Konica Minolta, Fujifilm and Eastman Kodak establish EVERPLAY Standard and they encourage industry participation to develop compatible products and services for digital photos and motion images
Konica Minolta Photo Imaging Inc., Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. and Eastman Kodak Company, founding members of the former Picture Archiving and Sharing Standard (PASS), today announced the EVERPLAY standard designed to ensure compatibility of digital photos and motion images across a broad range of consumer products for future generations.
Methods to organize and preserve digital images have evolved independently by many different companies and have lost interoperability among the different systems. There are also potential problems as time passes, systems evolve and formats change. The new EVERPLAY standard aims to resolve these issues and respond to consumers’ needs to protect images and enjoy widespread interoperability. The standard is designed to make it easy to implement and uses XML next-generation language in its specification.
Konica Minolta, Fujifilm and Kodak will begin a free license program immediately and call for the adoption of the EVERPLAY standard by all consumer digital imaging companies. The goal for products and services is to use images interchangeably and movies ubiquitously while at the same time, acknowledge the value for protecting consumers’ images.
By signing the licensing agreement, which is available on the Web site, any company can acquire a royalty-free license to execute the specification, use the trademarks and obtain rights to the patents owned by the EVERPLAY founders.
Further, the following tools will be provided at no cost: Software development kit (SDK) v1.10 and Verifying tool v1.10. Details can be obtained from http://www.everplay-spec.org.
In concurrence with the completion of the standard, the new name “EVERPLAY” replaces “PASS” and shall be used as an interchangeable name for the specification and related communication. A trademark, “EVERPLAY,” and associated logo have been registered to help with future identification of products and services compliant to the standard.
About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Group’s business domain spans “from imaging input to output.” The Group offers diverse products and services for new digital imaging environments in a wide range of fields. Our business domain is broad, including office equipment, optical devices, medical imaging, graphic imaging and measuring instruments. Its largest office equipment business sector consecutively offers advanced network document solutions, taking advantage of its strengths in high-speed, color and networking technologies. We also actively develop cutting-edge technologies that will expand the world of imaging, concentrating on proprietary materials, optical, nano-fabrication and imaging technologies. Konica Minolta is committed to exploring unique markets and creating new business opportunities focusing on digital input/output, as the possibilities of imaging expand with the progress in digitalization and networking trends.
More information about Konica Minolta is available at http://konicaminolta.com/.
About Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
Fujifilm Group is a leading global provider of imaging, information and document-related products and services, and a pioneer of a wide range of digital systems. It had global revenues of Yen2.5 trillion (US$23.6 billion, at the rate of Yen107=US$1) in the year ended March 31, 2005 and 75,638 employees worldwide. Its Imaging Solutions segment includes digital cameras, color film as well as photofinishing equipment/services. Flat panel display materials, medical imaging, graphic arts and other businesses constitute its Information Solutions segment, and digital color copiers and other office products/services comprise the Document Solutions segment. Through development and selective application of its advanced digital, network, image processing, and other proprietary technologies, the Fujifilm Group has expanded from its original field of silver-halide photographic films into diverse new business fields. As a global company with a reputation for the highest quality and reliability, Fujifilm aims to make innovative use of the most advanced technologies to create beautiful images and wide-ranging information, and provide the imaging, information, and document solutions that will best meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of the world community. Fujifilm is an environmentally friendly, humane enterprise and an exemplary global corporate citizen.
More information about Fujifilm is available at http://home.fujifilm.com/.
About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator, providing leading products and services to the photographic, graphic communications and healthcare markets. With sales of $14.3 billion in 2005, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their life and work. Consumers use Kodak’s system of digital and traditional image capture products and services to take, print and share their pictures anytime, anywhere; Businesses effectively communicate with customers worldwide using Kodak solutions for prepress, conventional and digital printing and document imaging; Creative Professionals rely on Kodak technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still images; and leading Healthcare organizations rely on Kodak’s innovative products, services and customized workflow solutions to help improve patient care and maximize efficiency and information sharing within and across their enterprise.
More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com.
