MIME Database / Compare Formats / JPEG-XR vs JPEG-XR-HEIF

JPEG-XR vs JPEG-XR-HEIF Format Comparison

JPEG-XR

JPEG XR (Extended Range)

image/jxr

JPEG XR Image (HEIF Container)

image/jxra

JPEG-XR-HEIF

A complete technical comparison of JPEG XR (Extended Range) and JPEG XR Image (HEIF Container) — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.

Equal browser support

Feature Support

Feature	JPEG-XR	JPEG-XR-HEIF
Transparency (Alpha)	Yes	Yes
Animation Support	✕ No	✕ No
Progressive Loading	Yes	Yes
HDR Support	Yes	Yes
EXIF Metadata	Yes	Yes
ICC Color Profile	Yes	Yes

JPEG XR (Extended Range)

image/jxr

Extension

.hdp.jxr.wdp

Container TIFF-like (JPEG XR)

Compression Lossy / Lossless

Algorithm

Lapped Biorthogonal Transform (LBT)

Color Depth 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit (Float/Fixed)

Developed by Microsoft

Released 2006

Magic Bytes

49 49 BC 01

Full JPEG-XR reference →

JPEG XR Image (HEIF Container)

image/jxra

Extension

.jxra

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 41

Full JPEG-XR-HEIF reference →

Browser Support Comparison

Browser	JPEG-XR	JPEG-XR-HEIF
Chrome	✕	✕
Firefox	✕	✕
Safari	✕	✕
Edge	✕	✕
IE (Legacy)	✓	✕

JPEG-XR

JPEG-XR Strengths

Provides approximately half the file size of standard JPEG at equivalent visual quality
Extensive support for high dynamic range (HDR) and deep color (up to 32-bit floating point per channel)
Native support for alpha channel transparency and lossless compression modes

Limitations

Failed to gain cross-platform traction and is entirely unsupported in modern web browsers
Effectively obsolete and superseded by modern, cross-platform formats like WebP, AVIF, and HEIC
Encoding and decoding complexity is higher than standard JPEG

JPEG-XR-HEIF

JPEG-XR-HEIF Strengths

Combines the deep color (32-bit float) and mathematically lossless compression of JPEG XR with the robust metadata architecture of HEIF
Allows grouping multiple images, exposure brackets, or focal stacks into a single file collection

Limitations

Practically non-existent software and operating system support compared to standard HEIC or legacy JPEG XR (.jxr)
Zero web browser support, rendering it entirely unsuitable for public web deployment
Eclipsed by modern standards like AVIF and JPEG XL which offer superior compression with much broader industry backing