Very interesting! Perhaps I didn't notice it, but how would one play these improved mp3 files? Would one have to buy a better player? Would Winamp notice the difference in my pc and adjust accordingly? Or does the sound improve automatically because of this encoding?
Cheers, Peter On 3/20/09, Petro T. Giannakopoulos <petrakigianos-gia...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > With links > http://www.pcworld.com/article/161561/thomson_pumps_up_volume_with_tools_for_mp3hd_lossles > > Article > > Thomson has released software for the creation and playback of a new type of > audio file using lossless compression. MP3HD files will be around four times > the size of corresponding MP3 files, but will remain compatible with > existing MP3 players. > > The software includes command-line tools for Windows and Linux that convert > standard WAV files into the new MP3HD format, and a plugin for the Winamp > media player for Windows PCs for listening to them. The tools can be > downloaded from the all4mp3.com Web site run by Thomson, which with German > research center Fraunhofer Institute IIS co-developed the MP3 format. > > Some people won't be able to hear the difference, but to others, > particularly those interested in high-end audio systems, it will be music to > their ears. > > MP3 files are created using a lossy compression algorithm so some of the > audio detail, inaudible to the average listener, is thrown away in the > process of compressing and uncompressing the file. > > The new format, on the other hand, uses lossless compression, meaning that > an MP3HD file made from a WAV audio file will contain all the information > required to create a WAV file bit-for-bit identical to the original. > > MP3HD files remain compatible with existing MP3 players because they are in > fact standard MP3 files. However, rather than throw away the inaudible > details during the encoding process, the MP3HD encoder saves them in the ID3 > Tag, the part of an MP3 file used to store track details such as album and > artist names. Existing MP3 players will read only the standard MP3 > information; only MP3HD players will benefit from the additional lossless > information stored in the file. > > The additional audio information is saved in an unused field of the ID3 tag, > and should not be disturbed by software that allows editing of album and > artist names, said Thomson's Business Development Director for MP3 and Audio > Technology François Thuilière. > > Compared to an audio CD, which contains 1411KB of data per second of audio, > an MP3HD file will contain between 700K bps (bits per second) and 900K bps > of data, according to Thuilière. > > "The size of the file will depend on the content, whether its vocals, rock > or a symphony," he said. > > Most digital music stores sell near-CD-quality tracks encoded at bit rates > of between 128K bps and 256K bps. > > The MP3 format was a hit because it made it possible to store > near-CD-quality audio in about a 10th the space required for the original > uncompressed audio file, or to download it in about a 10th the time. > > In 2001 Thomson tried to go even further with MP3pro, another variation on > MP3 intended to offer the same audio quality with around half the data. > However, it didn't catch on because it arrived just as broadband Internet > access was starting to take off in Europe and people no longer felt > constrained by the speed of dial-up connections. > > "Today we're moving in the other direction," said Thuilière. > > MP3HD files will be around four times bigger than corresponding MP3 files, > he said -- but in an age of 18M bps DSL connections or 100M bps FTTH (fiber > to the home) and terabyte hard disc drives, that size should no longer be a > problem. > > The extensions to the MP3 format contained in MP3HD are proprietary and, as > with the original MP3 format, anyone wanting to sell devices containing the > encoder or decoder must obtain a license, Thuilière said. > > http://www.pcworld.com/article/161561/thomson_pumps_up_volume_with_tools_for_mp3hd_lossless_codec.html?tk=rss > > To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: > pc-audio-unsubscr...@pc-audio.org > To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: pc-audio-unsubscr...@pc-audio.org
