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APRES MP3, LE VORBIS?

New Open-Source Audio Compression Format Hopes To Replace MP3
When is free not free? When the Germans get involved, we suppose.

Contrary to popular belief, MP3 technology is not as free as it is ubiquitous. Up until now, it has been proliferating with no cost to users or companies employing the technology. But, like a dealer who gives a junkie the first hit for free before charging a premium, the German research institute that helped create much of the technology underlying the MP3 format is ready to collect its dues.

The Fraunhofer Institute, a sprawling technology research organization, has licensed its rights to Thomson Multimedia, leaving them in charge of collecting patent royalties. And Thomson has begun to do so. MP3 download companies are required to pay 1 percent of the price charged to the listener per song, with a $15,000 minimum. MP3 hardware companies must pay 50 cents per unit shipped, also with a $15,000 minimum.

That kind of jack can add up quick.

Thomson hasn't lowered the boom on MP3 streaming or broadcasting sites. Yet. According to the company's Web site, that will begin at the end of the year.

So the folks at multimedia entertainment site iCast unveiled the Beta version of their open-source alternative yesterday (6/20) at the MP3 Summit 2000. Dubbed "Vorbis," the new music compression software is patent- and royalty-free.

"Early listening tests of Vorbis show that it provides excellent sound quality that is comparable, if not superior, to competing formats, and we haven't even reached our first release," said Jack Moffitt, iCast VP of Technology. "This is a breakthrough development for companies that are seeking an alternative to the stringent patent protection and royalty fees enforced by the patent holders of the popular MP3 file format. Plus, Vorbis was the name of my favorite Klingon."

According to the iCast team, Vorbis also sports several cutting-edge features, including fast bitrate scaling, surround channels and sample granularity seek and decode. Anyone who understood more than the verbs and conjunctions of that sentence is encouraged to drop us a line.

Already, several companies have announced support for Vorbis, including EMusic, Sonique, Napster, Etrantrum, Panic and XMMS. And plug-ins have been written for MP3 players such as Freeamp and Winamp.

But with the MP3 format being so firmly established, it might be difficult for even a free codec to gain a foothold. Since Vorbis is their baby, iCast will, naturally, be among the first to adopt the technology. Other online radio music-streaming companies have expressed interest.

"We're always looking for a low-cost alternative," said WiredPlanet.com's Keith Crosley. "I think everyone in the online music space will be following the open-source efforts very closely."

More information about Vorbis can be found at www.xiph.org/ogg/vorbis/.

The release of Vorbis 1.0 is expected in about a month.

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