Free webp to jpg
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Image MIME Reference
JPX

JPEG 2000 Part 2 (Extended)

image/jpx
VS

Sony Alpha Raw Image

image/x-sony-arw
Sony-ARW

A complete technical comparison of JPEG 2000 Part 2 (Extended) and Sony Alpha Raw Image — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.

Equal browser support

Feature Support

Feature JPX Sony-ARW
Transparency (Alpha) Yes ✕ No
Animation Support Yes ✕ No
Progressive Loading Yes ✕ No
HDR Support Yes Yes
EXIF Metadata Yes Yes
ICC Color Profile Yes Yes
JPEG 2000 Part 2 (Extended)
image/jpx
Extension
.jpx.jpf
Container ISOBMFF / JPX (ISO/IEC 15444-2)
Compression Lossy / Lossless
Algorithm
Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT)
Color Depth 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, 38-bit
Developed by Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
Released 2002
Magic Bytes
00 00 00 0C 6A 50 20 20 0D 0A 87 0A ... 66 74 79 70 6A 70 78 20
Full JPX reference →
Sony Alpha Raw Image
image/x-sony-arw
Extension
.arw
Container TIFF-based (Proprietary)
Compression Uncompressed / Lossless Compressed / Lossy Compressed
Algorithm
NoneSony Proprietary LosslessSony Proprietary Lossy
Color Depth 12-bit (Per Channel), 14-bit (Per Channel)
Developed by Sony Corporation
Released 2006
Magic Bytes
49 49 2A 00
Full Sony-ARW reference →

Browser Support Comparison

Browser JPX Sony-ARW
Chrome Chrome
✕ ✕
Firefox Firefox
✕ ✕
Safari Safari
✕ ✕
Edge Edge
✕ ✕
IE IE (Legacy)
✕ ✕
JPX

JPX Strengths

  • Removes the color space limitations of baseline JP2, adding native support for CMYK, CIE Lab, and custom vendor color spaces
  • Supports multiple codestreams in a single file, allowing for rich compositing and animation
  • Enables fragmented files where image data and metadata can reside in separate physical files via data references
Limitations
  • Extremely complex specification makes full software implementation rare, leading to compatibility issues
  • Zero web browser support, rendering it unsuitable for public internet distribution
  • Often overkill for standard imaging tasks where baseline JP2 or modern alternatives like AVIF suffice
Sony-ARW

Sony-ARW Strengths

  • Retains absolute maximum sensor data, enabling massive shadow recovery and highlight protection compared to compressed in-camera JPEGs
  • Embeds high-quality JPEG previews and robust metadata, allowing photographers to match in-camera color science (like Creative Looks) perfectly during raw processing
  • Utilizes the standard TIFF container structure, ensuring broad compatibility with open-source decoding libraries (like LibRaw)
Limitations
  • Proprietary format means it requires constant updates to raw processing engines every time Sony releases a new camera model
  • Sony's historically controversial lossy compression algorithm (often called 'star eater' due to spatial filtering artifacts) was a drawback for astrophotography in older ARW versions, though largely resolved in newer models with uncompressed/lossless options
  • Cannot be directly embedded into web pages or used in standard HTML/CSS contexts

When to choose which format

JPX
Use JPX when…
  • Prepress & Commercial Printing (CMYK)
  • Geospatial Data
  • Archival Preservation
  • Medical Imaging
Sony-ARW
Use Sony-ARW when…
  • Professional Digital Photography
  • Non-destructive Image Post-Processing
  • High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging Archival

More comparisons

JPX vs ACES → Sony-ARW vs ACES → JPX vs APNG → Sony-ARW vs APNG → JPX vs AVCI → Sony-ARW vs AVCI → JPX vs AVCS → Sony-ARW vs AVCS → JPX vs AVIF → Sony-ARW vs AVIF → All comparisons →
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