On Tue, 28 Mar 2000 05:23:08 +0100 "PrinceGaz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
writes:
>
> Hey guys!
>
> For some time I have been listening to an audio stream which I'm
> receiving at 20kbps
> encoded with Windows Media Player codec. It's 1960's music and the
> thing is it's
> quite acceptable (comparable to a intermediate distance AM radio
> station) and I'm sure
> would be perfectably acceptable for audio books. When I say 20kbps
> thats the actual
> data transfer rate, not my connection to my ISP.
Ok.
>
> Some quick arithmetic shows that at 20kbps, a 150MB minidisc would
> run for over 16
> hours at this rate, fantastic for an audio book and without the
> terrible distortion you
> get with a similar speed RealAudio stream. Perhaps once MS has
> actually hit the
> bullseye and come up with a great algorithm.
No. MS incorporated several codecs with WMA. VQF is much better at
compression. However it is decent at lower bitrates. Better than MP3 and
VQF doesn't go that low.
>
> I know it is 70:1 compression, well okay 35:1 as it's mono but I
> could happily listen
> to it on a bus, coach or train.
Umm, it's 70:1 compression. Remeber, compressed audio is all about your
bitrate, not your properties. A 96kbps Mono MP3 @ 44.1 Khz would be the
same size as say a 32khz stereo MP3 at the same bitrate. Only reason most
people think theres a difference is because most encoders won't allow
certin birates to be used.
> Thats seven times higher than MD,
> hell its over three
> times the 128kbps MP3 format we slag off and being mono halved
> again. I would be
> happy to have an audio book recorded in that format and run for 16
> hours on one
> standard MD, hey for listening while travelling I could live quite
> happily with it, a stereo
> version would be better (eeek, only 8 hours per MD :-)
Yes, this would be nice, BUT, will the current ATRAC chips PLAY a stream
encoded at that without having to change. I'm thinking it wouldn't. But,
if it is backwards compatable with earlier versions, they just might be
able to pull such a thing off. And if your going to keep it 20kbps, if
your using stereo, it'd STILL be 16 hours, but, youd more than likely
double the birate to 40 kbps.
>
> Okay listening here at home on my hifi the compression artifacts are
> quite noticeable,
> this codec seems to deal with them a helluva lot better than
> RealPlayer does, and is
> actually enjoyable even at 20kbps!
RealPlayer G2 7.0 is good at lower qualities, but WMA does handle it
somewhat better.
-J.R.
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