Not a stupid question at all.
MPC is a relatively new format, which like mp3, wma, ogg is a lossy format. Meaning that technically you loose some
of the quality from the original source, but gain the advantage of a much smaller file size.
The difference between MPC (also called Musepack) and the other lossy formats, is that the quality of the sound is much better than the other lossy formats, and the file size is about the same.
If this was the only difference...well all would be well!
But one of the downsides is that if you like portable equipment - it is not compatible yet.
If you prioritize portability - mpc wouldnt be your choice. If you prioritize excellent sound quality and want to save disk space, mpc would be your choice.
Here is a paste from another thread, where you find info on how to get started on mpc - so you can try it out with MJ and listen for yourself:
MPC Input plugin
Get the cool beta input mpc plugin, especially designed for MJ v.8 here: (Trelane, the guy who is writing it, is
the coolest, most kind and efficient guy)
http://www.naivesoftware.comEncoder
Get the latest and fastest mpc encoder here:
http://www.uni-jena.de/~pfk/mpp/#encoder-binariesChoose 0.90s.
Now you got what you need.
In MJ, go to Options, Encoding, choose External encoder, choose the position of the unzipped o.90s encoder.
Then in the second line, below "Exe path", type: --xtreme %IN %OUT
That setting will make the encoder encode in the xtreme-setting. Basically there are three settings:
Standard- type: "--verbose %IN %OUT"
Xtreme-type:as above
Insane-type: "--insane %IN %OUT"
In the line "Extension" overwrite the existing "mp|PLS|" with "mpc"
Then in MJ, go to Settings, choose Pluginmanager, choose Add plugin, and select the mpc plugin that you downloaded from naivesoftware's page.
When you have installed this input plugin, you should see it in the list in plugin manager under Input plugins.
Select then this mpc plugin and choose "configure".
Usually the default settings here are as they should be - consider checking the dithering option.
Now you are set to go, both in encoding and playing mpc files.