Image MIME Reference
Kodak-DCR
Kodak Digital Camera Raw
image/x-kodak-dcr
VS
SealedMedia SoftSeal JPEG
image/vnd.sealedmedia.softseal.jpg
SoftSeal-JPEG
A complete technical comparison of Kodak Digital Camera Raw and SealedMedia SoftSeal JPEG — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | Kodak-DCR | SoftSeal-JPEG |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | Yes | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | Yes | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | Yes | ✕ No |
Kodak Digital Camera Raw
image/x-kodak-dcr
Extension
.dcr
Container
TIFF/EP
Compression
Uncompressed / Lossless JPEG
Algorithm
NoneLossless JPEG (ITU-T81)
Color Depth
12-bit (Per Channel)
Developed by
Eastman Kodak Company
Released
1998
Magic Bytes
49 49 2A 00 or 4D 4D 00 2A
SealedMedia SoftSeal JPEG
image/vnd.sealedmedia.softseal.jpg
Extension
.sjpg.sealed-jpg.sealed-jpeg
Container
SealedMedia SoftSeal Wrapper
Compression
Encrypted Payload (DCT)
Algorithm
AES EncryptionDiscrete Cosine Transform (Internal JPEG payload)
Color Depth
Encrypted Payload (Historically 24-bit RGB)
Developed by
SealedMedia (Acquired by Oracle Corporation)
Released
Late 1990s
Magic Bytes
Unknown (Proprietary SealedMedia Container)
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | Kodak-DCR | SoftSeal-JPEG |
|---|---|---|
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✕ | ✕ |
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|
✕ | ✕ |
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|
✕ | ✕ |
|
|
✕ | ✕ |
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|
✕ | ✕ |
Kodak-DCR
Kodak-DCR Strengths
- Preserves the full dynamic range and uncompressed raw sensor data captured by foundational professional digital cameras
- Utilizes the standard TIFF container structure, ensuring that open-source decoders like LibRaw can easily parse and interpret the files long after official vendor support has ended
Limitations
- Completely obsolete proprietary format tied to camera hardware that is no longer manufactured
- Shares the TIFF magic header, leading to widespread misidentification by automated MIME detection libraries
- Cannot be natively viewed in web browsers or standard operating system image viewers without specialized codecs
SoftSeal-JPEG
SoftSeal-JPEG Strengths
- Offered persistent document security; if a sensitive photo was emailed outside the company, it remained encrypted and unviewable without server authentication
- Administrators possessed the ability to remotely revoke viewing rights to a specific image globally at any time
Limitations
- Completely proprietary and relies on a central authentication server; if the server goes offline or the product is deprecated, the image is permanently inaccessible
- Zero support in modern operating systems, web browsers, or standard image editing suites without heavy enterprise client installations
- Oracle effectively discontinued the IRM product line, stranding many legacy sealed documents
When to choose which format
Kodak-DCR
Use Kodak-DCR when…
- Vintage Professional Digital Photography (Kodak DCS series)
- Non-destructive Image Post-Processing
- Raw Imaging Archival
SoftSeal-JPEG
Use SoftSeal-JPEG when…
- Enterprise Information Rights Management (IRM)
- Secure Distribution of Sensitive Photography
- Revocable Corporate Document Access