Why is the initial release specification v1.101 not v1.0 ?
A1.
The EVERPLAY founders have made significant revisions to the specification as well as the licensing structure/conditions, so that many companies shall support EVERPLAY and disseminate it broadly. This change was based on interviews with potential supporters.
Q2.
Why did the EVERPLAY founders make license free ?
A2.
The EVERPLAY founders thought that the more companies supporting EVERPLAY the greater the chance of achieving our goal. That being broad adoption of the standard in many products and services with the intent of protecting consumer image assets and interoperability. The EVERPLAY founders believe that preservation of this aspect of photographic culture is important not only for consumers but also for the imaging industry.
Q3.
Can existing DVD players playback EVERPLAY discs ?
A3.
The EVERPLAY specification can optionally write corresponding image files into video format. This shall allow consumers to enjoy their pictures even with DVD players that are not yet EVERPLAY compliant.
Q4.
Can we assume that EVERPLAY v1.101 is the final and end version ? Are there any plans to develop and release ver 2.0 for consumer electronics devices ?
A4.
EVERPLAY v1.101 includes all basic functions to realize secure preservation and interoperability of images that are necessary to enjoy pictures.
It is designed to allow implementation by variety of devices. The EVERPLAY founders believe that it should and will be broadly utilized by consumer electronics devices. We also believe it is possible to expand the functions to incorporate future needs.
Q5.
What meta-data can be written in EVERPLAY ? When/How is this meta-data utilized ?
A5.
EVERPLAY shall record EXIF meta data, such as date and time, inputted by the camera. It also allows recording of additional scene data from PCs, consumer electronics devices, digital still cameras and Photo Kiosks, if desired. Any EVERPLAY compliant product developed for the purpose of searching images and/or displaying slide shows can mutually utilize the meta data defined by the EVERPLAY specification.
Q6.
What is its difference from existing systems ?
A6.
EVERPLAY provides a foundation for the following mechanisms which are not realized together in existing systems.
1)
Interoperability of images and meta data
2)
migration rule which enables secure preservation
3)
advanced search of stored images
Q7.
Why wasn't the digital still camera industry included ?
A7.
The EVERPLAY founders thought that ensuring interoperability is very important to enable secure archiving of consumers' pictures. We first started developing the specification assuming photofinishing image disc services at retailers, which shall have significant influence in creating private contents. The EVERPLAY founders felt that standardization of image capturing may restrict the freedom and evolution of features and could be a disadvantage to consumers. This is the reason why the group first focused to standardize the system after the picture taking process.
Q8.
Can we write EVERPLAY files in digital still cameras ?
A8.
Yes, the adoption of EVERPLAY in digital still cameras is an excellent first step in realizing the goal of broad range compatibility. The EVERPLAY founders expects a very favorable response from the digital still camera industry.
Q9.
Does EVERPLAY have any means that allow customers to search for a specific image from an accumulated storage of images ?
A9.
The EVERPLAY standard requires collective storage of important meta data that is useful to search images outside the image files. This shall provide advanced ways to search images. This is one of the main features of EVERPLAY.
Q10.
What is the meaning of EVERPLAY ?
A10.
The EVERPLAY wordmark addresses the need to satisfy consumers desire to protect their image assets for generations and provide broad usefulness across a variety of interoperable devices. The EVERPLAY standard specifies a logical file format that can be read/write toward future generations. It does not assure the preservation of data itself written on a recording media. The founders think that the current best way to preserve data written in EVERPLAY logical file format is to write to a high quality optical disc such as CD and DVD.
Q11.
What are the storage media for EVERPLAY ? DVD-R, RW, RAM, CD-R, HDD, or Flash memory ?
A11.
The EVERPLAY founders have designed the standard so that it is media independent. This gives the consumer the flexibility and choice, while allowing for the survival of the standard as media types eventually change.
Q12.
The *MPV Core spec is referenced in the EVERPLAY specification. Why can't we only use the MPV spec for archiving and sharing images ?
A12.
MPV is a broad standard developed by an association that produce purely technical standards. The MPV developers encourage its use in development of practical standards by other companies. EVERPLAY made use of the MPV Core Spec and specified it further, to make a practical standard that assures persistent interoperability for photos.
Furthermore, the MPV spec does not restrict file formats. In order to guarantee that images can be shared, file formats needed to be restricted and EVERPLAY defines such restrictions.
*MPV is a series of XML-based specifications developed by the participating members of the MPV committee of OSTA (Optical Storage and Technology Association).
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