Back in August I mentioned that Microsoft’s HD Photo format would very likely become the new JPEG XR standard. Now it’s official! All that remains is the actual work of making the standard a reality:

“The country vote is done, and it passed,” Bill Crow said. “That means the International JPEG committee has decided to go ahead and create the standard. Now it’s just a process of doing that work,” a process that will begin later this month in a meeting in Kobe, Japan.

Support for HD Photo isn’t as broad as it could be, but becoming a standard will likely change that. Still, with support built into every copy of Windows Vista and a firm vote of confidence from Adobe, the future for JPEG XR looks very bright indeed.