Image MIME Reference
HTJ2K-Codestream
High-Throughput JPEG 2000 Codestream
image/jphc
VS
Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database
image/x-mrsid-image
MrSID
A complete technical comparison of High-Throughput JPEG 2000 Codestream and Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | HTJ2K-Codestream | MrSID |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | Yes | Yes |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | Yes | Yes |
| HDR Support | Yes | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | ✕ No | Yes |
| ICC Color Profile | ✕ No | Yes |
High-Throughput JPEG 2000 Codestream
image/jphc
Extension
.jhc
Container
None (Raw Codestream)
Compression
Lossy / Lossless
Algorithm
High-Throughput JPEG 2000 (HTJ2K)
Color Depth
8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, 38-bit
Developed by
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
Released
2019
Magic Bytes
FF 4F FF 51
Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database
image/x-mrsid-image
Extension
.sid
Container
Proprietary MrSID Container
Compression
Proprietary Wavelet (Lossy) / Proprietary Wavelet (Lossless)
Algorithm
Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT)
Color Depth
8-bit (Grayscale), 24-bit (RGB), Multi-spectral (Multiple bands)
Developed by
Los Alamos National Laboratory / LizardTech (Extensis)
Released
1992
Magic Bytes
6D 73 69 64
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | HTJ2K-Codestream | MrSID |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
HTJ2K-Codestream
HTJ2K-Codestream Strengths
- Extremely fast encoding and decoding capabilities due to the parallelizable block coder
- Minimal file overhead since it lacks container headers and metadata
- Ideal for streaming applications or embedded systems where parsing a full container is unnecessary
Limitations
- Lacks standard metadata support (like EXIF, XMP, or ICC color profiles) since there is no container structure
- Zero native web browser compatibility
- Difficult to distinguish from standard JPEG 2000 codestreams without deeply parsing the internal marker segments
MrSID
MrSID Strengths
- Incredible compression ratios enable multi-gigabyte geographical datasets to be stored on standard hard drives or transmitted easily
- Multi-resolution architecture means panning and zooming across a massive map is completely fluid, as the system decodes only the visible quadrant at the required zoom level
- Supports multi-spectral bands critical for remote sensing and agricultural GIS analysis
Limitations
- Deeply proprietary; creating or decoding MrSID files typically requires expensive commercial software or the proprietary Extensis DSDK
- Open-source geospatial libraries like GDAL require compiling against the proprietary SDK to legally enable MrSID support, causing licensing headaches for Linux server deployments
- Not natively viewable on the web without specialized geospatial map servers (like GeoServer or MapServer) tiling the image into PNGs or JPEGs on the fly
When to choose which format
HTJ2K-Codestream
Use HTJ2K-Codestream when…
- Medical Imaging Pipelines
- Geospatial Data Streaming
- Digital Cinema
- Embedded Systems
MrSID
Use MrSID when…
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- Satellite Imagery Archival
- Aerial Orthophotography Mosaics