Adobe: No DNG Turf War with JPEG XR

[Suhit Gupta]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.com.com/8301-13580_3-9767396-39.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5' target='_blank'>http://news.com.com/8301-13580_3-9767396-39.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Adobe Systems' Digital Negative (DNG) format isn't a competitor to JPEG XR, a format Microsoft created as a higher-end replacement for conventional JPEG, an Adobe executive has predicted. "I think it's inappropriate to label the two formats as competitive," said Tom Hogarty, product manager for Photoshop Lightroom, in an e-mail interview. He believes that not only is the case now, but more significantly, will be the case in the future as well. DNG is Adobe's attempt to standardize the profusion of proprietary "raw" formats that give owners of higher-end cameras the option to process image data on their own computers instead of leaving it to the camera, which throws away a lot of data in the conversion to JPEG. JPEG XR, formerly known as Windows Media Photo and HD Photo, is Microsoft's attempt to create a higher-quality sequel to JPEG; JPEG XR likely will be standardized by the same neutral group that did so with ordinary JPEG."</i><br /><br />I am quite surprised by this news items because I really didn't think that there was any overlap between the two formats at all. DNG, from what I understand, is Adobe's attempt to standardize alll the various RAW formats, which IMHO is necessary and worthwhile. JPEG XR is supposed to be the next-gen JPEG format and has some nice features like being able to record more than 8 bits of data per color, providing more than a relatively coarse 256 levels between complete darkness and complete brightness. So they cater to different people and different applications. I wonder whether this is either an indication of some turf war to come? Or maybe Adobe wonders if users (if they do move from jpg and RAW) will move to only one new format than two and are planning ahead strategically.

[randalllewis]

Don't overlook the simple answer: The media loves to create and/or embellish potential conflicts between Microsoft and any other tech firm.

[Felix Torres]

Don't overlook the simple answer: The media loves to create and/or embellish potential conflicts between Microsoft and any other tech firm.

Especially Adobe, which has a history of bumping into MS and getting run over. (Scalable Font History 101, anybody?) And, of course, Adobe is generally know as the whiniest company this side of Real Networks...

For now, the most likely outcome is that JPEG XR will rule the consumer space, DNG will rule the professional space and the two will coexist in the pro-sumer arena.

Long term, there actually is a very slight possibility of conflict here in that, as Flash storage and computing power gets cheaper and cheaper, the two formats *could* theoretically come into conflict when the storage penalty for DNG becomes irrelevant and the cost of implementing onboard-processing into a high-grade form of JPEG XR disappears, camera designers might be tempted to simplify their designs by going with one or the other. (We might see prosumer cameras dispensing with RAW formats altogether, in favor of sophisticated onboard processing, or we might see 100GB Flas cards leading to point and shoot cameras that spit out straight RAW files for PC or print service processing.) And, since this kind of overlap usually ends with with the solution that is "good-enough" winning, JPEG XR, the press is probably trying to goad Adobe into some injudicious statements. After all, MS totally side-tracked adobe's plan to rule printing via font-control and now they're pressuring their electronic-document and web-video monopolies, while Adobe has been whining to the Euros to protect said monopolies, so the media can be excussed for assuming there is bad blood brewing between the two.

And they are right; MS and Adobe *are* at war.
So far its just a lukewarm war, but the press would love nothing better than to see it explode, and since MS is under too much governmental oversight to say anything stupid, that leaves Adobe as the target of their baiting... :roll: