Matroska Image Format

[shmuelie]

I would like to propose that an extension to the codecs be made to include image/graphic formats, allowing the main content to be images. The extendibility of Matroska container would be extremely helpful for images, not just video and audio.

[robUx4]

You mean to hold a single image or add more common image codecs ?

[shmuelie]

The main request would be for a single image. Technically you can put them in as attachments right now but that's not the "main" content like video and audio are.

[JeromeMartinez]

What would be he advantage compared to the source format? i.e. a JPEG file in a Matroska file is not useful compared to a JPEG file directly?
I see image formats in Matroska more as a possibility for a video stream, e.g. like what already has MP4 (it can embed e.g. 1 JPEG image per video frame) or MXF (it can embed e.g. 1 JPEG 2000 image per video frame).
If we want a single image, well, it may be a video frame with a duration of infinite :).

[shmuelie]

Tha advantage of an image file in Matroska over just the image file would be getting the advantages of the Matroska container: arbitrary metadata and attachments. And while yes, I could "hack it" using something like an infinite video frame or a file with only an attachment I would like something more "official" than that 😅

[JeromeMartinez]

I personally see no problem to make explicit that max of the Segment\Info\Duration and \Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\DefaultDuration value if (uint)-1 means still image, it would be compatible with previous specs and definition of \Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\CodecID would be common to still images and video.

[shmuelie]

Hmmm, but the CodecID would still need to be updated to include the image's codec, no?

[JeromeMartinez]

Hmmm, but the CodecID would still need to be updated to include the image's codec, no?

But in a generic manner (same codec spec for video or image).

[shmuelie]

But in a generic manner (same codec spec for video or image).

Not sure I follow?