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I have images that are in a custom file-format (basically containing RAW data) and and I want to have them viewable in a browser (without converting them to standard formats such as jpg/png).

Is it possible to write a browser plugin that would read my-custom-format and display the images in the browser (like say a PDF reader) ?

I can do this using Flash, but I am trying to see if I can avoid having to download the Flash SWF to display the image.

Can a browser plugin/extension get binary data from the web, process it and render it on a specific area on the browser screen ? Which browsers would it be possible on and which ones would it not be ?

Yesdi Patel
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You can download binary file with XMLHttpRequest and display in on <canvas> element, where you have full control over each pixel.

Now if you mean you want the browser to natively recognize your custom image format this could be tricky.

serg
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Yes, you can do this in all browsers. ActiveX for IE, and NPAPI for everything else.

smorgan
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