Z9 HE RAW support?

Now that PL supports the Z9’s lossless RAW format, any idea when PL will support the Z9’s new HE and HE* RAW formats?

Thanks!

You made me laugh. I was wondering how many days it would be for someone to complain that HE and HE* RAW is not supported after normal RAW support was released.

I read the DxO pre-release notes and understood it would be a good long time and when I bought a Z9 planned to shoot in normal RAW format and chose CFExpress cards in line with that support.

Generally, I’d hold off on using HE and HE* RAW until it’s clear there will be long term support among RAW developers for the format. Long term HE and HE* not a sure thing yet, even if some RAW developers support them now.

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The HE and HE*RAW formats use a proprietary methodology the evidently Nikon has licensed TICO-raw from intoPIX. At least in the USA due to the issues raised when the Lotus 123 spreadsheet format was decoded by competitors acting on behalf of clients who had used Lotus 123 to create client data and then wanted to read that data in applications other than Lotus 123, others than intoPIX should be allowed to decode image data for images not owned by Nikon or intoPIX on memory cards again not owned by Nikon or intoPIX (that is, the copyright owner of an image owns the intellectual/artistic property of the image). Whether this same ruling applies in the EU, etc, I do not know. (Note that it did not apply in the USA to transient information over a data communications channel; thus, an owned, not leased, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) computer using DEC hardware but not a DEC operating system would not be allowed to decode DECnet network packets without permission of DEC that DEC would not allow for BSD “unix”. Much later, after DEC was purchased and effectively defunct, DECnet protocols were “opened”.) However, whether or not DxO or any other person/entity invests in the reverse engineering to decode the intoPIX compression used by Nikon remains to be seen. Thus, not to be owned by a proprietary vendor, I elected NOT to use any of the intoPIX-based compressions.

You made me laugh. It was a simple question and your reply wasn’t helpful or considerate. I too would like to know if there is a timetable for supporting that very important feature.

A SDK kit does exist for the HE format for Intel code only. I have a feeling you have to license or pay for access to it? I don’t know, as such little detail is available on the format.

It’s not an answer to your question and no excuse that it isn’t supported…. But in the interest of trying to be helpful, does Adobe DNG converter support HE RAW from Z9? If so I suspect the resulting DNG files can be handled by DXO.

Maybe try that.

There was nothing disrespectful nor humorous in my comment, but rather a statement of fact. Whether or not DxO or any other photographic workflow application provider/developer reverse engineers (where legally allowed without the possibility of a very expensive legal “battle”) a particular encoding of data (such as HE) or licenses the encoding technology (typically, for fee, and in some cases, on a per use basis so that every user of the application is paying, perhaps without this being revealed by the application supplier, a fee to the licensor) typically is a market-share/return-on-investment/profit issue. DxO has not made a firm timeline commitment to the best of my knowledge. URL with Nikon SDK for Z9 NEF is available, with the disclaimer via https://www.nikon.com/usage/group-info/index.htm in which it is stated: All materials on “Nikon Website” are protected by copyright laws, related agreements and other laws (collectively “Copyright Laws”) of each country throughout the world. Except for cases permitted in writing by these “Terms” or “Nikon Website”, you are prohibited from using any material (including duplication, modification, uploading, presentation, transmission, distribution, licensing, sales and publication) by the “Copyright Laws” except for non-commercial and personal purposes. If you want to use any materials on “Nikon Website”, you need to obtain “Nikon’s” prior written permission. End excerpt. DxO does not meet the “non-commercial and personal purposes” clause. Again, not to demean, insult, ignore, etc, any comment, posting, or submitting person to this topic. One question to which I do not know the answer: if Nikon grants use to one commercial entity (say, Adobe), must it grant use under the same terms and conditions to any other commercial entity, or can it give a competitive market advantage to one entity over another? For example, could it charge X to Adobe for each licensed use of the SDK, but charge 1000 X to DxO for the same? The answer may be determined by the nation state “laws” (eg, a different answer say in the USA versus the EU).