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HL WeightsYour Weights (0-3)Format 1Format 2Format 3Format 4Format 5Format 6Format 7Format 8Format 9Format 10Grading KeyGrading Approach
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Sustainability Factors: AdoptionDependency on a single organization or company (Yes, No)3Green = Not dependent on only one group; Yellow = Dependent on one groupResearch the corporate or organizational ownership of each file format.
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Sustainability Factors: AdoptionWidespread use by consumers (Low, Medium, High)3Green = Widespread use by consumers; Yellow = moderate use by consumers; Red = low use by consumersExamine adoption by end-user hardware and software oriented toward the consumer market.
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Sustainability Factors: AdoptionWidespread use by professionals (Low, Medium, High)3Green = Widespread use by Professionals; Yellow = Moderate use by professionals; Red = Low use by professionalsExamine adoption by end-user hardware and software oriented toward the professional market.
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Sustainability Factors: AdoptionArchival use1Green = Currently employed for image sequences in archive settings; Yellow = Currently employed for still images in archive settings; Red = use for archive scenarios is currently unknownEvaluate statements made by national and well-known libraries and archives internationally in order to identify existing use of these formats as archival targets.
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Sustainability Factors: AdoptionCommunity / 3rd party support (Low, Medium, High)1Green = Widespread community support; Yellow = moderate community support; Red = Low or no community supportExamine community groups or community-based software or hardware that support the format's continued use (creation, editing, rendering).
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Sustainability Factors: AdoptionDeveloper / corporate support1Green = Standards-body support; Yellow = Active corporate support; Red = Individual or no current supportResearch the corporate or organizational support of software or hardware that supports the format's continued use (creation, editing, rendering).
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Sustainability Factors: AdoptionGeographic spread1Green = Worldwide use; Red = Unknown useBased on known use of the format geographically.
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Sustainability Factors: AdoptionLifetime1Green = more than 15 years; Yellow = 5 to 15 years; Red = 1 to 5 yearsA calculation based on the year the format came into general use.
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Sustainability Factors: AdoptionRevision rate1Green = stable with minimal updates; Yellow = Frequent updates; Red = Unknown state of updatesA calculation based on the number of revisions total divided by the format's lifetime in years.
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Sustainability Factors: AdoptionLast revision1Green = stable with minimal updates; Yellow = Frequent updates; Red = Unknown state of updatesLast published revision date for the format.
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Sustainabililty: AdoptionFormat expertise available (Low, Medium, High)3Green = format is common and there is expertise at HUL; Yellow = format is uncommon and there is some knowledge of the format at HUL; Red = format is rare and there is little knowledge of the format at HULAssess whether repository staff have knowledge / experience with a given format.
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Sustainability Factors: AdoptionBackward compatibility2Green = format is backward compatible with previous versions; Yellow = format is partially backward compatible; Red = it is unknown whether the format is backward compatibleReview statements in the format specification whether the format is designed to be backward compatible with previous versions of the format.
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Sustainability Factors: DisclosureAvailability of specifications (Poor, Fair, Good)3Green = available from trusted source; Yellow = available, but from anonymous or unrelated source; Red = unavailableBased on an attempt to acquire a copy of the format specification.
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Sustainability Factors: DisclosureDegree to which specification is complete and understandable (Poor, Fair, Good)2Green = specification is complete and understandable; Yellow = specification is complete and understandable but has some undocumented areas; Red = specification is not clearly documented and understandableWhen specifications can be acquired, evaluate the thoroughness of the specification for the format, for example - does it cover for example specifics of file construction, image encoding(s), color management, metadata, legal issues, revision process?
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Sustainability Factors: DisclosureStandardized (Poor, Fair, Good)2Green = via standards body; Yellow = format specification is published, but not with standards body as a standard; Red = format is not standardizedAssess the degree to which the format is managed by a standards body, accepted as de facto, or not standardized by any community.
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Sustainability Factors: TransparencyLevel of format complexity2Green = Format is clearly documented, self-describing, and understandable; Yellow = Format is understood, but of medium complexity in terms of decoding or encoding; Red = Format is opaque, or of high complexityAssess the specification for a given format; when no specification is available, review format owners' websites or other triangulated web sources. Additionally, use hex editors and metadata extraction tools to look closely at samples.
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Sustainability Factors: TransparencyEase of accurate identification3Green = files can be identified manually; Yellow = files can be identified, but cannot be distinguished from related file types; Red = files cannot be identified easilyTest ability to identify the format manually by a method other than the file extension.
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Sustainability Factors: TransparencyDegree to which compression is understood2Green = Compression technique is understood and common; Yellow = Compression technique is documented, but not common; Red = Compression technique is not understoodBased on the format's published compression types, assess the relative transparency of the compression algorithm (as well as its relative popularity).
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Sustainability Factors: TransparencyDifficulty of tool dev for accurate identification (Low, Medium, Hard)2Green = one of FITS current tools recognizes the format; Yellow = none of FITS current tools recognizes the format but tools exist that do and can be integrated; Red = no current characterization tools recognize the formatIdentify automated tools to support identifying the file accurately by a method other than the file extension.
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Sustainability Factors: TransparencyEase of accurate validation (Poor, Moderate, Good)2Green = file validator exists; Red = file validator does not existIdentify format validators that support automated validation of the given format.
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Sustainability Factors: Self-documentationError-tolerance1Green = has good support for bit errors and dropped frames; Yellow = has standard support for bit errors; Red = unknownReview statements in the format specification whether the format is designed to support error-tolerance, both in terms of how compression is applied and in terms of playing the image in a temporal sequence.
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Sustainability Factors: Self-documentationTechnical metadata support1Green = Supports standard camera-centrci and image-centric technical metadata and supports additional industry standard technical metadata, i.e., Exif, IPTC, ICC, and/or XMP; Yellow = Supports standard camera-centric and image-centric technical metadata; Red = No support for technical metadataAssess format specifications to understand technical metadata support within the file, as well as any supported embedded (or sidecar) extensions; when no specification is available, examine format owners' websites or other triangulated web sources. Additionally, use hex editors and metadata extractors to evaluate sample files.
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Sustainability: Self-documentationDescriptive metadata support1Green = Supports standard camera-centrci and image-centric technical metadata and supports additional industry standard technical metadata, i.e., Exif, IPTC, ICC, and/or XMP; Yellow = Supports standard camera-centric and image-centric technical metadata; Red = No support for technical metadataAssess format specifications to understand descriptive metadata support within the file, as well as any supported embedded (or sidecar) extensions; when no specification is available, review format owners' websites or other triangulated web sources. Additionally, use hex editors and metadata extractors to evaluate sample files.
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Sustainability Factors: External DependenciesBrowser Support1Green = Supported natively; Yellow = supported with plugin; Red = not supportedResearch native format support across common web browsers, including Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Opera.
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Sustainability Factors: External DependenciesDependencies on particular HW/SW3Green = can be created and edited with free tools; Yellow = can be created and edited with a mixture of free and commercial tools; Red = can only be created and edited by commercial toolsResearch the relative dependency of the format on specific HW/SW for creation. Some formats can only be created by one HW/SW combination, others can be generated with a variety of HW/SW combinations.
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Sustainability Factors: External DependenciesQuantity and availability of rendering software3Green = can be rendered on many available tools; Yellow = can be rendered on a few available tools; Red = can only be rendered on one or a couple of commercial toolsResearch the availability of rendering software for the format, as well as the quantity of rendering tools for a given format.
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Sustainability Factors: Impact of patentsLegal restrictions affecting use now or long-term3Green = no legal restrictions; Yellow = restrictions exist but are not applied, or do not inhibit; Red = patents or licences applyIdentify potential legal restrictions associated with a format (or its required encodings or color spaces); when no specification is available, examine format owners' websites or other triangulated web sources.
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Sustainability Factors: Technical Protection MechanismsSupport for technical protection mechanisms2Green = No support for encryption of image data or wrapper; Yellow = support for encryption, and support to store encryption keys; Red = opaque support for encryptionEvaluate format specifications to understand whether encryption or other protection mechanisms are supported by the format; when no specification is available, review format owners' websites or other triangulated web sources.
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Cost FactorsCost to maintain environment for access or processing3Green = free tools exist and are dependable; Yellow = mix of free and commercial tools needed; Red = commercial tools neededReview the availability of tools to access or process files of a given format and the cost of said tools.
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Cost FactorsUncompressed/raw storage requirements0
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Cost FactorsStorage (with max compression applied) requirements 0
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Quality and functionality factorsColorspaces supported3Green = supports at least RGB and/or CFA/Raw; Yellow = supports only YCbCr; Red = unknownReview statements in the format specification as to which color spaces are supported by the format and its supported image encodings; when no specification is available, review format developers' website or triangulated web sources.
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Quality and functionality factorsMax Bits per Color Channel3Green = 10 or more bits per channel; Yellow = less than 10 bits per channelReview statements in the format specification as to the maximum bits per color channel supported by the format and its supported image encodings; when no specification is available, review format developers' website or triangulated web sources.
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Quality and functionality factorsMax Channels Supported3Green = supports 1-4 channels; Yellow = supports unlimited channels (could yeild unwieldy and complex files)Review statements in the format specification as to the maximum color channels supported by the format and its supported image encodings; when no specification is available, rely on format developers' website or triangulated web sources.
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Quality and functionality factorsMax Bit Depth Overall3Green = supports 1-4 channels; Yellow = supports unlimited channels (could yeild unwieldy and complex files)Calculate max bits per color channel multiplied by max color channels supported (unless stated otherwise by the format specification).
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Quality and functionality factorsMax resolution3Identify stated limits of the maximum pixel resolution for a given format.
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Quality and functionality factorsAbility to encode in true lossless compression3Green = supports lossless compression; Red = supports only lossy compression Review statements in the format specification as to the support for lossless compression by the format and its supported image encodings; when no specification is available, rely on format developers' website or triangulated web sources.
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Quality and functionality factorsMax Chroma subsampling3Green = none or 444; Yellow = less than 444Review statements in the format specification as to the support for chroma subsampling (as well as max sub-sampling supported) by the format and its supported image encodings; when no specification is available, review format developers' website or triangulated web sources.
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Quality and functionality factorsCompression ratio3Green = no compression, or lossless; Yellow = low compression ratio; Red = high compression ratioReview statements in the format specification as to the types of compression supported as well as the known compression ratios provided by each supported type of compression.
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Additonal notesImage Wrapper Options
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Additonal notesPackaging Options
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Additonal notesPurpose
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Additonal notesNotes
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Color Weights OnlyGreen0000000000
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HL WeightsGreen0000000000
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Yellow0000000000
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Red0000000000
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Weighted Score0000000000
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Your WeightsGreen0000000000
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Yellow0000000000
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Red0000000000
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Weighted Score0000000000
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