

	Audio Streaming Information

Alternatives to MP3

Although MP3 is the most popular format for encoding music, it is by no means the only one. There are two basic methods for compressing audio - lossless and lossy, and for each of these methods there are many formats.

Lossless compression means that none of the audio data is removed during compression. Lossy compression means that audio data is permanently removed from the audio file. Lossy compression results in smaller files, but there is no way to rebuild the audio data to its original format. MP3 is an example of lossy compression.

Lossy Compression Formats

There are many alternatives to MP3 when it comes to encoding audio files. Microsoft reportedly developed the WMA format to avoid the licensing costs associated with MP3. WMA files can be played with the Windows Media Player that is included with the Windows operating system as well as many other audio players. It features similar encoding rates to MP3 and similar file sizes.

AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) is the format preferred by Apple and is used for its popular iTunes and iPod products. AAC files can be smaller than MP3 files because it uses more efficient encoding technology. A 96 kpbs AAC file is similar in sound quality to a 128 kbps MP3 file.

Ogg Vorbis is another type of lossy compression and uses .OGG as the file extension. It is an open-source product and unlike MP3, there are no patent restrictions on its use.

Lossless Compression

For the audio purist who insists on the best quality sound possible, lossless compression offers CD quality sound. The tradeoff is larger files sizes - while MP3 can compress audio in the range of 80% - 90%, lossless compression typically compresses the file by half.

Popular lossless formats include FLAC, Monkey's Audio, and SHN (Shorten). These formats are supported by many audio players and are popular for archiving CD collections as well as for trading music.

Hans is editor of the Audio Howto Section of the Selected Audio Review Guide

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Sun Valley Delivers Better Public Access with Granicus Audio Streaming - Sun Valley Online.com (press release)

Sun Valley Delivers Better Public Access with Granicus Audio Streaming
Sun Valley Online.com (press release), ID - Jul 15, 2008
By Kelly Ek The City of Sun Valley is proud to announce the launching of their new audio streaming via Granicus. Sun Valley is the first municipality in the ...

Mobile Livecasting Faces Off: Qik vs Kyte vs Flixwagon - TechCrunch

Mobile Livecasting Faces Off: Qik vs Kyte vs Flixwagon
TechCrunch, CA - Jul 17, 2008
Over the course of the last year we’ve seen an explosion of startups looking to take streaming video to the mobile phone. Smartphones with high-speed data ...

Neugent’s SP-3000 Standalone Series Now on Walls - PR.com (press release)

Neugent’s SP-3000 Standalone Series Now on Walls
PR.com (press release), NY - 16 hours ago
The company's core security technologies are video and audio processing, video and audio streaming, intelligent video monitoring and analysis solutions, ...

The 16 best free iPhone Apps - PC Advisor

The 16 best free iPhone Apps
PC Advisor, UK - 20 hours ago
The audio-streaming app works staggeringly well but is sadly only available in the US. The free SportsTap app gives you instant access to all live sports, ...

FY 08 Third Quarter Results Conference Call - Prdomain Business Register (press release)

FY 08 Third Quarter Results Conference Call
Prdomain Business Register (press release), India - Jul 18, 2008
WEBCAST: Apple will provide live audio streaming of its FY 08 Third Quarter Results Conference Call utilizing Apple’s industry-leading QuickTime® multimedia ...

Wilmington Trust Announces 2008 Second Quarter Results - Trading Markets (press release)

Wilmington Trust Announces 2008 Second Quarter Results
Trading Markets (press release), CA - Jul 18, 2008
... a conference call today at 10:00 am (Eastern). Supporting materials, financial statements, and audio streaming will be available at www.wilmingtontrust.com.

WOR Uses Jetcast for Streaming - Radio World

WOR Uses Jetcast for Streaming
Radio World, VA - Jun 27, 2008
Jetcast radio/TV streaming said WOR(AM) in New York is using its Internet audio streaming technology. The company also provides WOR with online spot sales ...

Apple to webcast Q308 financial results conference call on July 21 - MacDailyNews

Apple to webcast Q308 financial results conference call on July 21
MacDailyNews - Jul 17, 2008
Apple will provide live audio streaming of its Q308 conference call utilizing Apple’s industry-leading QuickTime multimedia software. ...

The Air This Week - Boston Globe

The Air This Week
Boston Globe, United States - Jul 14, 2008
Schedules and dial-ups for audio-streaming sites worldwide are available at public radiofan.com and classwebcast.googlepages.com/Station_Listings.html . ...

Executive Q&A: Sonic Foundry leader bets on Webcasts - TMCnet

Executive Q&A: Sonic Foundry leader bets on Webcasts
TMCnet - Jul 5, 2008
(Wisconsin State Journal, The (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 5--Rimas Buinevicius spent the majority of his professional career in various research ...

Audio-Streaming - Google News

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