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Image MIME Reference
FITS

Flexible Image Transport System

image/fits
VS

JPEG XS Codestream

image/jxsc
JPEG-XS-Codestream

A complete technical comparison of Flexible Image Transport System and JPEG XS Codestream — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.

Equal browser support

Feature Support

Feature FITS JPEG-XS-Codestream
Transparency (Alpha) ✕ No Yes
Animation Support ✕ No ✕ No
Progressive Loading ✕ No ✕ No
HDR Support Yes Yes
EXIF Metadata ✕ No ✕ No
ICC Color Profile ✕ No ✕ No
Flexible Image Transport System
image/fits
Extension
.fits.fit.fts
Container FITS
Compression Uncompressed / Tile Compressed (Rice, GZIP)
Algorithm
UncompressedRiceGZIPHcompress
Color Depth 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, 64-bit (Float/Double)
Developed by IAU FITS Working Group / NASA
Released 1981
Magic Bytes
53 49 4D 50 4C 45 20 20 3D 20
Full FITS reference →
JPEG XS Codestream
image/jxsc
Extension
.jxsc.jxs
Container None (Raw Codestream)
Compression Lossy (Visually Lossless) / Mathematically Lossless
Algorithm
JPEG XS (ISO/IEC 21122-1)
Color Depth 8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit, 14-bit, 16-bit
Developed by Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) / intoPIX
Released 2019
Magic Bytes
FF 10
Full JPEG-XS-Codestream reference →

Browser Support Comparison

Browser FITS JPEG-XS-Codestream
Chrome Chrome
✕ ✕
Firefox Firefox
✕ ✕
Safari Safari
✕ ✕
Edge Edge
✕ ✕
IE IE (Legacy)
✕ ✕
FITS

FITS Strengths

  • The undisputed global standard for archiving and sharing astronomical data
  • Self-documenting: Headers are written in plain ASCII, ensuring data is readable decades later regardless of software
  • Supports incredibly high dynamic range, N-dimensional arrays, and complex binary tables
Limitations
  • No support in standard consumer software or web browsers
  • Uncompressed raw FITS files from modern telescopes can be excessively large
  • Does not use standard metadata models like EXIF or XMP, requiring specialized parsers
JPEG-XS-Codestream

JPEG-XS-Codestream Strengths

  • Eliminates container overhead, maximizing parsing speed and minimizing latency to fractions of a millisecond
  • Highly optimized for direct hardware implementation in FPGAs and ASICs
  • Perfect for continuous data streaming over IP networks without needing to establish file headers
Limitations
  • Lacks standard container metadata (EXIF, XMP, ICC profiles), meaning color space and orientation data must be handled externally or out-of-band
  • Zero support in web browsers or standard consumer operating systems
  • Often requires specialized broadcast hardware or custom software libraries to decode

When to choose which format

FITS
Use FITS when…
  • Astronomy & Astrophysics
  • Space Telescope Data (Hubble, JWST)
  • Scientific Data Archiving
  • Spectroscopy
JPEG-XS-Codestream
Use JPEG-XS-Codestream when…
  • Hardware Decoding Pipelines (FPGA/ASIC)
  • Live Broadcast Infrastructure
  • Video over IP Transport
  • Embedded Camera Systems

More comparisons

FITS vs ACES → JPEG-XS-Codestream vs ACES → FITS vs APNG → JPEG-XS-Codestream vs APNG → FITS vs AVCI → JPEG-XS-Codestream vs AVCI → FITS vs AVCS → JPEG-XS-Codestream vs AVCS → FITS vs AVIF → JPEG-XS-Codestream vs AVIF → All comparisons →
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