Some encoders seem to be better at certain bit rates than others.
Under Win32, the so-called "Radium" variant of the Fraunhofer-IIS Professional codec is pretty much the undisputed quality champion at 128 kbps. The newer versions of the Xing encoder are almost as good, and way faster (30 seconds or less to compress a typical track on a fast Pentium II/III). On Win32 you want to stay away from older versions of Xing, and you also want to stay away from the gimmicky variable-bit-rate option on the newest version.
As far as a multiplatform encoder goes, the LAME (LAME Ain't an MPEG Encoder) project claims to have made numerous improvements over the standard ISO reference implementation on which most other freebie encoders are based. However, LAME is still far, far inferior to Radium/Fraunhofer at the usual 128K bit rate. I found that it was necessary to run LAME at 160 or even 192 kbps to achieve the same quality that Fraunhofer delivered at 128.
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Under Win32, the so-called "Radium" variant of the Fraunhofer-IIS Professional codec is pretty much the undisputed quality champion at 128 kbps. The newer versions of the Xing encoder are almost as good, and way faster (30 seconds or less to compress a typical track on a fast Pentium II/III). On Win32 you want to stay away from older versions of Xing, and you also want to stay away from the gimmicky variable-bit-rate option on the newest version.
As far as a multiplatform encoder goes, the LAME (LAME Ain't an MPEG Encoder) project claims to have made numerous improvements over the standard ISO reference implementation on which most other freebie encoders are based. However, LAME is still far, far inferior to Radium/Fraunhofer at the usual 128K bit rate. I found that it was necessary to run LAME at 160 or even 192 kbps to achieve the same quality that Fraunhofer delivered at 128.
YMMV...
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That's an interesting definition, to say the least.
Read the Constitution again.
...instead of stealing them.
Just a thought.
Anyone who says "I'm a pretty hardcore libertarian, but..."
Isn't.
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Ask any fly on the wall in Tiananmen Square.