Re: mp3 creation

[Shyamal Prasad <shyamal.prasad@sbcglobal.net>]

    "Neal" == Neal Lippman <nl@lippman.org> writes:

    Neal> Can you tell me (in one sentence or less) why I should use
    Neal> "ogg" format instead of mp3? And what software I need to
    Neal> play the "ogg" files?

Neal,

The mp3 encoder is patent encumbered, and the owners of the patent
(the Fraunhofer Institute and Thomson Multimedia) actively enforce the
patent. As a result the use of any MP3 encoder that I have been able
to find for Debian is, AFAIK, actually illegal in the USA. I believe
the decoder is available in mpg123 royalty free for redistribution in
source form, and so it is actually in Debian's non free area.

See http://www.mp3licensing.com/royalty/index.html

I'd love to be corrected about this, but that is what I learned a few
months ago when I looked for the same information.

Here's is what I settled on:

        jack for ripping/encoding (GRIP never worked well for me,
        abcde was nice).  

        Ogg vorbis at 160 Kbps for my entire CD collection 

        XMMS for the player ogg123 to play individual ogg files

Jack, oggenc and XMMS all worked right away (perhaps a few changes
for ESD under GNOME, but it was all relatively straightforward).

It all works great, and I got rid of my clunky 200 CD changer to boot!

Cheers!
Shyamal