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2. Basics·What Do 'Sampling Frequency' and 'Bit Rate' mean?
·What Is A 'VIV' file?
·Can I Get A Virus From An MP3 File?
·Can I Run An FTP Server Myself To Share My MP3's?
·What is a Skin?
·What Is A Plug-In?
·What Is VBR And Is It A Good Thing?
·What is MP3Pro?
| | | The sampling frequency is basically the number of times per second audio is sampled and stored as a number - CD audio is sampled at 44.1 KHz, which means 44,100 samples per second. CD audio uses 16 bit samples, so the bitrate of uncompressed CD audio = 44,100 x 16 bits per second (well x 2 actually, because it's stereo).
The "bitrate" on the other hand, when talking about MP3 files, refers to the transfer bitrate for which the files are encoded - i.e. an MP3 file encoded "at a bitrate of 128 kbps" is compressed such that it could be streamed continuously through a link providing a transfer rate of 128 thousand bits per second but most of us don't really use MP3 as a streaming medium (except for Shoutcast, etc.) so really what the MP3 "bitrate" is a measure of is how severely the files is being compressed. The lower the bitrate, the more the file has been compressed and the more you compress a file, the more of the original data is lost, and so the worse the playback sound quality will be. It's almost exactly analogous to compressing a JPG image with a higher compression ratio - you get a smaller file, but when you view it, it doesn't look as good.
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by snapcase$  edited by KeysCapt
last modified: 2002-12-03 15:39:01 | | | If you can't play the file in Winamp, then it isn't an MP3 file (you don't actually have to rename it, even if the file is still called "whatever.viv", if you open it with Winamp and it is an MP3 file, Winamp will go ahead and play it). To play a .viv file, grab a Vivo Media Player.
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by snapcase$ edited by KeysCapt
last modified: 2002-12-03 15:44:59 | | | Unfortunately, yes. Well, in a sense.
You MAY get a virus through a hole in your email client or by opening/executing an attachment, just like you MAY get a virus through an MP3 player with a hole
in it or perhaps by clicking on a file you THOUGHT was an MP3. Computer
literacy and due diligence is required. Keep your MP3 player (and email
client) up-to-date to prevent things like this.
Various forms of malware can be hidden in a supposed MP3 file, including worms, viruses, and trojan horses. The numerous person-to-person file sharers are breeding grounds for these undesirables so it's rather important to know and become familiar with the warning signs:
•Distorted File Names
•Unusual File Sizes
•Multiple or strange file extensions (.exe)
A strong and frequently updated anti-virus program is an absolute necessity these days. A good free one can be found here. Also, make sure to scan everything you download before you run or activate it and set Windows to not hide file extensions.
For additional information, visit the Security Forum.
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by snapcase$ edited by KeysCapt
last modified: 2003-11-11 15:36:45 | | | You can run your own FTP server to share your MP3 library but there are a number of issues that must be addressed beforehand:
•If you're on a dial-up connection, your limited bandwidth will make it incredibly slow, even if you only allow something like 3 simultaneous logins.
•Also, if you are on a dial-up connection, your IP address will almost certainly change every time you connect, so you won't have any permanent address (you'd have to let people know the IP after you logged on, and it would only be good until you logged off or got kicked off).
•If you have a cable or DSL broadband connection, you're a bit better off, since you have higher bandwidth and a more or less permanent IP (depending if you have dynamic or static).
•Obviously, running an FTP server on your machine is going to severely restrict your own ability to use the machine and to access the net while the server is running.
•Make sure to check with your ISP before you go ahead and operate your own FTP server. Running servers is often a violation of your ToS (Terms of Service) and can result in them disabling your account.
Alternatively, you could always pay for FTP hosting on a commercial server.
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by snapcase$ edited by KeysCapt
last modified: 2002-12-03 15:40:55 | | | A skin is used to change the look of your MP3/media player. Some skin utilities are here. Most skins for a particular player can be found at the developers website.
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by snapcase$ edited by KeysCapt
last modified: 2002-12-03 15:07:45 | | | A plug-in is an extra add-on that offers differentiating visualizations and other forms of eye-candy to your MP3 player while it's playing! A few plug-in utilities can be found here similar to skins. Most plug-ins for a specific player can be found at the developer's website.
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by snapcase$ edited by KeysCapt
last modified: 2002-12-03 15:15:13 | | | VBR stands for Variable Bit Rate. It's a method of encoding audio to MP3 that allows for different sections of the file to be encoded at different bitrates, depending upon the demands of the source audio (some type of sounds require a higher bitrate, others encode well using a lower bitrate).
Edit: Updated info ... the good LAME MP3 encoders(version 3.90.3, I think) can control the size of the VBR MP3.
--alt-preset standard is the default VBR mode with around an average bitrate of 205-240k per song,
--alt-preset standard -Y will make it around an average bitrate of 170k-200k.[These presets and LAME settings were developed at hydrogenaudio.org] VBR is quite flexible with LAME, and it doesn't have to be a bloated filesize to give better quality. Usually the encoders that had those bad artifacts with VBR were xing and blade, but good encoders do VBR very well.
------
Thanks to Thasp for this updated info.
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by snapcase$ edited by KeysCapt
last modified: 2003-08-19 19:53:11 | | | An MP3PRO encoder splits audio recordings into two parts.
One part analyzes the low frequency band information and encodes it into a normal mp3 stream. This allows the encoder to concentrate on less information and allows it to do a better job of encoding. This also maintains complete compatibility on old mp3 players.
The second part analyzes the high frequency band information and encodes it into a part of the mp3 stream that is normally ignored by old mp3 decoders. New or upgraded mp3PRO decoders will tap into this part of the stream and put the two bands back together, resulting in the full audio bandwidth. Older, non-mp3Pro decoders will only recognize the first band and will play at a lower quality.
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by grokdesigns edited by KeysCapt
last modified: 2002-12-03 15:39:42 |
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