Image MIME Reference
JPEG-XR-Sequence
JPEG XR Image Sequence (HEIF Container)
image/jxrs
VS
Microsoft Document Imaging
image/vnd.ms-modi
MODI
A complete technical comparison of JPEG XR Image Sequence (HEIF Container) and Microsoft Document Imaging — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | JPEG-XR-Sequence | MODI |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | Yes | ✕ No |
| Animation Support | Yes | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | Yes | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | Yes | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | Yes | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | Yes | ✕ No |
JPEG XR Image Sequence (HEIF Container)
image/jxrs
Extension
.jxrs
Container
HEIF / ISOBMFF (ISO/IEC 23008-12 / Annex F of ITU-T T.832)
Compression
Lossy / Lossless
Algorithm
JPEG XR (Lapped Biorthogonal Transform)
Color Depth
8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit (Float)
Developed by
ISO/IEC JTC 1 / ITU-T
Released
2019
Magic Bytes
XX XX XX XX 66 74 79 70 6A 78 72 53
Microsoft Document Imaging
image/vnd.ms-modi
Extension
.mdi
Container
TIFF Variant
Compression
LZW / Proprietary MS Compression
Algorithm
LZW (Modified)
Color Depth
1-bit (Monochrome), 8-bit (Grayscale), 24-bit (RGB)
Developed by
Microsoft Corporation
Released
2001
Magic Bytes
49 49 2A 00
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | JPEG-XR-Sequence | MODI |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
JPEG-XR-Sequence
JPEG-XR-Sequence Strengths
- Supports 32-bit floating point HDR color depths natively across an entire animation sequence
- Combines the advanced coding efficiencies of JPEG XR with the sequence timing and metadata framework of HEIF
- Shares frame data structures allowing for optimized storage of burst photography
Limitations
- Extremely rare format with essentially no mainstream software adoption
- Zero web browser support
- Overshadowed heavily by HEVC (HEIC sequences) and AV1 (AVIF sequences) which offer superior compression and broader hardware decoding support
MODI
MODI Strengths
- Historically provided an excellent all-in-one scanned document format with built-in OCR and annotations before PDF editing became universally accessible
- Tightly integrated with Microsoft Office and SharePoint workflows in the early 2000s
Limitations
- Completely proprietary and obsolete; Microsoft abandoned it in favor of standard TIFF and PDF
- Causes widespread identification conflicts since its file signature is identical to a standard TIFF
- Extremely difficult to open on modern operating systems without relying on third-party conversion utilities
When to choose which format
JPEG-XR-Sequence
Use JPEG-XR-Sequence when…
- Experimental Animation Workflows
- HDR Burst Photography Archiving
- Specialized Medical & Scientific Imaging
MODI
Use MODI when…
- Legacy Scanned Document Archival
- Microsoft Office XP/2003/2007 Workflows
- Embedded OCR Text Storage