tech industry
01/03/2006, 7:35pm, EST
Tuesday, January 3rd
Surround sound added to MP3 file format
iPod users everywhere may soon enjoy theater-like surround sound from simple stereo headphones, following today's announcement of the new MP3 file format. Utilizing MP3 SX (MP3 Stereo eXtended) technology that allows enhancing MP3 stereo files for multi-channel playback, "MP3 Surround" presents the feeling of envelopment by using the ambience sounds already present in the stereo source. The new format enables high-quality surround sound at bit rates comparable to those currently used to encode stereo MP3 material, and is backwards compatible to stereo MP3; a legacy MP3 device plays back MP3 Surround as high quality stereo.
Traditionally, surround sound has been primarily limited to loudspeaker setups in living rooms or theaters. With the Ensonido technology, the individual listening experience through portable MP3 Surround players and stereo headphones is enhanced. The company said that it uses an acoustic model to simulate the natural transmission of multi-channel sound from the loudspeakers to the human ear.
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Second, this won't make it in the iPod for like 5 years, if ever. Apple has put their balls in the AAC camp, they're not going to switch back.
It also won't take off in general, as most people could care less about such things, esp. with regards to music. And who wants to re-rip all their songs, anyway.
Oh, and really, if the source isn't in surround-sound format, all this does is (a) fake a surround sound and (b) destroy the sound of the music the way it was intended...
Next!
"Support for multichannel audio, providing up to 48 full frequency channels"
So if an AAC player (like iPod) could do the fake surround thing with headphones you'd be sorted.
Don't think anyone need worry that ye olde mp3 is now better than aac.
MP3 Surround v2 - Bolt-on multichannel support for the MP3 format. Backwards compatible with non-surround players.
Ensonido - allows the new multi-channel MP3s to be played on non-multichannel players.
MP3 Stereo eXtended - fake surround sound (stereo imaging enhancer) for two channel outputs.
In no way is this going to magically add surround sound to the iPod. The iPod only has two channel output, adding support for this codec would be a waste of time that could be better spent adding the iTunes Sound Enhancer to the iPod, which would have an effect on any format played back.
"iPod users everywhere may soon enjoy theater-like surround sound from simple stereo headphones!!!"
Yeah. OK.
Combined with the constant spelling and grammar mistakes I'm starting to wonder who's running this show...