Newsgroups: comp.compression Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews2!wilf From: wilf@sce.carleton.ca (Wilf Leblanc) Subject: Re: Sound compression Message-ID: Sender: news@cunews.carleton.ca Organization: Carleton University References: <1991May24.083409.20528@looking.on.ca> <91May15.140250edt.750@neuron.ai.toronto.edu> <105539@sgi.sgi.com> <1991May23.123202.18335@cc.tut.fi> <1991May23.215341.7836@nntp-server.caltech.edu> <1991May24.144519.4129@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> Date: Fri, 24 May 1991 17:51:30 GMT mcdonald@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Doug McDonald) writes: >It appeared that sound is not redundant at all. All attempts to compress >digitized sounds have failed in the sense that critical ears can hear the >difference. Even the 16 bits of present CDs is not completely adequate. >19 bits probably is, and the 44 kHz sampling rate probably is - given >really good pre and post analog filtration. I agree, 16 bits wasn't enough considering the dynamic range of music. Some people would argue that 44 kHz isn't enough either. However, CD's 16 bits/ 44 kHz is still pretty good, with very little audible distortion. >It is true that you can do some really radical things to audio in the >analog domain -- like screwing up the phase-versus-frequency linearity -- >without audible effect, but that does not reduce the information content >of the signal. True, but a good quantizer (and I use the word quantizer loosely), would know all about this. >[...] >There is a LOT of sloppy pseudo-scrience crap in the audio world, and >the so-called golden ears often fail to hear certain non-information-losing >transformations, but the attempts to compress music using informatrion-losing >methods have all been audible. Well, above you say that you can really screw up the "phase-versus- frequency linearity -- without audible effect". Is this sloppy pseudo-science crap as well ?? BTW, have YOU heard all the compression techniques (i.e. Sony's system) and can you say with confidence that the distortion is audible ?? >Doug MCDonald -- Wilf LeBlanc, Carleton University, Systems & Comp. Eng. Ottawa, Canada, K1S 5B6 Internet: wilf@sce.carleton.ca UUCP: ...!uunet!mitel!cunews!sce!wilf Oh, cruel fate! Why do you mock me so! (H. Simpson)