Image MIME Reference
EDMICS-RLC
Fuji Xerox EDMICS-RLC
image/vnd.fujixerox.edmics-rlc
VS
PCO B16 Image
image/vnd.pco.b16
PCO-B16
A complete technical comparison of Fuji Xerox EDMICS-RLC and PCO B16 Image — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | EDMICS-RLC | PCO-B16 |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | ✕ No | ✕ No |
Fuji Xerox EDMICS-RLC
image/vnd.fujixerox.edmics-rlc
Extension
.rlc.edm
Container
Fuji Xerox EDMICS Wrapper
Compression
Run-Length Coding (RLC / RLE)
Algorithm
Run-Length Coding (RLC)
Color Depth
1-bit (Monochrome), 8-bit (Grayscale)
Developed by
Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
Released
1990s
Magic Bytes
Unknown (Proprietary Container)
PCO B16 Image
image/vnd.pco.b16
Extension
.b16
Container
PCO B16 Binary Container
Compression
Uncompressed (Raw Sensor Data)
Algorithm
None
Color Depth
16-bit (Monochrome or Bayer Raw Color)
Developed by
PCO AG (Excelitas PCO GmbH)
Released
Early 2000s
Magic Bytes
50 43 4F 2D
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | EDMICS-RLC | PCO-B16 |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
EDMICS-RLC
EDMICS-RLC Strengths
- Simple, computationally inexpensive Run-Length Coding enabled rapid compression and decompression on low-power legacy hardware
- Deeply integrated into Fuji Xerox enterprise hardware for seamless, automated scan-to-archive workflows
Limitations
- Completely proprietary and closed-source, making modern archival extraction and migration extremely difficult
- No support in modern image processing libraries like ImageMagick, libvips, or standard viewers without bespoke decoding tools
- RLC compression is far less efficient than modern algorithms like PNG (Deflate) for complex documents
PCO-B16
PCO-B16 Strengths
- Preserves exact, uncompressed 16-bit raw sensor data, which is critically important for accurate scientific measurements, fluorescence microscopy, and photometry
- The simple, linear struct header is highly predictable and easy to parse in custom Python, MATLAB, or C++ scripts for researchers building bespoke pipelines
Limitations
- Generates massive file sizes due to the complete lack of image compression [1.3.1]
- Completely unsupported by standard operating systems, web browsers, and consumer image editing suites
- Strictly tied to the hardware and software ecosystems of a single camera manufacturer
When to choose which format
EDMICS-RLC
Use EDMICS-RLC when…
- Fuji Xerox EDMICS Enterprise Systems
- Archival of Scanned Engineering Documents
- Legacy Corporate Scanning Pipelines
PCO-B16
Use PCO-B16 when…
- Microscopy and Life Sciences
- High-Speed Camera Recording
- Machine Vision and Industrial Inspection
- Scientific Photometry