Use ogg and not mp3!
Mp3 must be the most widely used audio format. But it is not without its problems. Especially not so for open-source advocates. See, mp3 is 1) closed-source and 2) demands royalty for implementation. Want to know how much they ask? Look here for an answer. See how much it would cost for let’s say a linux distribution that wants to inlcude an mp3 codec so people can play their mp3 music files? I wouldn’t want to distribute one with 100.000 users downloading it. Big companies can afford this, but for almost everyone else this isn’t feasible.
But there is something you can do about this, and so help open-source initiatives. The answer is an open-source audio format know as Ogg Vorbis. What is this? Let’s quote their FAQ:
Ogg Vorbis is a new audio compression format. It is roughly comparable to other formats used to store and play digital music, such as MP3, VQF, AAC, and other digital audio formats. It is different from these other formats because it is completely free, open, and unpatented.
If you read their FAQ you will also find other benefits (such as smaller size) besides it being open-source.
But if you rip your CD’s, they are automatically converted to mp3, right? Not necessarily. There Vorbis site lists software for commons operating systems to play and rip your CD’s to the Ogg Vorbiss format, straight into .ogg files that is. There is also software listed there to convert already existing .mp3 files to .ogg format. One that isn’t listed for linux on the site is “audio convert“.
So actually there is no reason not to start using .ogg files instead of .mp3. And why not encourage your friends to do the same?
edit: I stand corrected: “Ogg is a container format, Vorbis is an audio codec.”
You ever saw lame mp3 Open Source encoder? or Helix Open Source Encoder?
http://lame.sourceforge.net/
And if you have an Ipod, Ogg is not supported.
Comment by redalert — March 5, 2006 @ 5:05 am
Who cares about Ipods?
LAME violates the MP3 patent. In short, it’s illegal software.
Comment by Anonymous — March 5, 2006 @ 11:06 pm
Why ? Doesn’t make much consumer sense since ogg isn’t supported by the majority of players. Taking a rough stab in terms of hardware support for digital audio files I would imagine it has less than 1% market pentetration. If consumer reports were grading OGG for the public you’d have to give it a failing grade.
Comment by Todd — March 5, 2006 @ 11:06 pm
yet another reason not to buy an ipod
Comment by weirdal — March 5, 2006 @ 11:06 pm
the best part about ogg is that it doesn’t work on any portable device. Ogg has limited encoder options available for os x.
Comment by The janitor — March 5, 2006 @ 11:11 pm
Got news for you IPOD is 80%+ of the ditigal music marketplace. You’d be a bad friend to tell you friends to use OGG without saying…OH by the way you can’t use it with 99% of all hardware devices sold. That and I just don’t like the lame encoder. Stick with the fraunhofer encoder…It just sounds better to the ears no matter the bitrate. Bit for bit at 128 or 196 I prefer AAC over MP3 or OGG, but MP3 is the MOST widely supported format by a HUGE margin.
Comment by Todd — March 5, 2006 @ 11:12 pm
Vorbis has its failings, sure, chief among them being unacceptably high CPU usage, which is one reason the format isn’t more widely supported. At the same time, it is a superior codec at low bitrates and comparable to LAME at high bitrates.
The fact of the matter is: if you bought an iPod, what the hell is wrong with you? There are betters players out there with better codec support. Or, just get Rockbox firmware and play just about any damn codec you want.
Furthermore, there are encoder options available for every platform.
Finally, however, why is this news? Vorbis has been out for years.
Comment by Heliologue — March 5, 2006 @ 11:15 pm
There is a good review of Ogg vs MP3 floating around cyberspace. Basically Ogg trounces MP3 at lower (sub 160) bitrates but as MP3 approaches 320 the sound sample become closer to identical. I use FLAC and OGG for my personal audio, FLAC being a lossless encoding format that I can transcode to MP3 for use on my iPod or leave as OGG/FLAC for my Rio Karma.
Ogg is open source and offers better quality sound at variable bit rates and at with better compression although it takes a bit more processing power to decode. It enjoys support among the linux and audiophile crowd and surprisingly enough the game industry (Battlefield games and Unreal games).
This is old news though and there is plenty of literature on it already.
Comment by Seth — March 5, 2006 @ 11:15 pm
Just install iPodLinux ( http://ipodlinux.org/Main_Page )and the iPod ogg incompadibility is solved.
Comment by Cybro — March 5, 2006 @ 11:23 pm
That’s one of the reasons I prefer iRiver or iAudio players… They’re also smaller, cheaper and I find them easier to use.
Comment by Kaczus — March 5, 2006 @ 11:29 pm
i see to remember one of the reasons why MP3 became the most popular is because it is open source, and has no royalties associated with it. So new bands could produce their music and distribute it digitaly without royalties.
Comment by Fake name — March 6, 2006 @ 12:22 am
mp3 WAS open source. then someone decided to pretend that they invented the technology behind it and our wonderful patent system agreed with them. Now we pay for it.
Comment by manchld — March 6, 2006 @ 12:46 am
i say use mp3 with LAME encoder and fight the patent.
Comment by kris — March 6, 2006 @ 7:23 am