[buug] Streaming Audio Question

[Rick Moen]

begin  Zeke Krahlin quotation:

> ...I haven't found yet, some utility that will let me convert these
> sound files into .ram format (Real Audio).

If memory serves, Real Networks sued a company that made a compatible
product, and won.  (I think that was video, but the lesson is still
present.)

> At first, I jsut assumed that .mp3 is a de facto streaming audio
> format, but I gues that was a wrong assumption.

It's not streaming, nor is it free (as in freedom[1]).  It's patented.
Implementations either are paying royalties or are playing legal
brinksmanship.

> Someone suggested I use Windows Media....

Microsoft threatened with litigation a programmer who produces an
open-source video player, for introducing compatibility with Microsoft's
streaming video format.  It seems that Microsoft claims its patent
rights apply to the document format.  Creepy little bastards.

> So, am I missing something here?

If you don't need _streaming_, there's Sun's .au (ULAW) format.  Or
{shrug} even .wav format.

What you're really looking for in the long term is something like the
Ogg Vorbis project's work-in-progress:  http://www.xiph.org/ogg/vorbis/
100% free formats and free code, but it's not really usable, yet.

I expect that Xiphophorus (the people behind Ogg Vorbis) will follow up
that work _very_ quickly with a good free streaming video format based
on MPEG video standards.  But that's all yet to come.

[1] Every use of the word "free" in the above post concerns freedom,
rather than cost.

-- 
Cheers,                              "Open your present...."
Rick Moen                            "No, you open your present...."
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