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Haven't got a clue. They sound similar though, don't they?
Lucent PAC <P>erceptual <A>udio <C>oding, was developed by Bell Labs, a division of Lucent.
Heavily patented. (yuk) Requires major licensing. (yuk) Have just teamed up a deal with RealNetworks Real System (triple-yuk).
Don't know if it's the same as 'Audio Veda' - it could be. Maybe they aren't responding to us "little" people, because they want to make major $$$ from it from the 'Big People'. The propaganda for Lucent reads, "At 128 kilobits per second, EPAC offers cd-transparent stereo sound".
(Sure it does, oh yeah......*sure*).
I'm really enjoying my oggie-vorbie-poos, though. 16 full music cds on a single cd-r, (and one of those a double album), all at quality level 4.99. (There's a good reason for choosing 4.99 rather than the simpler "5").
That's in comparison to 9 or 10 cds in .mp3 format, whether my own self-made ones, or as previously downloaded from the now-defunct Napster. And, oh yes, they DO sound better than mp3s.
The system is lossy, yes, but it's very pleasing to the ear, too. Got a question for you, Lasse.
This is the first time I've encountered a codec whose *decode* portion has been 'frozen' or 'strandardized'. That is, the ogg vorbis audio *format* has been carved-in-stone, so to speak. Now, the *encoder* portion of the codec -- well -- that's being constantly worked on, tweaked, tuned, improved, etc. BUT, the ogg vorbis people say that any future improvements in encoder ability will be fully realized by the decoder portion as it NOW exists.
In other words, I don't think the decoder part is being worked on (or needs to be). That means, apparently, that all the ogg-compatible software players that exist - or those which have had plugins written for them, will be perfectly functional for years to come.
Ever heard of this sort of thing? I always thought that a codec was a perfectly complimentary, "push-pull" sort of thing, where each part (encoder and decoder) had to be *perfectly* matched or tuned to each other. Which means, that with every new implementation of encoder, a new decoder (or player, or plug-in) would be required.
Just random thoughts.......
-- Mike The Klingon --
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