MP3 Goes Multichannel

The file format that inspired millions of downloads hopes to inspire music fans to do something else: buy more speakers. Now officially released by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS and Thomson, coinventors of the MP3 format, the new MP3 Surround supports 5.1 multichannel sound.

"We asked ourselves, where can music go?" explains Henri Linde, Thomson's vice president of new business, intellectual property, and licensing. "It seemed that surround sound was the logical evolution for us." To encourage people to exploit the multichannel advantages of the new file format, free MP3 Surround encoders will be available until the end of 2005. After that, the encoders will be subject to typical licensing fees.

Software to play MP3 Surround tracks in all their multichannel glory will remain free of charge, and the files will be backward compatible with existing MP3 players. Older players, however, will play back the files as conventional stereo tracks. Consumers will have to purchase new MP3 players and CD players if they want to decode the full MP3 Surround experience. Thomson officials claim that the encoding technology, developed by Agere Systems, increases MP3 files sizes only "marginally."

The new MP3 format may also inspire people to get more powerful systems. According to Thomson, encoding music in surround-sound mode increases the computational workload by about 50 percent over stereo encoding.

http://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/amm/dow...oadpage_d.html

Sounds great! :)

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Originally Posted by SingaBoiy

Sounds great! :)

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yep.

but will it still have .mp3 as the ext or not. how will we be able to differentiate the two besides playing them?

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Originally Posted by Samurai

yep.

but will it still have .mp3 as the ext or not. how will we be able to differentiate the two besides playing them?

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still mp3.....and according to franhaufer, no current way to tell the diff...
http://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/amm/dow...faq.html#FAQ13

reminds me that i should really buy a 5.1ss soundcard. :music:

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Originally Posted by lee551

reminds me that i should really buy a 5.1ss soundcard. :music:

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Been upgrading my stereo system with 7.1 Surround sound...neglected my puter.
Now that lee551 mentions...new Sound card is in order as well.