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... translated from German by a Vorbis mailing list subscriber (nick)named "Sascha". > DISCLAIMER: > > The following is a translation of > http://www.heise.de/tp/deutsch/inhalt/co/11022/1.html > > My own annotations are included in ([...]) > > Any errors you may find are my own and I am to blame for them, not > the original author. > > - > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > - > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Title: The Beginning of the End of the MP3-Format > > Author: Tino Hanekamp 01.11.2001 > > Subtitle: Sounds better, makes smaller and doesn't cost anything: Ogg > Vorbis > > Abstract: > > Take care with superlatives, don't write about revolution and > definitely don't brag: everything concerned with internet is fast > moving. Things new today, announced as technologys bleeding edge, > assumed to change everything tomorrow, are often already forgotten > the next day, obsolete or simply turn out to be useless. > Technological revolution were announced, which have been superseded > by newer things before they even started. Thus its good to be > sceptical. Always. So, carefully: there is a new standard in > music, which could replace the legendary and spectacular MP3-format. > It's called Ogg Vorbis [1] and relates to MP3 as Linux [2] relates > to Windows [3]. > > Article: > > Ogg Vorbis is new, doesn't cost and is Open Source. It is even said > to be already better as the MP3-format, developed by the german > Fraunhofer Institut. But lets start at the beginning: initally Ogg > Vorbis was a student research project with a strange name. Ogg stands > for a tactical move in the network game "Netrek" and Vorbis is the > name of a figure in Terry Pratchets novel "Small Gods". Christopher > Montgomery, a 29yrs old american, had the idea for this technology. > He developed the principles of his compression formats as a student > research project at the well-known Massachusetts Institute of > Technology (MIT). Ogg Vorbis was never intended for the public, until > the day Montgomery learned that people who use MP3 technology had to > pay for it. Though everybody could download numerous MP3 files from > the net, developers of software and hardware had to pay fees to the > Fraunhofer Institut in Erlangen [4] and the french Thomson Multimedia > Group -- $ 15.000 basic fee for the licence and between $ 0.5 and $ > 2.5 for every sold product. But you can also compress music into > small, suitable files with Ogg Vorbis. Furthermore Ogg Vorbis doesn't > cost anything and everybody is free to use, reprogramm or change it, > just like the free ([free speech]) operation system Linux. > > > But why should one adandon the established MP3-technology or players > and files in the real- or WMP-format? Just because of the money, the > user doesn't even have to pay directly? Montgomery stated on CNET > News [5]: "Ppl are worrying for years about MP3 which looks free > ([free speech]), but comes with all the restricting and fear provocing > patents." Montgomery, the computer nerd living in Boston, further > stated to the Stern magazine ([a german weekly news magazin]), that > the MP3 format is technologically obsolete and will not survive, just > because it costs money and is not a free ([free speech]) standard. > Ogg Vorbis is able to do all the things with music its patented > concurrents do. Only videos can not yet be played with it -- emphasis > on 'not yet'. > > > Additionally Montgomerys invention achieves a better quality than MP3. > A piece of music compressed in the Ogg Vorbis format needs less space > than compressed with MP3. Since the standard is constantly > developing, one can assume that the files will get even smaller and > the compression technique even more effective. Moreover, as tests > have shown, Ogg Vorbis data heaplets ([small heap, is there a better > word?]) have a much better sound quality than MP3 files, because of > different mathematical principles. Thats why a Vorbis file > encoded with the same bitrate as a MP3 file sounds cleaner. > > > Two weeks ago the second beta of the Vorbis software was released. > Everybody can download it from the homepage, as well as plugins for > various, popular players - to get vorbis files running with winamp or > real player. The developers promise, that version 1.0 will (finally) > be released within the next days. They are a group of honorary > programmers, working for the non-profit organization Xiphophorus > Foundation [6]. They constantly improve the technology. The > ambitioned work is financed by donations. Helping hands are always > welcome, as Montgomerys says. > > Links: > > [1] http://www.vorbis.com > [2] http://www.linux.com > [3] http://www.windows.com > [4] http://www.fraunhofer.de > [5] http://www.cnet.com > [6] http://www.xiph.org/ogg/vorbis > > - > -------------------------------------------------------------- > ------------- > - > -------------------------------------------------------------- > ------------- > > Please forgive my creative english. > > Best regards, > Sascha >
