Image MIME Reference
JPEG-2000
JPEG 2000 Core Image File
image/jp2
VS
JPEG Stereo Image
image/x-jps
JPS
A complete technical comparison of JPEG 2000 Core Image File and JPEG Stereo Image — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
JPS wins on browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | JPEG-2000 | JPS |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | Yes | ✕ No |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | Yes | Yes |
| HDR Support | Yes | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | Yes | Yes |
| ICC Color Profile | Yes | Yes |
JPEG 2000 Core Image File
image/jp2
Extension
.jp2.j2k.jpf.jpx.jpm
Container
JP2 (ISO/IEC 15444-1)
Compression
Lossy / Lossless
Algorithm
Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT)
Color Depth
8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, 38-bit
Developed by
Joint Photographic Experts Group
Released
2000
Magic Bytes
00 00 00 0C 6A 50 20 20 0D 0A 87 0A
JPEG Stereo Image
image/x-jps
Extension
.jps
Container
JPEG (JFIF/Exif)
Compression
Lossy (JPEG/DCT)
Algorithm
JPEG (Discrete Cosine Transform)
Color Depth
8-bit (Grayscale), 24-bit (RGB)
Developed by
Stereoscopic Community (Unofficial Standard)
Released
1990
Magic Bytes
FF D8 FF
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | JPEG-2000 | JPS |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ |
✓ 1
|
Firefox
|
✕ |
✓ 1
|
Safari
|
✓ 5+
|
✓ 1
|
Edge
|
✕ |
✓ 12
|
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ |
✓
|
JPEG-2000
JPEG-2000 Strengths
- Superior compression efficiency over baseline JPEG without introducing blocking artifacts
- True mathematically lossless compression available in the same format
- Extremely scalable: a single file can be decoded at various resolutions (thumbnails to full size) without loading the entire file
Limitations
- Very poor native web browser support prevents it from being a web standard
- High computational complexity makes encoding and decoding significantly slower than JPEG
- Early patent concerns and complex licensing hindered its initial adoption rate
JPS
JPS Strengths
- 100% backward compatible with every standard 2D image viewer and web browser (which simply display the two halves side-by-side)
- Inherits JPEG's excellent lossy compression, resulting in small file sizes ideal for web transmission
- Extremely easy to generate programmatically by simply stitching two JPEG images side-by-side onto a wider canvas
Limitations
- Lack of a dedicated metadata standard means viewing software has to guess whether the layout is 'cross-eyed' (right eye left, left eye right) or 'parallel' (left eye left, right eye right), occasionally causing inverted depth
- Suffers from JPEG compression artifacts, which can break the stereoscopic illusion if compression noise differs between the left and right eyes
- Superseded in consumer electronics by the MPO (Multi-Picture Object) format, which stacks separate full-resolution JPEGs rather than squishing them side-by-side
When to choose which format
JPEG-2000
Use JPEG-2000 when…
- Digital Cinema (DCP)
- Medical Imaging (DICOM)
- Geospatial Data
- Archival Preservation
JPS
Use JPS when…
- Stereoscopic 3D Photography
- Virtual Reality (VR) Image Galleries
- Cross-eye / Parallel Stereograms