When JPEG2000 (common file extensions .jp2, .j2k, and .jpx) was first introduced, the traditional JPEG format (common file extensions .jpg and .jpeg) was the predominant format for general, everyday images. Cameras saved snapshots as JPEGs, web browsers natively showed JPEG images without fancy plug-ins, and everyone became familiar with the format.
JPEG2000 has some distinct advantages over JPEG (JPEG 1), such as better compression and higher dynamic range, and it has been adopted as a key technology by industries with requirements for these features. However, there was some hesitancy among both software and hardware developers to implement a new format until it was more widely adopted, thus putting brakes on wide-scale implementation.
The real problem, however, was that JPEG really was “good enough”. With constantly-increasing memory and sensor resolution, non-professionals could generate JPEG images that were generally considered acceptable, and also easily show them on the web or send them to devices that already supported them.
What to do if you have JPEG2000 images? It depends. If you are interested in archiving your data, you have the options of converting it to JPEG 1 or other format (at the risk of losing data), or keeping your images in their native JPEG2000 format, but also generating a side-image for display on the web or in apps. Alternatively, the Bevara IDE allows you to directly display the JPEG2000 image in a browser, and the Bevara Preserve software ensures that you will always have the tools you need to access the image and its metadata.
If you’re using Safari, you can see this JPEG2000 image. Other browsers show you a broken link.
Bevara technology lets you embed JPEG2000 in popular browsers.
Questions? Contact us at support@bevara.com. For an overview of how our data preservation process works, read our white paper.
