The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) and the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A) have announced the development of the MultiPhoto/Video (MPV) Open Specification. According to the industry groups, MPV will standardize the way in which photo and video data are stored on recordable CD and DVD media. The new standard will define the table of contents for a collection of images, and the means by which consumers can access and store metadata associated with the files. The ultimate goal of the new MPV standard is to simplify the process that products like DVD players and Internet-connected mobile phones use to process and play back collections of digital photos and videos, according to the I3A's co-executive director and chief marketing officer, Lisa Walker. "The new specification will make it easier to play, edit and print diverse collections of digital photo and video images."

The organizations indicate that the MPV format can be added to existing applications, and can co-exist with current file system structures and formats. In addition to DVD players and wireless phones, the MPV format is also intended for digital cameras, scanners, imaging software and other products. It can also be used with storage media beyond just CDs and DVDs.

The proposed standard also works with XML. The developers suggest that MPV provides specific manifest and metadata formats and implementation practices that utilize existing specs like SMIL 2.0, and it's compatible with DCF and EXIF standards that are already used in digital cameras.

The OSTA and the I3A plan to make the basic MPV spec available later in 2002 for use in DVD players and imaging software; subsequent work will be done to make MPV available to digital cameras, scanners, Internet services and other personal digital media applications.