MS Proposes JPEG Alternative

automatix writes "Microsoft's new competitor to the omnipresent JPEG format has been shown at WinHEC and is discussed on CNET. The Windows Media Photo format has many promises associated with it. The program manager is claiming 'We can do it in half the size of a JPEG file.'. While 'the philosophy has been that licensing should not be a restriction', it is interesting that the specification requires a click-through agreement to even read it."

Atl least they didn't call it...

[EnderGT]

.WMP - Although "Windows Media Photo" would have been more straight-forward than "Windows Digital Photo" (or whatever), can you imagine how much fun the punsters would have with that....

If they can keep from killing it with DRM and licensing, I for one would love to have a photo format where the quality doesn't degrade as much as JPEG does at high compression.

Only one problem

[sjonke]

All images encoded with Windows Media Photo have a blue cast to them

The click through agreement:

[goldaryn]

4. You have no obligation to give Microsoft any suggestions, comments or other feedback ("Feedback") relating to these Materials [...] Microsoft may freely use, reproduce, license, distribute, and otherwise commercialize Your Feedback in any Microsoft Offering

Hi MS,

It's rubbish.

Cheers.

wmf like features

[brenddie]

I cant wait to see what wmf like features this one has. If it doesnt have at least one vulnerability (buffer overflow, embeded executable code....) I refuse to use it.

WAHAHAHAHA

[JaJ_D]

Microsoft... and 'the philosophy has been that licensing should not be a restriction'.

WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

wipes tear from eye

WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


please stop.....

WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

*sound of side splitting....*

Seriously one of the funniest thing's I've heard resently...

Open Arms...

[Avogadros Letter]

I, for one, welcome our 50% smaller, lossy overlords...

Re:Lossless AND Lossy

[iainl]

Woah, you mean we've got to use a second file extension if we switch to lossless?

That's far too much work, let's just invent an entire new standard, just so our image directories look neat.

Re:Ummmm why?

[The Cisco Kid]

If you click the 'I agree' it takes you to download some file that ends in ".DOC" - since I couldnt find any specifications for *that* file, I wasnt able to read them.

Re:Embrace and Extend

[shaggykl]

Hmm. Maybe new ads will be rendered in this new format. Then non-IE browsers will get ad-blocking for free!

Re:Ummmm why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Egon, I'm a little bit fuzzy on this lossless thing

Re:JPEG-LS Vs JPEG

[shades66]

"Since it's a MS format, presumably the codec will be embedded within the OS and will have an easy hook to read/write the format from any program..."

don't forget the hooks to allow an image to format your hard-drive/ run executables as root and maybe even give it facilities to copy your secure account/bank details and mail them out.

Re:7Z

[Anonymous Coward]

Your whole post is parody of something worthwhile.

You know what?

[Anonymous Coward]

Forget about what we said earlier, let's keep the borg icon for anything Microsoft-related.

Re:Ummmm why?

[KilobyteKnight]

In the footer is this notice:

Microsoft Confidential. © 2005-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. By accessing, using or providing feedback on these materials, you agree to the attached license agreement.

Someone should change that to: "By accessing, using or providing feedback on these materials, or attempting to sue anyone over these materials you agree to the to give the person who altered this document $37,000,000,000 in US currency." And then promptly distribute it widely.

By the way, anyone replying to, reading, commenting about, or in any way accessing the material in this post; including but not limited to moderating, meta-moterating, storing in a database, retrieving from a database, viewing in a web browser, including it in or making a reference to it in a legal document, or accidentially glancing at this post agrees to send $100 to me for each occurance.

Re:Ummmm why?

[cp.tar]

Hey... I think I'll have to change my .sig...

Re:not really

[BiggyP]

it's widely accepted that the full spec for MS word's doc format is on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the Leopard".

SAT question

[WhiteWolf666]

1) UNISYS : Microsoft

A) Pitbull : Beelezebub
B) 9mm : Howizter
C) Dog shit : Milwaukee Sewage System
D) All of the above.

Re:Another Debate

[taylork]

Microsoft never perfected operating systems. Go learn about Windows.