A Comparison of DCM and JPG File Formats
Here we take a look at the image file formats DCM (Dicom) and JPG and examine the features of both formats and also when one format would be preferred over the other. We do delve into some technical details in the comparison, but this is by no means meant to be an exhaustive comparison. For detailed information about both formats, please check out the excellent articles on Wikipedia for JPG and DCM files.
Structure
Both formats store detailed image data, though the specialized nature of the DCM format means it is actually quite different from the JPG format. JPG files are general-purpose image files that employ efficient lossy compression algorithms to reduce file size while maintaining a good-quality image. This makes them an ideal candidate for use on the internet.
DCM files, on the other hand, are specialist images often used in medical environments and, as such, have features unique to this. One of these is the ability to store multiple, related images within a single DCM file. The format is also capable of storing complex metadata along with image data, allowing images to be accompanied by detailed notes.
Supported Color Formats
DCM and JPG formats both support full (24-bit) color images, with DCM also capable of storing multiple images in a single file.
Sample 1 Dicom (DCM) file available from Rubo Medical Imaging
Sample 2 Dicom (DCM) file available from Rubo Medical Imaging
A JPG file of some rain pots
Editing
The vast majority of image editing software supports JPG due to its age and industry-wide adoption and its role as one of the major, standard image formats. This stands in contrast to DCM, a highly specialized image format that requires specialist software to edit them.
File Size
Both formats implement excellent image compression, which is necessary to reduce the size of the file. JPG files use an algorithm named simply the JPEG compression algorithm, which creates files with a very small file size when compared to the original uncompressed image without any noticeable loss in quality. DCM files also implement similar compression techniques, ensuring these too result in small file sizes.
Compatibility
As the JPG file format is considered a standard for image file formats, support for JPG files is widespread, with support for JPG files often implemented at the operating system level, meaning you do not need any specialist software to open and view JPG files. DCM files are a very specialist image format that will require specialist software to open and view these files. If you need to open or convert your DCM files, please refer to our DCM converters section for a list of such conversion tools.
Summary
If you are working within the specialist area of medical images, the DCM is the format that best suits this environment; however, for any other purpose, the JPG format makes the most sense as the format to store your image in.
