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Re: [ARSCLIST] FLAC?
Eric, point taken. Maybe not totally necessary, but audio hardware is
really just software these days, so it's not like they need to add a
second set of heads to the machine, they just add some code. If
something gets big enough to be a standard for losslessly compressed
audio, I think we'll see it supported by the majority of software and
hardware. And lack of support by software and devices will generally
signify a lack of acceptance in the marketplace. FLAC is already pretty
widely supported by devices, including iPods. I'm just not ready to use
FLAC for archiving to save a few hundred bucks on hard drives.
David Seubert
UCSB
Eric Jacobs wrote:
On 10/27/2006 David Seubert wrote:
Off the top of my head I'd say these would be the basic
requirements for a lossless compressed format to take off
in the audio world and supplant wav as the standard format
for archiving:
<snip>
3) Files play back on/in *all* standard consumer playback
hardware/software (itunes, ipods, real, winamp, etc)
Must an *archival* (not an access) format be supported on
*consumer* playback hardware/software?
Now, if only all consumer playback hardware/software would
support formats with higher resolution than 16/44.1. I would
certainly like that, especially if I could run 24/96 WAVE
files in iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc.
I understand how ubiquity creates defacto standards, which in
turn provides more insurance against loss and obsolescence.
And it certainly can reduce cost of access if you don't need
special hardware to play back archival material. But, in a
cost-driven market-driven world, I'm not sure the day of
archival format support on *all* consumer playback devices
will ever come. I'd like to see that day, but I wouldn't bet
on it.
Eric Jacobs
--
David Seubert, Curator
Performing Arts Collection
Davidson Library
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9010
Tel: 805-893-5444 Fax: 805-893-5749
seubert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.library.ucsb.edu/speccoll/pa/