This imaging protocol eliminates the need for camera-specific drivers for computer operating systems and other devices. In their place, it provides one simple protocol with the flexibility to support devices such as digital cameras, photo printers, set-top boxes, and handheld devices.

With a PTP-enabled platform and a PTP-enabled camera, users can plug in their digital camera and quickly view and use the images on their personal computer or printer without having to install software. PTP supports common device controls, such as taking a picture, so that the user could take advantage of the PC-camera combination in new and different ways—again, without requiring any additional software.

In addition, the PTP standard is "transport-independent," meaning it can operate over may different physical media, including existing USB, IEEE 1394 (FireWire), and IrDA interfaces, as well as new Radio Frequency (RF) interfaces such as Bluetooth. The new standard provides all the details needed to use PTP with USB, the most popular interface on new digital cameras.

The PTP standard is formally known as PIMA 15740:2000, "Photography – Electronic still picture imaging – Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) for Digital Still Photography Devices." The specification and other information can be downloaded (865 kb) free of charge from the Photographic and Imaging Manufacturers Association, Inc. (PIMA) Web site.

PIMA 15740 is an open standard that attempts to define a common mechanism for transferring digital media files, controlling digital still cameras, and more. Up until now, each digital camera vendor has had one or more proprietary protocols for doing the same thing in different ways. The benefits of this new standard are obviously quite helpful, not only to the manufacturing industry of digital cameras, but also to you and me, the consumer.