# The end of the JPEG = ??? forcurrent  DSLRs



## SnappingShark (Dec 20, 2013)

So, an article (posted below) states that scientists (or geeks, or whatever) have found a solution to the JPEG.

But what does this mean for the DSLR and the people who shoot in JPEG?

I wonder if a firmware update is all it requires to be able to support a "new" image format.

anyway, here's the article - what do you think?


Boffins have devised a new way of squishing data which could herald the end of the trusty JPEG picture format.
A team at the University of California, Los Angeles, claim their new compression technique is much more efficient than the olden-days ways.As well as being useful for crushing images or streaming video, the new compression technique could simplify the capture and analysis of medical or scientific information in real time.
The team from UCLA'S Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science wanted to find a method of solving the bottlenecks affecting big data storage at real time speeds.
Their technique reshapes the signal carrying the data in a way that's similar to the artistic technique of anamorphism, which was famously used in The Ambassadors, a painting by Holbein which is hanging in the National Gallery. At first glance, the picture looks as if an unsightly grey splodge is ruining the image. But look from a certain angle and the splodge turns out to be a skull.
By stretching, moulding and shaping data using a bespoke mathematical technique, the boffins found they could capture information at higher speeds than before while minimizing the size of the information that is actually produced.
The team called this new technique "anamorphic stretch transform". It outperforms JPEG by allowing a better quality image to be squashed to a tinier size.
Bahram Jalali, holder of the Northrop Grumman Opto-Electronic Chair in Electrical Engineering, led the research.
"Reshaping the data by stretching and warping it in the prescribed manner compresses it without losing pertinent information," he said. "It emulates what happens to waves as they travel through physical media with specific properties. It also brings to mind aspects of surrealism and the optical effects of anamorphism."
The new tech draws upon a process called the time stretch dispersive Fourier transform which Jalali's group devised to slow down and amplify faint signals so they can be digitised effectively.
In 2012, this technology was used to detect cancer cells in blood. It was so powerful that it could spot one cancer cell amid a million blood cells - all in real time. Other techniques would have been overwhelmed by the amount of information generated in this experiment.
A paper on the research has been published in the journal _Applied Optics_. When the team presented their findings to the IEEE International Symposium on Signal Processing and Information Technology, it received the conference's best paper award. ®


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## nmoody (Dec 20, 2013)

Even though something is better does not always mean it will win a "war" for supremacy and become a new standard. For example:
1. VHS vs Beta Max
2. Blu-ray vs HD-DVD
3. MP3 vs Ogg

Sometimes the more familiar thing will stick around or the one backed by the company that either markets it better or puts the most money behind. I dont see JPEG going away anytime soon.


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## SnappingShark (Dec 20, 2013)

Oh I agree - but it seems for terms of compression and the internet age, this COULD be a JPEG killer - especially when it comes to online images - smaller = quicker load times etc...


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## robbins.photo (Dec 20, 2013)

BrightByNature said:


> Oh I agree - but it seems for terms of compression and the internet age, this COULD be a JPEG killer - especially when it comes to online images - smaller = quicker load times etc...



A lot will depend on whether or not they release the source code for it - if so it's got a good chance of eventually becoming some sort of standard.  If not, well then most likely it won't.


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## pixmedic (Dec 20, 2013)

robbins.photo said:


> BrightByNature said:
> 
> 
> > Oh I agree - but it seems for terms of compression and the internet age, this COULD be a JPEG killer - especially when it comes to online images - smaller = quicker load times etc...
> ...



i dunno...a lot of products keep all inner workings propitiatory and super secret and still get insanely popular.
*cough* apple *cough*


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## robbins.photo (Dec 20, 2013)

pixmedic said:


> robbins.photo said:
> 
> 
> > BrightByNature said:
> ...



Well full applications, yes - compression algorithms - not so much.  Problem is if it is kept super secret and proprietary then it won't get ported to all the various applications that will have to be able to access files that are compressed with it.   That's one of the reasons JPG became so popular and wide spread, the compression algorithm it's based on is LZW.


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## ph0enix (Dec 20, 2013)

BrightByNature said:


> I wonder if a firmware update is all it requires to be able to support a "new" image format.



I doubt it would be a firmware update but not to worry.  This isn't something that will take world by storm overnight.  Even if the format becomes a new standard, it won't happen in the next year or three.  When/if it actually does happen, it will be a while before camera makers catch on and start implementing it in their cameras.  You'll probably be looking to replace your D7100 with something newer at that point anyway or you can opt to replace its shutter mechanism for the third time and keep shooting JPEG    Plus it's not like JPEG will automatically be phased out because there is a new kid on the block.


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## nmoody (Dec 20, 2013)

The other thing I think that will not help the move to a new standard is that the internet itself keeps getting faster and faster and the need for more compression and smaller file size isnt as needed as it used to be. This is surprisingly also true for cellular phones which are pretty darn fast now.

Now that being said this new image format does sound nice and would be pretty cool to have the option to shoot with. As long as the compression isnt too taxing on the CPU it would help a lot with buffer issues.


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## timor (Dec 21, 2013)

If it is smaller and better it will be eventually adopted. It looks like this is not only just replacement for jpeg, but a general change in sending and receiving the data. Speed is one thing, but there is also infrastructure, which may become simpler or consuming less energy.


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## GlennT (Dec 21, 2013)

As far as application within cameras, I have to wonder about two things.  First, how much additional processor time would be needed for compression that I presume is considerably more complex than JPEG.  Even if the processor time is minute in human terms, it could dramatically slow a camera.  Also, I would expect that camera processors are optimized for JPEG and such optimization cannot be altered by any firmware changes.


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## amolitor (Dec 21, 2013)

robbins.photo said:


> That's one of the reasons JPG became so popular and wide spread, the compression algorithm it's based on is LZW.



WAT


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## ratssass (Dec 21, 2013)

...he said,        "That's one of the reasons JPG became so popular,and widespread,the compression algarithm it's based on is LZW" .


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## timor (Dec 21, 2013)

GlennT said:


> As far as application within cameras, I have to wonder about two things.  First, how much additional processor time would be needed for compression that I presume is considerably more complex than JPEG.  Even if the processor time is minute in human terms, it could dramatically slow a camera.  Also, I would expect that camera processors are optimized for JPEG and such optimization cannot be altered by any firmware changes.


Didn't they say, that it is more efficient, than current system ? And, if processors are optimized for JPEG, what about RAW ? Isn't RAW the primary format and JPEG is a corners cutting shortcut in digital cameras ?


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## hamlet (Dec 22, 2013)

I would love a new format that compresses just like jpeg but leaves the data unchanged.


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## Derrel (Dec 22, 2013)

A decade late, and a billon dollars short...


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## pixmedic (Dec 22, 2013)

wow. 
I thought the article said "Bothans have devised a new way of squishing data".
I was afraid many of them died to bring us this information.


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## tkruger (Dec 24, 2013)

I use JPEG for one reason, everybody has a viewer for it.  I am not a pro and never will be.  I shoot for fun.  If my friend cannot view an image I send them it is no use to me.  If this new format became supported by MAC and Windows then I would fully support it and use it.  I have worked with PCs to long to run into formats that are jumped on and then end of life due to only a limited number of people using it.  This is disaster for the people using the format when it becomes unsupported.  

I guess my need is wide compatibility first quality second.  Currently JPEG offers this.


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