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Topic: NEWBIE: Which codec to choose? (Read 13314 times) previous topic - next topic
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NEWBIE: Which codec to choose?

Reply #25 –
Another thought.... if file size is only an issue when it comes to using a portable audio player, but you have plenty of hard drive space, consider ripping to a lossless format such as FLAC. That way you'll always have an exact copy of your CDs. From there it's easy and much less time consuming than the original ripping to convert the lossless files to a different format such as MP3 or WMA, and if later down the track you decide the particular lossy codec you chose isn't the one you'd now prefer to use, it's not hard to then convert the FLAC files to your new lossy format of choice.

Personally it's not a process I've worried about... I convert straight to MP3... but if you're more concerned about transparency than I am it might be the way to go. Maybe one day I'll regret not having converted to a lossless format first myself.....

NEWBIE: Which codec to choose?

Reply #26 –
What about pBpoweramp, I have tried the EAC program and it is very complicated, however I did use the pBpoweramp and liked the ease of use.  I wonder though about paying for the lame portion part of this program.  Will the mp3 already encoded work if I don't pay for the service after the 30 day trial.  I can rip my whole collection in a weekend and think about purchasing later or figure out how to work one of the free rippers.  Also if it is a temporary thing would it be advisable to first use pBpoweramp to compress to lossless say FLAC and save that, then encode all the saved lossless to the lame second?
Thanks

NEWBIE: Which codec to choose?

Reply #27 –
Quote from: JasonQ on
Another bogus post.


Oh really!?!?  I'm just trying to help somebody out based on my own experience.  Guess that isn't allowed here.

From now on I'll keep my "bogus" posts to myself.

I recall -v2 being referred to as 192 VBR.  Now it seems its referred to as  VBR 190 (quote from the HA LAME Wiki):  "-V0 (~230 kbps), -V1 (~210 kbps), -V2 (~190 kbps) or -V3 (~175 kbps"

"~" means *about equal*.  I was off by 2 - shoot me!

NEWBIE: Which codec to choose?

Reply #28 –
It's referred to as -V2.
The result is approx 190 kbps.
It gets confusing when you call things by their result.

That's why we refer to the Sun as the Sun rather than Hot Bright Thing.   

C.
PC = TAK + LossyWAV  ::  Portable = Opus (130)
 

NEWBIE: Which codec to choose?

Reply #30 –
Quote
I wonder though about paying for the lame portion part of this program. Will the mp3 already encoded work if I don't pay for the service after the 30 day trial. I can rip my whole collection in a weekend and think about purchasing later or figure out how to work one of the free rippers.
Don't worry, your MP3s will not "expire".  There is no provision for DRM (Digital Rights Management) in the MP3 format.

Of course you can find free LAME encoders...  It's easier to find a free one than a licensed version!    But, the LAME encoder is only supposed to be free for "educational purposes"...  So that programmers can learn to make CODECs. 

From the LAME website[/u]:
Quote
LAME is an educational tool to be used for learning about MP3 encoding....  Using the LAME encoding engine (or other mp3 encoding technology) in your software may require a patent license in some countries.


In the past, DBpoweramp was "busted" by Thomson (the patent MP3 holders).  Now, they pay the legally required fee for each MP3 encoder that they distribute.

NEWBIE: Which codec to choose?

Reply #31 –
When in doubt, pick MP3!

NEWBIE: Which codec to choose?

Reply #32 –
Quote from: moodyda on
What about pBpoweramp, I have tried the EAC program and it is very complicated, however I did use the pBpoweramp and liked the ease of use.  I wonder though about paying for the lame portion part of this program.  Will the mp3 already encoded work if I don't pay for the service after the 30 day trial.  I can rip my whole collection in a weekend and think about purchasing later or figure out how to work one of the free rippers.  Also if it is a temporary thing would it be advisable to first use pBpoweramp to compress to lossless say FLAC and save that, then encode all the saved lossless to the lame second?
Thanks

It's not hard to make your own front-end for mp3 encoding in dBpowerAmp, actually I could make one for you if you wanted  ,I don't know how happy would spoon be if I made it available to the public 

Note: This works for file transcoding, I don't know if the ripping process uses the same encoder front-end.

NEWBIE: Which codec to choose?

Reply #33 –
Quote from: moodyda on
a temporary thing would it be advisable to first use pBpoweramp to compress to lossless say FLAC and save that, then encode all the saved lossless to the lame second?
Thanks


This is what I was suggesting with CD ripping to WMA Lossless in WMP and then transcoding to WMA Std (2-pass) in WME.  Both are gui Windows programs, easy to use, and 100% free.  If you like using the WMA codec, this would be the easiest method.

NEWBIE: Which codec to choose?

Reply #34 –
Quote from: moodyda on
What about pBpoweramp, I have tried the EAC program and it is very complicated, however I did use the pBpoweramp and liked the ease of use.  I wonder though about paying for the lame portion part of this program.  Will the mp3 already encoded work if I don't pay for the service after the 30 day trial.  I can rip my whole collection in a weekend and think about purchasing later or figure out how to work one of the free rippers.  Also if it is a temporary thing would it be advisable to first use pBpoweramp to compress to lossless say FLAC and save that, then encode all the saved lossless to the lame second?
Thanks


The MP3's themselves will work forever.
EAC is definitely worth the effort to get your head around. I use Foobar2000 as an audio player, and I also use it for most conversion and ripping jobs. It's pretty simple really. Just open the CD from the File menu, give Foobar your drive's offset correction (not compulsory) and put the drive into secure mode if you want to ensure completely accurate rips. From there you can auto add tags etc if you like and convert to the format of your choosing.
For MP3 you'll need to download and add the LAME encoder manually, but that's pretty easy.