This page is designed to give you a clear "apples-to-apples" comparison between various types of audio compression technology. Currently, I've focused on two types: RealAudio G2, which has been one of the most successful and popular formats, and the QDesign Music Codec, a very promising new technology which has recently been licensed by Apple, and is now part of Quicktime 3. I've included four versions in each format, so you can see which files play best on a variety of different computer systems. If you don't already have the playback software installed on your computer, you'll need to down load the free software from the appropriate sites:
Quicktime 3:
http://www.apple.com/quicktimeReal Audio G2:
http://www.real.com/products/player
** Note to Mac users:
For best results, make sure that the "Sound Out" settings in your "Sound" control panel match the audio format (sample rate & bit depth) you want to play.
Why is compression important? Compression is fundamental to the delivery of multimedia content. It enables us to create more with less. For example, one minute of raw CD-quality audio requires 11MB of storage. This same file can be compressed to less than 15 percent of its original size without any noticeable loss in audio fidelity. In fact, the same file can be compressed to as little as one percent of its original size while still maintaining superior audio quality. Users can now download five minutes of high quality music over a 28.8K modem in as little as five minutes. Wherever linear audio is used in the distribution of media content, it can be compressed. Digital Video Disc (DVD), the premiere consumer multimedia format today, utilizes compressed audio. The key is to select the best encoding technology for the content, from broadcast production and archival recordings, to music distribution over the Internet.
(© 1998, QDesign Corporation)
| Real Audio G2 Samples |
QDesign Music Codec Samples |
|
Audio 28.8 Music Mono (16kb/s) Audio 28.8 Music Stereo (20kb/s) |
16bit/22kHz/16kb/mono (392kb) 16bit/22kHz/16kb/stereo (392kb) 16bit/22kHz/24kb/stereo (588kb) 16bit/44kHz/24kb/stereo (589kb)
|
Any and all comments are welcome.
