Sony PEG-NZ90 User Manual

Picsel ePAGE

Bitmap Image file
format support

Picsel Image File Format Support Page

2

Copyright

Copyright © Picsel 2002

Neither the whole nor any part of the information contained in, or the product
described in, this document may be used, sold, transferred, adapted or
reproduced in whole or in part in any manner or form or in any media except
with the prior written permission of the copyright holder.

The product described in this document is subject to continuous development
and improvement. All particulars of the product and its use contained in this
document are given by Picsel in good faith. However, the content of this
document is provided “as is”, without warranties of any kind with regard to its
accuracy or reliability, and specifically excluding all implied warranties, for
example of merchantability, fitness for purpose, title and non-infringement. In
no event shall Picsel be liable for any special, indirect or consequential
damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, arising out of or
in connection with the use of this document. Picsel reserves the right to revise
the document or withdraw it at any time without prior notice.

No licence is granted (nor any rights of whatsoever nature granted), express or
implied, to any intellectual property by this document.

Throughout this document, the trade names and trademarks of some companies
and products have been used. No such uses are intended to convey
endorsement of or other affiliations with the document.

Document number PICSEL-ESF0005B

April 2002

http://www.picsel.com/

Picsel Image File Format Support Page

3

Introduction

On handheld computers, traditional applications typically rely on
synchronization with a PC to convert content from the original
document format into a simpler format used by the device. This creates
at least three problems. Firstly, some visual integrity is inevitably lost in
the conversion process from a rich format to a simpler one, resulting in
documents that do not look exactly like the original. Secondly, the
reliance on a PC for synchronization means that direct network access is
difficult, and the device is severely hampered when untethered from the
PC. Thirdly, traditional applications take a monolithic approach,
converting only a single format so that separate applications are needed
for each different document type.

Picsel’s ePAGE applications present a new concept in document
viewing software. Unlike traditional approaches, the viewer can access
native files, so synchronisation is not necessary and files can be grabbed
straight off PC filing systems, flash cards and networks/internet without
the need for pre-conversion. ePAGE deals directly with the original
document in its native format, and aims to faithfully represent all of the
features of the original. Moreover, the novel software architecture
based on Picsel’s ePAGE technology enables multiple format types to be
richly supported in a single application.

ePAGE achieves a breakthrough in its ability to interpret and render
complex file formats. Many apparently straightforward formats have in
the past encountered difficulties even when used in their original
application software on a different platform, for example when going
from a PC to a Macintosh. Sometimes these files assume characteristics
of the computer on which they are used, such as the screen size or byte
order, and such assumptions have to be unravelled when using them on
a different device. To compound the challenge, some formats may
contain proprietary features which are not revealed to the public, and
which even have been forgotten within the originating company.
Others, such as HTML, have written standards yet are still subject to
differing interpretations as evidenced by the varying treatment of web
pages in proprietary browsers.