News Microsoft takes on JPEG with Windows Media Photo

lol

Let me guess, this file wont be compatible with linux / mac ....

 

Your post just made me realize something: if I go out and buy a digital camera now, is the price higher (whether 50cents or $72, I wouldn't know) because of JPEG licensing fees?

If so, then the idea of "nobody is forcing you to use it" is kindof a double edged sword for new image formats: If the hip new thing for every camera to have is the WMP capability, then we're going to be paying for that. And we'll still be paying for the JPEG license too...and whatever other license fees are in there for the other supported formats. Want to edit your pictures? Maybe the software you buy also includes the price of the associated license fees Adobe had to pay. Now, even if YOU only use JPEG from camera to final form, and SOMEBODY ELSE chooses to use WMP from camera to final printout, YOU'RE BOTH paying the license fees for JPEG, WMP, and whatever other proprietary formats the camera and software makers thought somebody might like.

In the end, consumers have more choice and might get a better product, but the price is always higher because of it...and most people never use ALL the options they're paying for. So there's a bit of a balance there...how many "new, better, faster, sharper" formats do we really need when you can get a 1GB memory card for your camera for around $20 anyway. If it's going to cost you $20 in licensing fees just to get an extra 20% compression with the same sharpness, wouldn't you rather just keep the bigger file sizes and double the size of your memory card for the same price?