On Saturday, November 23, 2002, at 01:09 AM, Tom Meade wrote: >> >> Mike wrote: >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Subject: Re: Oh Me (Partitioning) >> you could store a buttload of those MP3's on only a few CD-Rs, and >> even convert them back to true, custom-mixed music CDs to play >> anywhere (using Toast). Good luck!Mike > > Reply: > I wouldn't be too sure you can re-convert an MP3 to a full AIFF (CD > quality) file once it's > been compressed, without degradation. I am under the impression that > all MP3 files, > no matter how well-encoded, have discarded some of the information > that was stored in the original, uncompressed signal. That's why mp3 > is known as a "lossy" codec, unlike > some > truly restorable compression schemes such as .zip. Moral - if quality > of subsequent > file expansions to CD are important to you, you will have to plan your > storage capacity > accordingly. Your gigabytes of mp3's would have to be based upon ten > times that space > for their AIFF originals. As to whether an iTunes compression delivers > from the same loss I > don't know for sure.
iTunes compression is MP3, though at a higher bit rate (and thus, lower compression) than most. The bitrate of digitization is more important, in most cases than the compression mechanism used (though the two are directly related) If you capture an aiff at a low bitrate and compare to an mp3 at a high bitrate the mp3 will win in a quality race. It's just that no one in their right mind captures aiff at anything but the highest bitrate they can... You are absolutely correct, though, that any conversion to MP3 involves losing original data. That said, it is a reasonably intelligent lossy format; most people are hard pressed to hear the difference between, say, iTunes at better quality (160 kbps) or best (192 kbps) on systems where iTunes is played and a CD. I know that my untrained (and deaf...I have a reasonably serious hearing loss) ear is hard pressed to tell between my my iTunes mixes and the original CD they came from, played on the same equipment (though this is through the cd drive of my pc at work, a sony walkman cd player, and the cd drive of an old mac at work, on old walkman headphones; hardly hard-core audiophile equipment) Most MP3's floating around out there are ripped at lower bitrates (and thus, lower quality) than iTunes, because it makes smaller files...lots of stuff on Napster, foex, was ripped at 128 kbps or lower...and some of it was really crappy, ripped at even lower speed, making it sound like an old, scratched 45 on a close-n-play. > -- Wherever you go, there you are. Bruce Johnson -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
