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Topic: Quicktime AAC HE/multichannel/gapless lobbying (Read 3792 times) previous topic - next topic
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Quicktime AAC HE/multichannel/gapless lobbying

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I'm now lobbying with Apple, trying to convince them to use this method to offer gapless playback in QuickTime/iTunes.

Keep doing that!  Gap less playback would be soooooo cool. And yet another reason to use AAC. The only things left to hope for is HE AAC and/or VBR AAC. Multi-channel audio will be part of QuickTime 6.4.

Sorry for being somewhat off topic

Quicktime AAC HE/multichannel/gapless lobbying

Reply #1 –
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Keep doing that!  Gap less playback would be soooooo cool. And yet another reason to use AAC. The only things left to hope for is HE AAC and/or VBR AAC. Multi-channel audio will be part of QuickTime 6.4.

I have reasons to believe VBR AAC will be supported soon as well. /me is good at lobbying. :B

But you already know about that, Dan.

I have no info about HE AAC support.

Quicktime AAC HE/multichannel/gapless lobbying

Reply #2 –
Quicktime AAC
Quicktime AAC VBR
Quicktime AAC VBR w/ Gapless playback  x3000

p.s. Oh, and Quicktime HE AAC VBR would freakin rule for 56k music streams and lower quality Quicktime movies!

Damn, if Apple would add those three things as options then Quicktime AAC would fuckin own all other AAC codecs!

Quicktime AAC HE/multichannel/gapless lobbying

Reply #3 –
Quote
Quicktime AAC VBR
Quicktime AAC VBR w/ Gapless playback  x3000

p.s. Oh, and Quicktime HE AAC VBR would freakin rule for 56k music streams and lower quality Quicktime movies!

Well.. we will see. There's no guarantees that their VBR implementation is automatically the best in the world. Everybody knows that codecs based originally on FhG's technology (in this case further tweaked by Dolby) have always been pretty good at lower bitrate cbr. But vbr is another deal.. there are no guarantees that just because cbr is very good, vbr will be so good also.

EDIT. And what comes to AAC HE and Quicktime, there's a possibility (I don't know how big) that Quicktime will choose Dolby's version of "high efficiency" coding, which lost in MPEG standartisation process to AAC HE. It would mean completely proprietary "high efficiency" system in Quicktime, which is no standard at all, and also worse quality wise. But since QT is using Dolby's encoder and Dolby is actively offering their proprietary AAC "high efficiency system" called simply "Dolby AAC," and AOL has already adopted it...
http://www.dolby.com/DolbyAAC/FAQ/

"
What is Dolby AAC?
Dolby® AAC is a new audio coding technology based on MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AAC that supports data rates from 14 kbps (mono) to 128 kbps (stereo) and up. AOL is incorporating Dolby AAC in new versions of its Radio@AOL and Radio@AOL Broadband streaming services to bring subscribers an enhanced listening experience from more than 175 Internet radio broadcasters.

How does Dolby AAC differ from AAC?
Dolby AAC consists of a standard MPEG-AAC core plus proprietary enhancements that enable a wider frequency range and better audio quality at lower bit rates.

At what data rates does Dolby AAC operate?
Dolby AAC currently operates at data rates from 12 to 64 kbps.
"

I think it's bad enough that AOL is going for proprietary non-standard way.. I really hope Quicktime won't do the same.

I think this is really an important issue which should be lobbied.. VBR would have come anyway to QT without any lobbing, but this is pretty major stuff.
Juha Laaksonheimo

Quicktime AAC HE/multichannel/gapless lobbying

Reply #4 –
I read this about a month ago but missed the line about "proprietary enhancements".  Thats not cool at all.  QT AAC has a longer going for it, after all Dolby must have some devlopment muscle.  If this happened the Ipod would then only support Dolby AAC and not HE AAC.  Reminds me of the mp3Pro saga.

Quicktime AAC HE/multichannel/gapless lobbying

Reply #5 –
The MPEG4 audio front will definitely scatter if Quicktime goes for proprietary Dolby AAC. There's also a chance that WinAmp5 goes Dolby AAC, infact I think even bigger chance because AOL has already adopted Dolby AAC for its streaming radio software..
If both happen, it would be pretty close to catastrophy, because the MPEG4 ISO lowbitrate standard would be in minority, and proprietary non-standard Dolby AAC would be in majority, and the whole MPEG4 low bitrate and streaming audio scene completely scattered, which is a bad thing for consumers and for MPEG4 in general. Dolby would be the only one which would gain from this.

I hope all people who can, lobby against Dolby AAC in Quicktime and Winamp.
Juha Laaksonheimo
 

Quicktime AAC HE/multichannel/gapless lobbying

Reply #6 –
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I think it's bad enough that AOL is going for proprietary non-standard way.. I really hope Quicktime won't do the same.

So do I. It would be a very silly thing to do for Apple; they are one of the main proponents of MPEG-4, and breaking the standard would be difficult to explain. I just saw a clip from some developer conference where they had the head of the M4IF talking about HE AAC, among other things. That, combined with the fact that Apple never embraced MP3Pro makes it seem unlikely to me that they'd use Dolby AAC. They'd throw much of the PR they get for supporting free software and open standards away...

About the VBR thing; personally, I'm just going to hope for the best. IMO CBR AAC already outperforms VBR MP3 (I wouldn't be so sure about movies, though) so things can only get better