MP3 playback hardware may be a cheap commodity, but there is still a
fee associated with it for every manufacturer that uses the codec in
its firmware, which is the case for AAC. There's no huge advantage for
MP3 in that respect. I've seen it argued that the AAC fee is
comparatively expensive, but I've also seen arguments to the contrary.
I guess my point is AAC is a superior sounding format (no, not because
Apple says it is, but because I can hear the difference) and most
manufacturers are basically keeping it from consumers because it's
slightly cheaper to use the 16 year old, less accurate (but not bad,
per se) format. In addition, they've Jedi mind tricked consumers into
thinking they're being done a favor because MP3 players are so easy to
come by, unlike those almost-impossible-to-find-outside-the-Apple-cult,
bad ol' AAC players.
Most people never heard of AAC before Apple introduced the iPod/iTunes
music store and many people erroneously thought it to be an Apple
technology, which it's not. I think in an effort to keep the iPod
juggernaut manageable, other manufacturers opted to downplay AAC and
push the old guard with MP3, making their players seem more appealing
by not "locking us into" a format that sought to undermine the
"industry standard". This may or may not be true. However, I'm fairly
confident that manufacturers have manipulated consumers into expecting
less, liking it and subsequently defending it, all the while believing
they're somehow getting more value. It even affected the way we
initially chose to distribute songs, and I've been aboard the AAC train
for a while. All in all, I think AAC is the victim of misinformation
and spin.
I haven't verified all of these claims and numbers, but...
http://bnhsu.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/some-facts-about-aac/
FLAC is probably the best way to go for lossless compatibility.
Boyer
On Apr 20, 2007, at 7:49 AM, Odeluga, Ken wrote:
All true Brian, but remember also that whilst the hardware for playing
back mp3s is almost like a cheap commodity nowadays, the hardware
capable of playing back AAC (firmware for which is where you gotta pay
for a licence! :) is still pretty uncommon.
Also, note that whilst the lossless codec also sports the .m4a
extension, the code and structure of this type of files (lossless and
compressed) are not the same - don't ask me how, that's where my
ignorance starts.
Therefore, you're left with the fact that virtually no player on earth
can play back a lossless file except an Apple machine, and no files can
be in lossless codec unless coded by an individual for their own use.
Hence why FLAC is seen as the best option for providing uncompressed
audio - FREE LOSSLESS AUDIO CODEC after all!
-----Original Message-----
From: Brian Boyer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: 20 April 2007 12:18
To: Odeluga, Ken
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: (313) New Strand Release - Soleil
Up until about a week ago, I never paid any attention to the apple
lossless codec because we currently deal mostly with .aiffs and mp3s. I
haven't done a stitch of research on the subject (which is unlike me)
but it sounds like some of you have done plenty. However, (after a
little research this time) I think you've gotten it backwards on the
AAC licensing fee. According to several sources on the web (below), mp3
is the format that requires a licensing fee for implementing the codec
in players/software AND distribution of files in the format. AAC also
requires a licensing fee for manufacturers/developers to implement the
codec in software and embed the codec into players but requires NO FEE
for distribution. My understanding is that there's a controversy
surrounding who actually owns the various patents needed to implement
the mp3 format. Technically, everyone who distributes mp3s should be
paying a fee to do so, but until the legal issues get resolved, that
probably can't be enforced. Furthermore, at least in the US, the patent
has almost expired. They last for 20 years and the mp3 patent was
granted in 1991, so licensing fees may never be a real issue.
http://www.vialicensing.com/licensing/MPEG4_FAQ.cfm?faq=6#6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Audio_Coding
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3
Boyer
On Apr 20, 2007, at 2:09 AM, Odeluga, Ken wrote:
Thing is though (more sober second thoughts!) I think you need a
licence
to be able to distribute files in Apple file format (at least that's
the
case with AAC/.m4a) and I've never heard of anyone doing so in the
actual lossless codec, which makes me think that it might not even be
possible... :-/
-----Original Message-----
From: Brian Boyer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: 19 April 2007 22:36
To: David Powers
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: (313) New Strand Release - Soleil
I'm wondering how open people would be to the Apple Lossless codec? It
produces about the same size file as a FLAC, suffers no loss in sound
quality and, according to Apple, can be used with any current
Quicktime
application, the most popular of which I'd imagine is the Quicktime
player, followed by iTunes. Somewhere between 70 and 80% of the
portable music player market has an iPod, so things should be
relatively painless for the majority of people. Thoughts?
Boyer
On Apr 19, 2007, at 12:44 PM, David Powers wrote:
If you are selling to DJ's I'd make WAV's available. I buy from
beatport and always get WAV unless I'm unsure about whether I'll
actually play a track out or just want it for listening.
~David
On 4/19/07, Brian Boyer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Ken,
You're probably right about that and once we can afford to make the
change, it wouldn't hurt to offer the option for those who want it.
It's nice to know that the increased effort we've put into
delivering
well produced songs is matched by people's desire to have the best
sounding version they can get their hands on. I think we're getting
better with each release and one of our goals is to reach a level of
quality that stands up to anything out there, regardless of budget
or
genre.
Boyer
On Apr 19, 2007, at 9:24 AM, Odeluga, Ken wrote:
Hi Brian. Taking aboard what you say in terms of logistics and
feasibility but we can still say that in fact in Europe (I know I
can't
speak for regions outside of here) boradband 'penetration' (as it's
called) outstrips dial-up usage by some majority which I forget.
However I definitely know that's true. The other thing of course is
that
you are likely to have a particularly techy audience - definitely
favouring higher band-width rather than lower and not having any
qualms
about larger file sizes if it means better quality. Imho.
-----Original Message-----
From: Brian Boyer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: 19 April 2007 14:03
To: robin
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: (313) New Strand Release - Soleil
Thanks again for the compliments, Robin. We don't pay you nearly
enough
for that...I mean...you raise an excellent point. Buying a Strand
song
costs less than many checkout counter impulse items. They're less
than
some packs of gum and the flavor lasts a lot longer.
As for the .wavs, after the ecommerce portion of the site was
finished,
it dawned on me that I shouldn't have been so fixated on mp3s and
should've at least allowed for AACs and possibly uncompressed
.wavs.
That functionality is going to have to wait, however, because
making
the change isn't exactly cheap. A five minute, uncompressed, stereo
audio file weighs in at about 55MB and the FLAC version is about
35MB,
and you need special software (most are free) to decode them. I
know
some other services are offering uncompressed formats, but I wonder
how
well they sell given the large file sizes. This is really only a
concern for people with dial-up and inadequate DSL connections, but
if
I'm not mistaken, the majority of people connect to the internet
using
the slower methods.
Boyer
On Apr 19, 2007, at 5:22 AM, robin wrote:
Lovely mellow techy vibe on that new track Brian.
Props for the provision of a remastered 'Intact' (the last Strand
track) for free to previous purchasers too.
UK people, as the dollar is so weak buying these tracks off the
Harbonder site is stupidly cheap now (99c=50p!). Though I'd like
to
see .wavs for maybe $1.49 (Brian?).
robin...
On 17 Apr 2007, at 22:37, Brian Boyer wrote:
Today, Strand released the second single on harbonder entitled
"Soleil". If you fancy, you can hear it in its entirety on our
myspace page for the next month or so. This and all other Strand
material is available for download from the harbonder website.
There
are no plans for vinyl at this time, but when that changes, we'll
let
you know. As always, don't be shy about what you think. We
welcome
the feedback.
Cheers,
Boyer
http://www.harbonder.com
http://www.myspace.com/strand313
