ISO/IEC 6048-5:2026

Information technology — JPEG AI learning-based image coding system — Part 5: File format

This document specifies container file formats for JPEG AI codestreams as specified in Rec. ITU-T T.840.1 | ISO/IEC 6048-1 and Rec. ITU-T T.840.2 | ISO/IEC 6048-2. It defines file formats for working with image and motion sequence files on computer platforms, allowing Internet-based and other communications. This document uses already existing specifications for file formats and extends them for the embedding of JPEG AI codestreams.

Titre manque — Partie 5: Titre manque

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 28-Apr-2026
• ICS: 35.040.30 - Coding of graphical and photographical information
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29 - Coding of audio, picture, multimedia and hypermedia information
• Drafting Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29/WG 1 - JPEG Coding of digital representations of images
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 29-Apr-2026
• Due Date: 22-Jul-2026
• Completion Date: 29-Apr-2026

Standards Content (Sample)

International
Standard
ISO/IEC 6048-5
First edition
Information technology — JPEG
2026-04
AI learning-based image coding
system —
Part 5:
File format
Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2026
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© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
ii
Foreword
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Summary
Recommendation ITU-T T.840.5 | ISO/IEC 6048-5 specifies the container file format for the JPEG AI learning-based
image coding technology as defined in Rec. ITU-T T.840.1 | ISO/IEC 6048-1.
Rec. ITU-T T.840.5 (01/2026) i
© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved

This Recommendation | International Standard was developed collaboratively by ITU-T Study Group 21 and ISO/IEC
JTC 1/SC 29, and is published as common text Rec. ITU-T T.840.5 | ISO/IEC 6048-5.
*
History
Edition Recommendation Approval Study Group Unique ID
1.0 ITU-T T.840.5 2026-01-13 21 11.1002/1000/16660
Keywords
Decoder, file format, ISOBMFF integration, JPEG AI, learning based image coding.

*
To access the Recommendation, type the URL https://handle.itu.int/ in the address field of your web
browser, followed by the Recommendation's unique ID.
© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved

FOREWORD
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency in the field of
telecommunications, and information and communication technologies (ICTs). The ITU Telecommunication
Standardization Sector (ITU-T) is a permanent organ of ITU. ITU-T is responsible for studying technical,
operating and tariff questions and issuing Recommendations on them with a view to standardizing
telecommunications on a worldwide basis.
The World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), which meets every four years, establishes
the topics for study by the ITU-T study groups which, in turn, produce Recommendations on these topics.
The approval of ITU-T Recommendations is covered by the procedure laid down in WTSA Resolution 1.
In some areas of information technology which fall within ITU-T's purview, the necessary standards are
prepared on a collaborative basis with ISO and IEC.
NOTE
In this Recommendation, the expression "Administration" is used for conciseness to indicate both a
telecommunication administration and a recognized operating agency.
Compliance with this Recommendation is voluntary. However, the Recommendation may contain certain
mandatory provisions (to ensure, e.g., interoperability or applicability) and compliance with the
Recommendation is achieved when all of these mandatory provisions are met. The words "shall" or some other
obligatory language such as "must" and the negative equivalents are used to express requirements. The use of
such words does not suggest that compliance with the Recommendation is required of any party.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
ITU draws attention to the possibility that the practice or implementation of this Recommendation may involve
the use of a claimed Intellectual Property Right. ITU takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or
applicability of claimed Intellectual Property Rights, whether asserted by ITU members or others outside of
the Recommendation development process.
As of the date of approval of this Recommendation, ITU had not received notice of intellectual property,
protected by patents/software copyrights, which may be required to implement this Recommendation.
However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information and are therefore
strongly urged to consult the appropriate ITU-T databases available via the ITU-T website at
https://www.itu.int/ITU-T/ipr/.
 ITU 2026
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means whatsoever, without the prior
written permission of ITU.
Rec. ITU-T T.840.5 (01/2026)
© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
iii
CONTENTS
Page
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
2.1 Identical Recommendations | International Standards . 1
2.2 Paired Recommendations | International Standards equivalent in technical content . 1
2.3 Additional references . 1
3 Definitions . 1
4 Abbreviations . 2
5 Naming conventions and formats for numerical values . 2
6 Conformance . 2
7 Colour specification . 2
8 Organization of the document . 2
Annex A – Use of JPEG AI codestreams in the ISOBMFF file format - Motion JPEG AI . 3
A.1 General . 3
A.2 Compatibility and technology derivation . 3
A.2.1 Family members . 3
A.2.2 Conformance . 3
A.3 Sample entry and sample formats for motion sequences . 3
A.3.1 General . 3
A.3.2 Definitions . 4
A.3.3 Syntax . 4
A.3.4 Semantics . 5
Annex B – Use of JPEG AI codestreams JPEG AI codestreams in the HEIF image file format . 6
B.1 General . 6
B.2 JPEG AI images and image collections . 6
B.2.1 General . 6
B.2.2 Coded image item . 6
B.2.3 JPEG AI header item property . 6
B.2.4 JPEG AI auxiliary images . 7
B.3 JPEG AI image sequences . 7
B.3.1 General . 7
B.3.2 Derivation from ISO/IEC 14496-12 . 7
B.4 JPEG AI-specific brands . 7
B.4.1 JPEG AI image and image collection brands . 7
B.4.2 JPEG AI image sequence brands . 8
B.5 JPEG AI coded image in ISO/IEC 23008-12 image files media type registration . 8
B.5.1 General . 8
B.5.2 Registration . 8
B.6 JPEG AI coded image sequence in ISO/IEC 23008-12 image files media type registration . 9
B.6.1 General . 9
B.6.2 Registration . 9
Rec. ITU-T T.840.5 (01/2026)
© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
iv
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
ITU-T RECOMMENDATION
Information technology – JPEG AI learning-based image coding system: File format
1 Scope
This Recommendation | International Standard specifies container file formats for JPEG AI codestreams as specified in
Rec. ITU-T T.840.1 | ISO/IEC 6048-1 and Rec. ITU-T T.840.2 | ISO/IEC 6048-2. It defines file formats for working with
image and motion sequence files on computer platforms, allowing Internet-based and other communications.
This Recommendation | International Standard uses already existing specifications for file formats and extends them for
the embedding of JPEG AI codestreams.
2 Normative references
The following Recommendations and International Standards contain provisions which, through reference in this text,
constitute provisions of this Recommendation | International Standard. At the time of publication, the editions indicated
were valid. All Recommendations and Standards are subject to revision, and parties to agreements based on this
Recommendation | International Standard are encouraged to investigate the possibility of applying the most recent edition
of the Recommendations and Standards listed below. Members of IEC and ISO maintain registers of currently valid
International Standards. The Telecommunication Standardization Bureau of the ITU maintains a list of currently valid
ITU-T Recommendations.
2.1 Identical Recommendations | International Standards
– Rec. ITU-T T.840.1 (2025) | ISO/IEC 6048-1:2025 – Information technology – JPEG AI learning-based
image coding system: Core coding system.
– Rec. ITU-T T.840.2 (2026) | ISO/IEC 6048-2:2026 – Information technology – JPEG AI learning-based
image coding system: Profiling.
2.2 Paired Recommendations | International Standards equivalent in technical content
– Rec. ITU-T H.273 (2024) | ISO/IEC 23091-2:2025, Coding-independent code points for video signal type
identification.
2.3 Additional references
– ISO/IEC 14496-12:2022, Information technology – Coding of audio-visual objects – Part 12: ISO base
media file format.
– ISO/IEC 23008-12:2025, Information technology – High efficiency coding and media delivery in
heterogeneous environments – Part 12: Image File Format.
3 Definitions
For the purposes of this Recommendation | International Standard, the terms and definitions given in Rec. ITU-T T.840.1 |
ISO/IEC 6048-1, Rec. ITU-T T.840.2 | ISO/IEC 6048-2, ISO/IEC 14496-12, ISO/IEC 23008-12 and the following apply:
3.1 box: Structured collection of data describing the image or the image decoding process.
3.2 JPEG AI codestreams: Codestreams specified in Rec. ITU-T T.840.1 | ISO/IEC 6048-1 and
Rec. ITU−T T.840.2 | ISO/IEC 6048-2.
3.3 image collection: Unordered set of images without an implied or signalled presentation order or presentation
time stamps.
3.4 motion sequence / movie: Timed sequence of images.
3.5 timed sequence: Linearly ordered sequence of media entities such as images where each entity is presented at
a well defined time stamp.
Rec. ITU-T T.840.5 (01/2026)
© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
4 Abbreviations
For the purposes of this Recommendation | International Standard, the abbreviated terms given in ISO/IEC 14496-12,
Rec. ITU-T T.840.1 | ISO/IEC 6048-1, Rec. ITU-T T.840.2 | ISO/IEC 6048-2, ISO/IEC 23008-12 and the following
apply:
HEIF High Efficiency Image File format
ISOBMFF ISO Base Media File Format
5 Naming conventions and formats for numerical values
The naming conventions and formats for numerical values used in this Specification, including the use of double quote
and single quote, e.g., in "\016Motion JPEG AI" and 'jai0', are the same as in ISO/IEC 14496-12 and ISO/IEC 23008-12.
6 Conformance
This Specification shares common definitions for the structure of files (a sequence of objects, called boxes here, and
atoms in other similar file formats) and a common definition of the general structure of an object (the size and type).
File formats representing either images, or image sequences shall be as specified in Annexes A and B. All these
specifications require that readers ignore objects that are unrecognizable to them.
This Specification takes precedence over those on which it is based, in any case where there may be differences or
conflicts; however, no such conflicts are known to exist.
For better readability and understanding, the syntax description for the different file formats is done in the same way as
in the base formats.
7 Colour specification
JPEG AI (as defined in Rec. ITU-T T.840.1 | ISO/IEC 6048-1) describes only the encoded bitstream of an image. In order
to properly display or interpret the image, it is required that the colour space of that image data is properly characterized.
For this purpose, the respective container file format shall signal the correct colour space. The colour space signalled by
the defined formats in this Specification for JPEG AI shall be as specified in Rec. ITU-T H.273 | ISO/IEC 23091-2.
8 Organization of the document
Annex A specifies the integration of JPEG AI codestreams in the ISO base media file format (ISOBMFF) (as defined in
ISO/IEC 14496−12) for use of motion sequences as a movie in a container file.
Annex B specifies the integration of JPEG AI codestreams in the high efficiency image file format (HEIF) (as defined in
ISO/IEC 23008-12) allowing the integration of both images as well as movies in one format.
Rec. ITU-T T.840.5 (01/2026)
© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
Annex A
Use of JPEG AI codestreams in the ISOBMFF file format – Motion JPEG AI
(This annex forms an integral part of this Recommendation | International Standard.)
A.1 General
This annex specifies the use of JPEG AI coding for timed sequences of images within files based on the ISO base media
file format (defined in ISO/IEC 14496-12), denoted Motion JPEG AI. The Motion JPEG AI file format is designed to
contain one or more motion sequences of JPEG AI compressed images, with their timing. It is intended as a 'building
block', specifying only the video format. An application is expected to combine Motion JPEG AI with suitable audio,
metadata, etc. for a complete application specification; that specification normally selects profiles and levels of
Motion JPEG AI, and can also specify application profiles and levels that apply to the integration.
Motion JPEG AI is expected to be used in a variety of applications, particularly where JPEG AI coding technology is
already available for other reasons, or where the high-quality frame-based approach, with no inter-frame coding, is
appropriate. These application areas include:
– digital still cameras;
– error-prone environments such as wireless and the internet;
– video capture;
– high quality digital video recording for professional broadcasting and motion picture production from film-
based to digital systems;
– and high-resolution medical and satellite imaging.
Motion JPEG AI is a flexible format, permitting a wide variety of usages, such as editing, display, interchange and
streaming.
NOTE – A sample in the context of ISOBMFF (ISO/IEC 14496-12) is "all the data associated with a single time". In this annex, it
is meant as data associated with one coded image, not a "pixel".
A.2 Compatibility and technology derivation
A.2.1 Family members
This is a 'building block' specification; it defines how to store motion JPEG AI sequences in a file format based on the
ISO base media file format. It stands as a member of a family of specifications with common formatting.
Since this is a building block specification, if audio is needed, then suitable audio support should be selected from other
specifications using the ISO base media file format (ISO/IEC 14496-12).
These specifications share a common definition for the structure of a file (a sequence of objects, called boxes here, and
atoms in other similar file formats), and a common definition of the general structure of an object (the size and type).
All these specifications require that readers ignore objects that are unrecognizable to them.
This Specification takes precedence over those on which it is based, in any case where there are differences or conflicts;
however, no such conflicts are known to exist.
A.2.2 Conformance
Implementations of motion
...