Compress or not compress?

paulrwebster

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With disks on mp3 players getting bigger, the time is fast approaching where compressing into mp3 will not be necessary just to fit onto the disk. By my calculations I could fit 45 uncompressed CD's onto my 30 gig iPod and already 60 gig versions are available. My question is, are the batteries up to the job if (when) I go down this route? Obviously pulling the larger files from the disk will eat more battery, however does anyone know how much more?
A second point is, if my assumptions are correct, what is the point of buying mp3 tracks online when you can buy the CD, rip your own mp3, and have the uncompressed file on the shelf. If the world does go uncompressed, is there a future for the online stores in a world of limited bandwith?

Paul Webster
 
With disks on mp3 players getting bigger, the time is fast approaching where compressing into mp3 will not be necessary just to fit onto the disk. By my calculations I could fit 45 uncompressed CD's onto my 30 gig iPod and already 60 gig versions are available.
But, for many one of the joys is having ALL your music, not just some of it. And, for any portable use the compressed file will sound exactly the same if coded at a high enough bit rate, so there remains a 'why would you' question for me.
My question is, are the batteries up to the job if (when) I go down this route? Obviously pulling the larger files from the disk will eat more battery, however does anyone know how much more?
If you want to try then it's probably worth experimenting as it really depends on the balance of power usage between disk and processor. For example, Ogg Vorbis files take quite a bit of decoding, so they can use battery power faster than simpler files where the processor has to do less work. Unencoded files (whether compressed or not) take much less. The disks themselves don't consume that much power. SO, net position is it probably depends on the player you have.
A second point is, if my assumptions are correct, what is the point of buying mp3 tracks online when you can buy the CD, rip your own mp3, and have the uncompressed file on the shelf.
Absolutely - never have bought anything online for this exact reason - more so as most people now take it to ATRAC or whatever without realising that they are then locked into that format, and indeed software installation. I believe that the lawsuits in the US have started re. free access to products that you have bought. However, the free ability to rip tracks like this has been tarnished by people who then disobeyed copyright law and gave away the copies to others as if they owned the rights themselves. This is why the record companies are so keen on DRM (Digital Rights Management). If the DRM was done sensibly then this would work well (e.g. locked to a private key that only you could use - but usable anywhere you were on any device). However, to date it has not worked like that, so it feels like there are a few turns of the game left before we get to a model that works for everyone. In the mean time I will carry on with CD's that I rip and use.
If the world does go uncompressed, is there a future for the online stores in a world of limited bandwith?
I wouldn't bet on the bandwidth being a limit. If people are aiming at video over broadband then there is more than enough bandwidth for lossless file transmission (N.B. this IS compressed, but in a way that means you can get a perfect version back - like a ZIP file. Makes an album fit in about 350Mb though which isn't really that much). However the 'lock to a format' model does feel in peril as it is not really in the customers interest

Cheers

Greg
 
I predict in 5 years drives will have larger memory, be cheaper and smaller size. So, I believe that we won't have to compress music, and have 100+ albums at CD quality. Also, I believe battery tech will get better. Look at Sony, only make HD players for 3 years? and have it at 40hrs (HD5). I read recently about a new Panasonic MP3 CD player with battery of 120hrs!

Take mobile phones. 5 years ago, would anyone believe it would be possible to have mobiles that have colour screens, camera, video, music playback and be able to fit in your pocket?
 
LFC_SL said:
. Also, I believe battery tech will get better. Look at Sony, only make HD players for 3 years? and have it at 40hrs (HD5).

I thought Sony have only been making HD players for one year? Isn't the NW-HD1 their first?
 

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