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Topic: Non-Apple ALAC encoder (Read 8649 times) previous topic - next topic
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Non-Apple ALAC encoder

There is one included in dbPowerAmp. It's closed source so I/we don't know much about it but does anyone have any experience with it?

http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread.php?t=10154

It's been out for some time, but I have hardly seen any news about it while it seems to me that's pretty big actually, reverse engineering a closed codec. Too bad it's not opensource though.

Non-Apple ALAC encoder

Reply #2 –
Ah thanks, I didn't find that thread. Still, it seems interest has died of. Not much iPod users here? That's what I always considered convenient, a major brand supporting some lossless format.

Non-Apple ALAC encoder

Reply #3 –
Quote from: Brent on
There is one included in dbPowerAmp. It's closed source so I/we don't know much about it but does anyone have any experience with it?

http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread.php?t=10154

It's been out for some time, but I have hardly seen any news about it while it seems to me that's pretty big actually, reverse engineering a closed codec. Too bad it's not opensource though.


dbPowerAmp needs the Nero AAC encoder to generate ALAC files, and the output ALAC file is not playable for foobar2000 

Non-Apple ALAC encoder

Reply #4 –
Quote from: quadamage on
dbPowerAmp needs the Nero AAC encoder to generate ALAC files, and the output ALAC file is not playable for foobar2000 


Is this info accurate??? How can a program require a lossy encoder to generate a lossless file?

Non-Apple ALAC encoder

Reply #5 –
Quote
' date='Sep 30 2007, 20:25' post='520063']
Quote from: quadamage on

dbPowerAmp needs the Nero AAC encoder to generate ALAC files, and the output ALAC file is not playable for foobar2000 


Is this info accurate??? How can a program require a lossy encoder to generate a lossless file?

When set the ALAC encoder, dbpowerAMP prompts:

IMPORTANT: Follow 'Installing Nero AAC Codec' Instructions below

This m4a codec handles Advanced Audio Compression (aac) and Apple Lossless audio files within a .m4a, mp4, .m4b audio container, or .aac raw file. It allows dBpoweramp to convert to .m4a (AAC, HE AAC, AAC+, HE AAC v2 & 3GPP as well as Apple Lossless) and from .m4a, .mp4, .m4b & .aac files.

Supported by this Codec     

    * Encoding: Yes  [.m4a (Either AAC or Apple Lossless) ]
    * Multi-processor Encoding: Yes  (with dBpoweramp reference)
    * Decoding: Yes  [.m4a, .mp4, .m4b]
    * ID Tag Reading: Yes  [iTunes Comments]
    * ID Tag Writing: Yes  [iTunes Comments]
    * Unicode Tagging: Yes
    * Supports Album Art: Yes
    * Gapless Encoding & Decoding: Yes
    * Explorer Audio Popup Information: Yes
    * Explorer Columns: Yes
    * Unicode Filenames: Yes

Compatibility

    Windows 98 or newer, dBpoweramp R12 or newer required.

   

Installing Nero AAC Codec

This codec relies on the Nero Digital AAC encoder, it can be downloaded only from Nero directly:

Installation Instructions:

1) download the Nero codec Zip package from:

  http://www.nero.com/nerodigital/eng/Nero_Digital_Audio.html

2) Open the zip file (by double clicking on it) and open the folder win32, select neroAacEnc and copy (Edit menu >> Copy). Open a new explorer window, it is important the old zip window is left open (press Windows Key + E) and browse to:

  C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\encoder\m4a Nero (AAC)

In the above folder select (Edit menu >> Paste). After extracting the following files should be present in the above folder:

  encoder                  Text Document
  Nero                        Bitmap Image
  neroAacEnc            Application



So I think dbpowerAMP's ALAC encoder is nero-based and differnt from iTunes ALAC,  this is just my guess.

Non-Apple ALAC encoder

Reply #6 –
If you download the codec from here :

http://www.dbpoweramp.com/codec-central-m4a.htm

It contains a "apple lossless.dll" and a "m4a nero (AAC).dll"

Further on, in the help/codec/mp4/version.html file:

Quote
Release 4

    New Apple Lossless encoder (is stand alone, ie does not require iTunes).


And also in the help.htm

Quote
Huge thanks go to David Hammerton, for his work on reverse engineering the Apple Lossless format.


So i am quite confident that Nero is *not* used for ALAC at all.
It just happens that alac and the mp4 codec are in the same package, and that mp4 does use the nero commandline to create the files.


Ps. I don't know why we keep talking about this.. The thread linked in post 2 suggests this aswell.

Non-Apple ALAC encoder

Reply #7 –
It does not need the Nero program to write ALAC files (or tag).