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Engadget HD Podcast 157 - 09.29.2009
Paradigm SUB 25 subwoofer review
Engadget goes behind the Dolby logo
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mr. B @ Jan 5th 2009 6:07PM
Isn't this a long existing format? If it was going to catch on it probably already would have.
squiggleslash @ Jan 5th 2009 6:52PM
MPEG Surround is actually fairly interesting, as it's essentially a way to bolt-on surround to an existing mono or stereo stream - and it's codec independent, as far as that stream goes - it could be AAC rather than MP3. Indeed, what Fraunhofer appears to be pushing is AAC-based rather than MP3 based, reading the press release.
I suspect that's the selling point, that it's a way to add surround while still creating files that work on existing iPods. The biggest problem with it is going to be that nobody cares. Quadraphonic records went nowhere. DTS CDs went nowhere. SACD and DVD Audio are, for all practical purposes, dead. Nobody cares about surround sound when it comes to music.
For movie downloads, most people would like a codec compatible with their existing surround system. In practice, that's DTS and Dolby Digital. Microsoft is having no luck getting manufacturers to put out Windows Media compatible receiver, despite Netflix and others standardizing on their audio codecs, so how does Fraunhofer expect to make headway when it doesn't have a single downloads service signed up?
This seems dead on arrival.