Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Thomson Releases MP3 Surround

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the bouncing-around-the-room dept.

Anonymous Howard writes "Thomson has released MP3 Surround, a new MP3 codec. They claim that MP3 Surround supports high-quality multi-channel sound at bit rates comparable to those currently used to encode stereo MP3 material, resulting in files half the size of common compressed surround formats while maintaining backwards compatibility. Wasn't MP3 Pro supposed to be a great new MP3 codec, but never took off? I wonder if this is going to go the same route. Does anyone have a technical view of MP3 Surround? Does it have potential?"

6 of 283 comments (clear)

  1. MPEG4 (DiVX, Xvid) with surround sound? by Linuxathome · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So does that mean I can re-encode my dvds to DiVX with surround sound? Or does that already do it now and I don't know it? Please don't mod me down, it's an earnest question.

    --
    Linux at home
  2. CDs are stereo, this won't catch on for awhile by j1m+5n0w · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Since most audio files are ripped from stereo CDs, I suppose surround-sound MP3s aren't really all that useful for most people.

    I do have one quatrophonic record lying around somewhere, but since I don't have a record player, or a sound card with a four channel input, it's kind of hard to rip it to a surround sound audio format.

    Hopefully, whatever technology people are using for >2 channel audio eventually trickles down to the masses. Maybe itunes or whoever will start selling surround audio files, if they don't already.

  3. Would this have impact on home theater systems? by cbw82 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wouldn't think that an MP3 surround format would really impact home theater systems too much. When you get into such high quality systems, lower bit rates on sounds would become very noticeable and therefore less attractive to the sound buff.

    Well, I guess the DiVx community will rejoice.

  4. Re:Hmmm by MukiMuki · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Yeah, but DTS sounds like crap at that size compared to what mp3 would. DTS isn't designed to go 750kbits, it's kind of a hack they added later. Which is unfortunate, because now people can end up with bad DTS tracks. (to be quite honest, 640kbits AC3 sounds a lot better than 750kbits DTS. DTS just sounds nicer 'cause it's usually twice that.)

    MP3 surround will be very similar to AC3, only with less restrictive Dolby Digital crap. (give Thomson/Frauhenhour all the crap you want, but they've been pretty nice about licensing compared to DD/DTS/anyone save for OGG.)

    What this is DEFINITELY going to lead to, however, is the cracking of CSS-2 for DVD-a's. Finally, surround sound in a GOOD format~! ^_^

  5. Re:Screw Potential! by That's+Unpossible! · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wanna know- does it have DRM?

    That doesn't really matter. AAC doesn't "have" DRM either, but that doesn't stop Apple from using DRM with AAC (aka FairPlay).

    It really depends on the company distributing the MP3.

    The more relevant question is does it have licensing fees and patents encumbering it? I'm sure it does. Though that never really stopped MP3.

    --
    Ironically, the word ironically is often used incorrectly.
  6. No, really, why not OGG? by FrYGuY101 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Especially since OGG Vorbis can support 255 independant channels...

    --
    "If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living."

    - Seneca