←back to thread

Students are failing AP tests because the College Board can’t handle HEIC images

(www.theverge.com)
669 points danso | 9 comments | 20 May 20 19:36 UTC | HN request time: 1.492s | source | bottom
Show context
IvanK_net ◴[21 May 20 17:55 UTC] No.23262092[source]▶
I am 100% on the side of the school. Unlike with JPEG, everybody who wants to work with HEIC should pay licence fees. Also, HEIC is like 50x more complex than JPEG.

I hope the world will never get to a point, where each phone brand stores photos in their own format, and you need a special software from the phone manufacturer to view the photos (that is what we have now with raw photography formats, and what we used to have in the past with phone chargers).

replies(5): >>23262473 #>>23262658 #>>23262715 #>>23262892 #>>23263507 #
1. whalesalad ◴[21 May 20 18:14 UTC] No.23262473[source]▶
Okay so JPEG for the rest of eternity then?
replies(3): >>23263799 #>>23263936 #>>23263944 #
2. sethammons ◴[21 May 20 19:31 UTC] No.23263799[source]▶
I recall the shift from jpeg to png as a web default. Many sites would not accept one or the other. Eventually, png became more and more popular and "won." The same can happen with other formats, but it takes time. Any any site/org/company that deals with these uploads or displaying the images needs to be clear on what they can do and error out early when they can't do it. I recall "sorry, you tried to upload a png file, we only support jpeg" messages with links to details about the difference and how to convert them. And mime inspection worked back then too, so changing the extension was not good enough.
3. ◴[21 May 20 19:42 UTC] No.23263936[source]▶
4. IvanK_net ◴[21 May 20 19:42 UTC] No.23263944[source]▶
Of course not. But if we are talking about replacing JPG, two things are necessary: a new format should not be restricted by patents and licence fees, and such movement has to be coordinated with all other "players" in the industry. Apple did not do any of it.
replies(1): >>23264851 #
5. gbear605 ◴[21 May 20 20:38 UTC] No.23264851[source]▶
But that isn’t true about HEIC. There isn’t a license fee.
replies(1): >>23265460 #
6. pornel ◴[21 May 20 21:15 UTC] No.23265460{3}[source]▶
HEIC is based on H.265, so there is a whole separate organization dedicated licensing and litigating its patents.
replies(1): >>23265587 #
7. gbear605 ◴[21 May 20 21:25 UTC] No.23265587{4}[source]▶
No? It’s an ISO standard that’s separate from H.265. Maybe you’re thinking of HEVC, which is like that. (Alternatively I’m wrong, which is totally possible)
replies(1): >>23266133 #
8. nshepperd ◴[21 May 20 22:16 UTC] No.23266133{5}[source]▶
HEIC is defined as HEVC in a HEIF container. So yes, it's patent encumbered.

Edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Efficiency_Image_File_For...

replies(1): >>23267136 #
9. gbear605 ◴[22 May 20 00:02 UTC] No.23267136{6}[source]▶
I learned something today, thanks :)