Image MIME Reference
JPEG-2000
JPEG 2000 Core Image File
image/jp2
VS
PTI Image (Personal/Vanity Tree)
image/prs.pti
PTI
A complete technical comparison of JPEG 2000 Core Image File and PTI Image (Personal/Vanity Tree) — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
JPEG-2000 wins on browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | JPEG-2000 | PTI |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | Yes | ✕ No |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | Yes | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | Yes | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | Yes | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | Yes | ✕ No |
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
PTI Image (Personal/Vanity Tree)
image/prs.pti
Extension
.pti
Container
Proprietary
Compression
Unknown / Proprietary
Algorithm
Unknown
Color Depth
Unknown
Developed by
Jürn Laun
Released
1999
Magic Bytes
Unknown
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | JPEG-2000 | PTI |
|---|---|---|
|
|
✕ | ✕ |
|
|
✕ | ✕ |
|
|
✓ 5+
|
✕ |
|
|
✕ | ✕ |
|
|
✕ | ✕ |
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
PTI
PTI Strengths
- Provided a registered MIME type namespace for a specific application's proprietary image format without conflicting with standard web types
Limitations
- Completely undocumented and unsupported in modern ecosystems
- Zero web browser compatibility
- Falls into the 'vanity' tree, making it irrelevant for standard cross-platform data exchange
When to choose which format
JPEG-2000
Use JPEG-2000 when…
- Digital Cinema (DCP)
- Medical Imaging (DICOM)
- Geospatial Data
- Archival Preservation
PTI
Use PTI when…
- Legacy Application Specific Workflows
- Proprietary Image Storage