engines.

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