INTERACT FORUM

More => Old Versions => Media Center 11 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: mcollier on June 08, 2006, 03:24:58 pm

Title: MP4 ALS - Does anyone care?
Post by: mcollier on June 08, 2006, 03:24:58 pm

I am impressed by the complete lack of interest in the MP4 ALS standard that was finalized last year.

It took 47 minutes, but it was able to create an ALS file 150K smaller than Monkey's Extra-High.  This was using command line switches I found here:  http://uclc.info/lossless_audio_compression_test.htm

The spec and binaries can be checked out here:
http://www.nue.tu-berlin.de/forschung/projekte/lossless/mp4als.html

Apparently my only playback option right now is a janky winamp plugin.  I'm wondering if that thing is going to be able to playback in realtime.

If we're going to see ALS files floating around, I would certainly like to be able to play them using MC.

Anyone else fiddled with this?

Title: Re: MP4 ALS - Does anyone care?
Post by: Matt on June 08, 2006, 09:41:06 pm

I'm not sure the world needs another lossless compression format.

APE, FLAC, and WV are all great codecs with free source code.

Microsoft and Apple also have proprietary solutions.

Title: Re: MP4 ALS - Does anyone care?
Post by: glynor on June 09, 2006, 09:08:41 am

I would agree... Lossless is lossless.  Unless you can show a very compelling reason to change to embrace a new format (10 fold better compression ratios, or dramatically improved ripping processing time for example)... my answer is "Why?".  120k is not really compelling.

If it happens to succeed and become pervasive, then I'd say yes.  MC should play them.  Otherwise...

If you want to make a plugin for MC... Have at it.  (That's how FLAC works now after all).

Title: Re: MP4 ALS - Does anyone care?
Post by: Matt on June 09, 2006, 01:23:10 pm

Do some research on PolkaMonkey.  10:1 lossless compression I discovered years ago, but Fhg patent attorneys wouldn't let me release it.  It's a shame.

Title: Re: MP4 ALS - Does anyone care?
Post by: mcollier on June 09, 2006, 03:03:59 pm

Got me all excited there for a minute Matt.   ;)

As for a plugin, apparently there are apparently proprietary components involved in the MP4 ALS encoder.  I guess it is difficult to imagine software developers and end-users being willing to pay royalties for a codec that underperforms open source alternatives.

As the saying goes, you've either got to first, or the best and MP4 ALS is neither.