Konica Minolta, Fuji Photo Film. and Eastman Kodak Company have joined forces to develop a set of open storage standards for preserving digital photos and motion images on CDs, DVDs or other media.

 

September 28, 2004: Konica Minolta, Fuji Photo Film. and Eastman Kodak Company have joined forces to develop a set of open storage standards for preserving digital photos and motion images on CDs, DVDs or other media.
The Picture Archiving and Sharing Standard (PASS) Group’s initiative is aimed at the consumer imaging and electronics industries and its objective is to develop a system that will enable digital file compatibility with future playback devices, preserving the satisfying ‘photo experience’ that consumers have enjoyed for decades. The group intends that the new standard will:
* Define the requirements of digital media authoring/archival, playback, and print enablement for a new generation of products and services;
* Provide interoperability for pictures, motion images, audio and related content among such future systems;
* And utilize and unify multiple existing standards, to better meet the consumers desire to easily store, organize, print and share for generations to come.
The three companies have previously worked together on standards to make traditional photofinishing ubiquitous and the new initiative aims to build on past success, ensuring that digital images can be retrieved from any digital device or storage medium in much the same way that consumers can get most brands of film processed at any location. The standard created by the PASS group will satisfy consumers by simplifying picture and video experiences through device interoperability and benefit the entire digital imaging industry. The companies are encouraging industry input, and currently developing a formal process to solicit feedback from interested parties. Version 1.0 of the specification and the software development kit are expected to be available early next year.