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BMG and Universal to Utilize AAC Audio Format
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) by Dolby Laboratories has been selected as the format of choice by RIAA member companies Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) and Universal Music Group for future “legitimate” online music distribution solutions by the companies.
The AAC audio compression standard is reported to be a better quality then MP3’s and 30 percent smaller in file size format, making more use of less bandwidth in transfer.
Of course BMG and Universal are quick to point out that the new AAC audio format will be used in conjunction with Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies to secure the online distribution of these files.
Since Dolby is sticking their name on this one, and that two major players of the RIAA have already agreed upon the use of it for their audio format of choice, I think AAC is something we will all be hearing a lot more of.
Also, considering that MP3’s are patented, and that the company which owns the patent for the technology will be seeking out licensing fees by the beginning of next year, this new format could be arriving to the market at a perfect time to flourish.
What do you think?
| Links: |
link(dolby.com/press/m.pr.0008.AAC.BMGUMG.html,Press Release on Dolby's Corporate Site) |
User Comments
(These do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of this site)
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ShoE
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Date: August 29, 2000 @ 8:50 AM
Err...I was under the impression that Fraunhofer created AAC. I remember how upset some people were over the fact that Fraunhofer was going to keep AAC as a secure format and not make it mainstream like AAC. Did they sell it to Dolby, or partner with them, or what? |
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matt
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Date: August 29, 2000 @ 3:53 PM
I believe Fraunhofer was at one point (or still is) developing MP4 or some crap. AAC has always been developed by Dolby, they are also the ones that have given out patents to use the new format in products like Sonique.
But then again ... I may be wrong
`Matt |
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ShoE
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Date: August 29, 2000 @ 7:48 PM
Isn't AAC the same thing as MP4...or something like that?
That's really strange, b/c when AAC first came out, a lot of people really liked it, but I then remember a series of articles written about how Fraunhofer would be putting too many locks and keys on the format for it to really go mainstream like mp3 (locks and keys are the best words I can think of at the time). Fraunhofer was making sure that they didn't make the same "mistake" that they did with mp3 by making it so open for everyone to use freely. |
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