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Ogg Vorbis 1.0
uvasmith writes "According to the Ogg Vorbis website... Release 1.0 is now ready and tagged as 'vorbis1_0_public_release' in CVS. This is a full release of a 1.0 encoder, decoder and tool set. The encoder, decoder and tools now implement all Vorbis 1.0 specification features including low-bitrate, cascading and channel coupling." Update: 07/19 17:05 GMT by C :It seems someone jumped the gun a bit in mentioning the release, but now it's official! Check out the download page, the letter from their CEO and (if you wish) cough up a few bucks at the donation page! For those audiophiles among us, you can check out a side-by-side audio comparison here. Oh, and don't forget the free music!
Now if only the XMMS eq supported Ogg, I'd be a happy, happy boy. I already use Ogg for all my ripping / encoding needs and I have a 'lil Compaq IA-1 connected to my stereo and LAN to play Ogg files. XMMS eq support would be the final piece for me.
the no
The idea is this:
Ogg/Vorbis isn't encumbered by patents. This means that anyone can implement a codec without fear of being sued.
Apparently it is technologically superior to mp3, giving better compression ratios primarily through a wicked variable bitrate encoding algorithm (i.e. the stuff that needs less info to sound good uses less info).
That said, ogg is dead. Name one portable music player that supports ogg. Name one that will. With all the DRM shit happening anyone who starts to sell a player that supports ogg will be drawn and quartered by the music industry.
I too use iTunes, and it works great for me. My only problem is that I have a 10 gig HD in my iBook. Is it possible to upgrade the iBook hard drive?
The middle mind speaks!
You can just mark this "-1, Flamebait" without reading it, if you want to save time.
"Mozilla 1.0, OpenOffice 1.0, now Vorbis 1.0"
Gee. A web browser, an office suite, and a compressed audio file format.
Forgive me for raining on enthusiasm for OSS, but honestly, what's to be so excited about? Open Source software basically amounts to copycat versions of relatively old ideas. Usually the Open Source version is high in quality, if lacking in ease of use/implemenation. And of course it's free. But free web browsers are nothing new. Same with mp3 software. And while people technically "pay for" MS Office (excluding piracy) it ends up being irrelevant when it's bundled with Windows and preinstalled on new computers.
Still, yes; choice is good, genuinely free is good, open is good. But still, those are just clones of Netscape, Office and the mp3 format... Dispute that on a technical level all you want; the fact remains that Open Source has yet to produce a truly significant innovation in actual product functionality. When/if that happens, then you can call it a "watershed year."
if this were an answer on jeopardy the question would be "what is crap that will never penetrate the market?"