The internet digital photograph market was boosted this week with the news that photography giant Eastman Kodak Ltd is to purchase a 51% share in digital imaging company PictureVision Inc, based in Herndon, Virginia. PictureVision is the developer of PhotoNet, which enables users to see on screen the photographs they have taken by having their film developed by a PhotoNet-participating retailer. Users can view their digital pictures either on the internet or at special kiosks, and, using software such as Adobe PhotoShop or Microsoft PictureIt, can alter the images and print them. The field of digital photography is expected to grow as digital cameras drop in price and become more widespread. This deal with Kodak, says PictureVision, is expected to increase the number of such retailers from the current 9,000 to around 40,000 worldwide. Kodak launched its own internet digital photography service, the Kodak Picture network, in August 1997 (CI No 3,234), using its FlashPix image display protocol. At that time, Kodak was competing with PictureVision, which had partnered with Japanese camera manufacturer Konica Corp. PictureVision’s R&D facilities are headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel, and imaging is recognized as one of the strengths of the Israeli hi-tech industry. This is primarily due to the Israel army, which develops sophisticated imaging tools for military purposes. Often this technology is then adapted by civilian companies for consumer markets.
