Original MP3 encoder no longer available

[manicm]

http://www.techradar.com/news/rip-mp3-the-sound-file-that-changed-the-world-is-declared-dead

Does this mark the end of the road for MP3?

 

[tino]

The patents have expired and therefore the licensing programme has terminated. The LAME encoder is still out there if you want to encode files to MP3 to play on devices that you have.

The article suggests moving on to AAC or similar ... but surely as an audiophile you were already using FLAC? 😉

 

[chebby]

To the best of my knowledge I don't have any MP3 files on my system.

I have 320k AAC and Apple Lossless rips from my own CDs. I also have a few (very few) 256k AAC (purchased) downloads.

I use Apple Music (256k AAC) and BBC iPlayer (AAC-LC @ 320k & 128k now using HLS).

I have some radio programs (never, or not yet, available on BBC CD) taken from BBC R4 on Freeview Radio and imported to iTunes (AAC) but I think they were transmitted as the even older MP2 codec. (The same as the dreaded DAB uses!)

I even had a bunch of old NICAM, audio only, recorded - from FM - of the Radio 3 'Sunday Play' series back in the 1990s like this one ...

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/fa2883ecfd6c487d8f90c058ec28a587

(I copied the old VHS tapes to DVD audio on my first Panasonic DVD-VHS recorder then fed them into MPEG Streamclip software to de-mux/convert audio files to AIFF for import to iTunes.)

I might have never (knowingly at least) heard an MP3 music file. But then I only got into [non-CD based] digital music about 9 years ago.

Interesting that AAC is 20 years old this year.

 

[manicm]

The patents have expired and therefore the licensing programme has terminated. The LAME encoder is still out there if you want to encode files to MP3 to play on devices that you have.

The article suggests moving on to AAC or similar ... but surely as an audiophile you were already using FLAC? 😉

To my ears AAC have sounded worst of the lossy compressed formats.

Fraunhofer encoded MP3 - my first CD burner contained software that used the licensed encoder. Lame has never sounded quite as good to me when ripping my own.

WMA - to my ears this still sounds the best currently.

AAC - sounds great on a portable/iPod - but on a full-blown hifi the compression artifacts are all too apparent - even at 256k and higher.

Google Play MP3s are 320k and they do sound excellent.

 

[Dave_]

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170515/08521037370/mp3-is-about-as-dead-as-pepe-frog.shtml

 

[manicm]

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170515/08521037370/mp3-is-about-as-dead-as-pepe-frog.shtml

The piece is in fact incorrect. MP3 is indeed not dead, but if you want the original encoder you're out of luck, Fraunhofer categorically will not offer or license their MP3 decoder to anyone anymore. So LAME will probably be the defacto encoder.

I'm secretly hoping MQA succeeds, but its implementation seems to convoluted/complex to gain widespread traction.

 

[Dave_]

I personally hope MQA dies a death...

 

[manicm]

I personally hope MQA dies a death...

Not if Sony has a say in the matter...but record companies are pinning their hopes on Tidal. Good luck.

 

[steve_1979]

I bet that virtually every bit of digital audio file playing hardware and software will continue to support MP3 files forever.