Thread

from time to time there is a discussion on this list of extensions to TIFF. There is not only a problem with large files. Six years null-work ( last TTN in 1993 ?) will have it consequence.

I think, to change or expand it is the second step. The last revision of TIFF was released at june 3, 1992. I have seen one EMail from a worker at Adobe in this list dated with 21 Feb 1997 pronoucing a draft of the TIFF 7.0. But after it never seen, never heard somthing of it. I think, Adobe will never release a new revision.

Ok, today there are some people which thinking for a extended format. That is the first point, I think.

TIFF/IT? For a look to it I should not pay two pence, the price is over hundred Swiss Franken. To expensive too see, that the spec will not help me...

Other formats? I do not know some which are public and can support all my requirements - MultiPage, 1 - 32 BitsPerPixel mixed in one file, tiles for large images, losy and lossless compression, resolution reduced childs, and so on. Additional I like the tagged format ( is simple to read with a hex editor). The other format from Adobe is not so simple...

PNG? not the best for 1 bpp and very big images.

An own format? No, customers will not have it.

I do not know how to create a public format ( RFC's, patent analysis, and more shit). I know, it will coast much time.

If a group will be established for it, I will work with - if possible.

My list for a revision is:

An active "police" to handle new or/and private extensions.
Removing old "shit" ( e.g. FillOrder 2 ).
Clear definitons ( e.g. PhotometricInterpretation and EOFB handling with CompressionFormat CCITT T.6).
A IFD lookup table after the FileHeader ( we have customers which means that they must have 1000 or more pages in one file ...). Tag 297 is not practicable.
New compression formats ( deflate, bzip2, may be as extension JBIG, wavlet ... )
IFD in front of bin data ( better for JAVA impl. ).

Facultative 64 bit support.

Klaus

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Dr. Klaus Bartz                                     bartzkau@ina.de
COI GmbH / Abt. KOS3    Industriestr. 1-3    D-91072 Herzogenaurach
Tel: +49 (9132) 82-3433                        Fax: +49-9132-824959