Multimedia- a set of hardware and software tools that allow the user to work in a dialogue mode with heterogeneous data (graphics, text, sound, video), organized in the form of a single information environment.
For example, in one container object (eng. container) may contain text, audio, graphic and video information, as well as, possibly, a way of interacting with it.
Term multimedia also, often, it is used to designate information carriers that allow storing significant amounts of data and providing fairly quick access to them (the first such media were CD - compact disk). In this case, the term multimedia means that a computer can use such media and provide information to the user through all possible types of data, such as audio, video, animation, images and others, in addition to traditional methods of providing information such as text.
Multimedia can be roughly classified as linear and nonlinear.
The analogue of the linear presentation method can be cinema. The person viewing this document cannot influence its conclusion in any way.
A non-linear way of presenting information allows a person to participate in the display of information by interacting in some way with the display of multimedia data. Human participation in this process is also called “interactivity”. This way of human-computer interaction is most fully represented in the categories of computer games. The non-linear way of presenting multimedia data is sometimes referred to as "hypermedia".
As an example of a linear and non-linear way of presenting information, we can consider such a situation as making a presentation. If the presentation was recorded on tape and shown to the audience, then with this method of delivering information, those viewing this presentation do not have the opportunity to influence the speaker. In the case of a live presentation, the audience has the opportunity to ask the speaker questions and interact with him in other ways, which allows the speaker to move away from the topic of the presentation, for example, by explaining some terms or covering controversial parts of the report in more detail. Thus, a live presentation can be presented as a non-linear (interactive) way of presenting information ...
47.Using multimedia: advantages and disadvantages. Development prospects.
Multimedia is a set of hardware and software tools that allow the user to work in an interactive mode with heterogeneous data (graphics, text, sound, video), organized in the form of a single information environment. The main components of multimedia: text, audio, graphic and video information, as well as the way of interactive interaction with it.
The term multimedia is also often used to denote storage media that allow you to store large amounts of data and provide quick access to them (the first media of this type were CDs). In this case, the term multimedia means that a computer can use such media and provide information to the user through all possible types of data, such as audio, video, animation, images, and others, in addition to traditional methods of providing information such as text.
Multimedia presentations can be performed by a person on stage, shown through a projector, or on another local playback device.
Multimedia games are games in which the player interacts with a virtual environment built by a computer. The state of the virtual environment is transmitted to the player using various methods of transferring information (auditory, visual, tactile). Currently, all games on a computer or game console are multimedia games. It is worth noting that this type of games can be played both alone on a local computer or console, as well as with other players via a local or global network.
Various formats of multimedia data can be used to simplify the perception of information by the consumer. For example, to provide information not only in text form, but also to illustrate it with audio data or a video clip. In the same way, contemporary art can present everyday, everyday things in a new way.
In order to upload a video to YouTube or Yandex.Video, the user does not need knowledge of video editing, coding and compression of information, knowledge of the construction of web servers. The user simply selects a local file and thousands of other users of the video service have the opportunity to view the new video.
Multimedia finds its application in various fields, including advertising, art, education, entertainment, engineering, medicine, mathematics, business, scientific research.
In education, multimedia is used to create computer-based training courses and reference books such as encyclopedias and compilations. In the industrial sector, multimedia is used as a way to present information to shareholders, management and colleagues. Multimedia is also useful in organizing staff training, advertising and product sales around the world. In mathematical and scientific research, multimedia is mainly used for modeling and simulation. For example: a scientist can look at a molecular model of a substance and manipulate it in order to obtain another substance. Physicians can also be trained through virtual surgeries or simulations of a human body affected by a disease spread by viruses and bacteria, thus trying to develop methods to prevent it.
A multimedia textbook is a way to conduct with a student such or almost the same dialogue as the teacher. In this tutorial, the student can see things that cannot be printed on paper. The multimedia textbook "revives" chemical molecules and human organs, allowing you to see them as they are in reality, and not in the form of conventional diagrams and drawings. And, which is important in our time, illustrative files of multimedia manuals can in some cases quite successfully replace expensive collections of reagents and drugs, i.e. bring direct economic benefits.
Multimedia tools are a set of hardware and software tools that allow a person to communicate with a computer using a variety of natural environments: sound, video, graphics, texts, animation. In a broad sense, the term "multimedia" means a range of information technologies that use various software and hardware in order to most effectively influence the user (who has become both a reader, a listener, and a viewer).
One of the widest areas of application of the multimedia technology has received in the field of education, since the means of informatization based on multimedia can, in some cases, significantly increase the effectiveness of education. It has been experimentally established that when the material is presented orally, the student perceives and is able to process up to one thousand conventional units of information in a minute, and when the organs of vision are “connected” up to 100 thousand such units.
There are many positive aspects of using information and telecommunication technologies in education. Negative aspects:
Minimizing social contacts;
Reducing social interaction and communication, individualism; Individualization limits the live communication of teachers and students, students with each other, offering them communication in the form of a "dialogue with the computer." The student does not receive sufficient practice of dialogical communication, the formation and formulation of thoughts in a professional language.
Difficult ways of presenting information distract students from the material being studied. If the student is simultaneously shown information of different types, he is distracted from some types of information in order to keep track of others, missing important information.
Excessive and unjustified use of computer technology negatively affects the health of all participants in the educational process.
Virtual reality tools will evolve to affect as many of the human senses as possible. For example, already now, the Latypov brothers have developed a "virtual sphere" that rotates, imitating the movement of a person in the virtual world - thus, his movement requires real muscular efforts, and not just pressing a button or turning a joystick. There are projects that imply saturation of virtual reality with smells corresponding to the situation.
48. Postal systems. Email addresses. OutlookExpress application, TheBat!
Electronic mail (English e-mail, from English electronic mail) is a technology and the services it provides for sending and receiving electronic messages over a computer network.
Advantages of e-mail are: easy-to-read and human-readable addresses of the form user_name @ domain_name; the ability to transfer both plain text and formatted, as well as arbitrary files; sufficiently high reliability of message delivery.
Disadvantages of e-mail: the presence of such a phenomenon as spam (massive advertising and viral mailings); theoretical impossibility of guaranteed delivery of a specific letter; possible delays in message delivery (up to several days), restrictions on the size of one message and on the total size in a mailbox.
Currently, any novice user can start his own free e-mail box, it is enough to register on one of the Internet portals.
The mail system is a technology designed to handle e-mail messages on a website.
The generally accepted e-mail exchange protocol in the world is SMTP (Simple mail transfer protocol). Mail is transferred between sites using mail forwarding programs (e.g. OutlookExpress, TheBat!)
Within a given mail system (usually located within the same organization) there can be many mail servers that perform both mail forwarding within the organization and other tasks related to email: filtering spam, checking attachments with antivirus, providing auto-reply, archiving incoming / outgoing mail ...
E-mail address is a record that uniquely identifies the mailbox to which the e-mail message should be delivered.
The address consists of two parts, separated by the @ symbol. The left part indicates the name of the mailbox, often it coincides with the username. The right side of the address indicates the domain name of the server on which the mailbox is located.
OE is an e-mail and newsgroup program for Microsoft. Supplied with Windows operating systems, as well as with the Internet Explorer browser. The name OE suggests that this program is a light version of Microsoft Outlook, an organizer from Microsoft that also contains e-mail functionality. In fact, there is little in common between the two programs. In addition, Outlook, unlike OE, did not have newsgroup functionality until 2007.
OE is based on the earlier e-mail and news software, the Microsoft Internet Mail and News package that was shipped with Internet Explorer 3.0.
OE is used on both home and office computers, but it is more convenient for home users who open e-mail over the Internet.
OE works with virtually any standard Internet system:
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP);
Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3);
Internet Email Access Protocol (IMAP).
OE allows you to choose the background and graphics for your messages. Built-in templates provide the ability to illustrate messages.
TV is a paid email program for Windows. Developed by the Moldovan company RITLabs. The TV program is popular among Russian users and users from the former republics of the USSR.
It has a fairly well-developed system for filtering and sorting messages, as well as a system for connecting additional extension modules (plug-ins), designed (if required) to integrate anti-virus and anti-spam programs from various manufacturers. The necessary plugins can be supplied with the antivirus or downloaded from the site of the developers of this module.
Supports protocols: SMTP. POP3, IMAP. Supports a large number of encodings. There are mechanisms for filtering messages, their automatic processing, templates and possibilities for organizing mailing lists.
Multimedia- this is, first of all, audio and video. Multimedia in Web design applications, these are audio and video clips posted on Web pages.
Until recently, placing an audio or video on a Web page was possible only with the help of huge HTML-code, additional programs and "shamanic dances" around it all. But now, with the advent of HTML 5 and the web browsers that support it (at least partially), only one tag is required. Which? Very simple, no more complicated than the already familiar tag !
File formats and encoding formats
Formats multimedia files there are no less than graphic file formats. As with Internet graphics, not all multimedia formats are supported by Web browsers, but only a few. (The author would like to look at a Web browser that supports all file formats - both the Web browser itself and its dimensions ...)
But it is not enough for a web browser to support only the format itself. multimedia files... It must be "familiar" with the encoding format of the audio and (or) video information recorded in it. In the world of multimedia, this is how different files of the same format can store information encoded in different formats. Moreover, audio and video tracks of a multimedia file are almost always encoded in different formats.
Almost all media encoding formats support compression. Due to this, the size of multimedia files is significant (sometimes byseveral orders of magnitude) decreases, which has a beneficial effect on the speed of their transmission over the network.
We list and briefly describe all formats multimedia files used in web design and supported by web browsers.
- format WAV (WAVe, wave)- "old-timer" among multimedia formats. It was developed by Microsoft at the very beginning of the 90s of the last century for storing audio data and is still used for this purpose. Files of this format have the wav extension.
- formatOGG- newer format... It was developed about ten years ago by the non-profit organization Xiph.org to store audio and video information. Files of this format have the extensions ogg (universal extension), oga (audio files), and ogv (video files); the last two extensions are rare.
- formatMP4- also a "newbie". It was developed by the Motion Picture Expert Group (Motion Picture Expert Group; also known as MPEG) in 1998 to store audio and video data. Files of this format have the mp4 extension.
-
formatQuickTime- the format is very old, it is even older than WAV. It was developed by Apple in 1989 to store audio and video data. Files of this format have the mov extension.
Now let's take a look at the audio and video encoding formats supported by modern Web browsers.
- formatPCM(Pulse-Coded Modulation) is the simplest and oldest coding format. It doesn't even support data compression. Serves for encoding audio data.
- formatVorbis- a more modern encoding format. Submitted by Xiph.org (the developer of the OGG file format) in 2002. Used to encode audio data.
- formatAAC(Advanced Audio Coding) is not a very new coding format. It was developed by the Motion Picture Expert Group in 1997. Used to encode audio data.
- formatTheora- perhaps the "youngest" coding format. It would also have been developed by Xiph.org several years ago. Used to encode video data.
- formatH.264- is also very "young". Was represented by the Motion Picture Expert Group and the Video Coding Experts Group in 2003. Designed for encoding video data.
Almost all of these formats are open source. Exceptions - format QuickTime files, owned by Apple, and the H.264 encoding format protected by over a hundred patents.
It remains to be seen what combinations of file formats and encoding formats are used in Web design and what Web browsers support them. ByHaving rummaged through the Internet and experimenting a little, the author summarized these data in table. 4.1.
As you can see, different web browsers support different formats. This can cause us problems as Web designers ...
MIME types
A wide variety of data is transmitted over the network: Web pages, graphics, audio and video files, archives, executable files, etc. This data is intended for different programs. In addition, with different data, the program that accepted them can act differently. For example, a Web browser will display it on the screen when it receives a Web page or graphic, and when it receives an archive or executable file, it will open or save it to disk.
All data transmitted over the network is assigned a special designation that unambiguously indicates their nature - the MIME type (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, multipurpose Internet mail extensions). The MIME type is assigned to data by the sending program, such as a Web server. And the receiving program (the same Web browser), by the MIME type of the received data, determines whether it supports this data, and, if it does, what to do with it.
The web page is of the MIME type text / html. A GIF graphic image is of the MIME type image / gif. The MIME type of the executable is application / x-msdownload and the ZIP archive is application / x-zip-compressed. MIME types have and multimedia files.
That's about multimedia files and their MIME types we'll talk about.
Earlier it was said that modern Web browsers work with a very limited set of multimedia file formats from several dozen existing ones. Moreover, different web browsers support different forms ofyou. Therefore, the Web browser must determine whether it supports the format of the resulting file, that is, whether it is worth downloading at all. We already know how to do this - by the MIME type of this file.
Table 4.2 lists the types of MIME formats multimedia files currently supported by web browsers.
As you can see, one file format can have multiple MIME types. Usually the very first from the list is chosen as the most preferred.
Armed with the necessary theory, let's get down to practice. We will now figure out how HTML 5 will allow us to embed audio or video on a Web page.
28.10.2015 How to open a DJVU file
DjVu is a technology for compact storage of electronic copies of documents created with a scanner when text recognition is impractical.
A huge number of scanned books, magazines, documents, scientific papers, etc. are stored in the form of djvu files. The files are compact due to a slight loss in image quality. However, they retain photographs, artwork, and other graphic nuances.
Despite the prevalence of djvu files, many novice computer users have difficulty opening them.
29.08.2009
How to take a screenshot
computer screen
Screenshot ( English screenshot - screenshot) Is a photograph of a picture displayed on a computer monitor, or a specific part of it.
To take a screenshot of the screen, it is convenient to use special programs, of which there are quite a few. Screenshot Creator is a good option. It does not require installation, is very easy to use, and has low system requirements. There are similar programs that are in no way inferior to Screenshot Creator.
I want to draw your attention to the fact that you can create a screenshot of the screen without any programs at all, using only standard Windows tools. But this method will not provide the user with as many options as suggested in this article.
11.12.2012
How to make a ringtone
from mp3 file
Since you are interested in this article, I think it makes no sense to talk about what ringtones are, why they are needed in a mobile phone and how to transfer them there from a computer or flash drive. Let's get straight to the point.
There are many different programs for copying a certain part of an audio file into a separate file (future ringtone). Let's take a look at some of them. In particular, the Nero WaveEditor program (supports all popular music formats and has extensive capabilities), which is part of the Nero software package, as well as the free mp3DirectCut utility (only works with MP3 files).
06.06.2012
How to transfer video
from computer to phone
The capabilities of many modern smartphones, telephones and other mobile devices reach the level of some desktop computers, which not so long ago seemed powerful.
Watching videos on your phone has become quite a comfortable experience. And the ability to store dozens of films in a small device makes this activity also one of the ways to have a good time, for example, on the subway on the way to work, from work or in other similar circumstances.
The usual video, which we are used to watching on home computers, cannot be played by many mobile devices. To solve this problem, it (video) must be prepared in a certain way. You can find ready-made videos for mobile phones on the Internet, but there are not so many really high-quality films there. In addition, the capabilities of different devices are significantly different: what will be played on one, the other may not "pull". Therefore, the best way is to prepare a video for your phone, smartphone or tablet yourself, taking into account its characteristics.
In this article, we will take a look at video and audio conversion tools, understand media formats, and select the best tools for converting files.
Whether we like it or not, it can't be that a single format dominates the digital entertainment world. The same MP3 is being successfully replaced today by OGG and AAC, AVI - MPG, FLV and so on. In fact, there is no significant problem with such a variety.
Separating media formats is a must. Each format has its own specific feature, the reason why it can or should be used, and not any other. Often everything comes down to economy - in our case, saving hard disk space. In each case, there is a format that is most advantageous in a given situation and less optimal. Today we will do the following: first, let's remember what multimedia formats are most in demand when converting video / audio and, secondly, consider the required set. We emphasize: we are considering only multimedia formats - namely sound and audio.
Part I. Formats and codecs for conversion
Since it is impossible to grasp the immensity, we will touch upon only the most widespread and demanded multimedia formats, codecs, give a brief description and an explanation in which cases they are best used. In the description, we will also present a list of programs that are in some way related to this format. We will not provide links, you can find all the programs on the site.
Video standards
MPEG -1
MPEG -1 is a standard adopted by the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group). Currently, MPEG-1 video is used on Video CDs (VCD quality is closest to VHS video cassette quality).
Initially, the use of MPEG-1 video is limited to a bit rate of 1.5 Megabits / s and a resolution of 352 × 240. However, this standard allows you to use any resolution up to 4095 × 4095.
MPEG -2
The MPEG-2 standard is used for broadcasting including satellite broadcasting and cable TV. Has severe restrictions on resolution (no more than 720 × 576), frame rate (25 fps and 29.97 fps), bit rate, etc.
MPEG -3
An audio and video coding standard for High-definition television (HDTW) with data rates ranging from 20 to 40 Mbps. Work on MPEG-3 was discontinued after the modification of MPEG-2 (when the MPEG-2 standard was no worse than MPEG-3 to cope with video processing).
Do not confuse MPEG-3 with the MP3 music format (MPEG-1 Part 3 Layer 3 / MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3).
MPEG -4
MPEG -4 is used to compress digital audio and video. Designed for Internet broadcasting (streaming video, video telephony), encoding and recording films to CDs, (videophone) and broadcasting.
Video codecs
DivX (Digital video express)
The most famous video codec for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X platforms, which is used to compress most films today. Compression allows you to place an hour and a half video material on 1 - 2 CDs. It is distributed in two versions: DivX and DivX Pro. DivX is free (AdWare), you can use it without restrictions, the second is paid. The “Pro” prefix costs $ 19.99 along with additional package features and benefits over the free version. This:
Better compression (about 25%) video,
- Support for GMC (Global Motion Compensation) technology, which improves video quality and slightly improves the compression ratio,
- DivX Pro provides full support for bidirectional encoding (B-frames),
- includes additional video encoding tools.
DivX software
DivX Player is the official player from the creators of the DivX video format.
DivX Subtitle Displayer- a program for displaying subtitles when playing DivX video.
DivFix- utility for recovering damaged DivX video.
DivX AntiFreeze- some video clips have corrupted frames. AntiFreeze prevents video from freezing.
Dr. DivX- a program for transferring video from various sources (from a file, from a camcorder, TV, etc.) to video files in DivX format. The utility can work with MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI and WMV.
MPEG-4 video conversion library, licensed under the GNU General Public License. Unlike the DivX codec, which is released only for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X platforms, Xvid is a cross-platform product (used on all platforms and operating systems for which the source code of the codec can be compiled).
As you can see, the name of the codec is "flip" from DivX. In practice, Xvid is the DivX alternative. The codec is characterized by fast operation speed and acceptable image quality. Configurable both through third-party programs and through its own settings window.
Xvid software
Today there are a large number of varieties (compilations) of Xvid, which with equal success allow you to view, convert videos to phones, disks, and other media.
Koepi XviD is one such compilation.
Nic's XviD is another popular build that includes Xvid.
Windows Media Video
A coding system developed by Microsoft. Included in the Windows Media Multimedia Pack. It exists in several versions: Microsoft MPEG-4 Video Codec, Windows Media Video 9, etc. Despite the fact that WMW video cannot compete with DivX, it is actively used in the development of media and game applications for the Windows platform.
Programs for working with WMV
Windows Media Encoder is a codec and wrapper for the encoder.
Windows Media Video 9 VCM - similar to the previous one, but does not include a graphical shell.
Ligos indeo
Initially, the Ligos Indeo codec was developed by Intel, but then it was taken for revision by Ligos. Now the codec allows you to view videos at different bitrates, respectively, with adaptive quality. Ligos Indeo supports MMX processor instruction (although DivX has much more supported instructions).
Ligos Indeo software
Intel Codec Installer - Delivers the so-called I263 codec, which makes it possible to play e-cards and videos in the Ligos Indeo format.
Intel JPEG Library Video Codec (ijlvid) is a dedicated driver based on the Intel JPEG library that supports RGB24 decompression and RGB24 and YUY2 compression.
Intel Music Coder - thanks to this package you can listen to AVI video with sound encoded in IMC.
Apple QuickTime
This free codec pack is well known not only to Apple users. Available for download from Apple's website (www.apple.com) along with a quicktime video playback software called QuickTime.
Apple QuickTime software
QuickTime is a program for playing files in MOV / QT format. Unfortunately, the version ported to Windows has many disadvantages (interface inconvenience, unjustified resource consumption, etc.).
QuickTime Alternative is an alternative to QuickTime. The package contains codecs and programs for playing videos in quicktime format.
DScaler MPEG
Programs for working with DScaler MPEG
GPL MPEG -1/2 DirectShow Decoder Filter, Stinky's MPEG -2 Codec - allows you to play MPEG -1 and MPEG -2 files in Windows Media Player and other players.
Dscaler is a program for capturing and processing MPEG video format.
TrueMotion VP6
TrueMotion VP6 is a competitor to the MPEG4 codecs DivX and Xvid. At low bitrates it gives a noticeably better picture than the latter. Recently, many videos have been encoded in VP6 and have the FLV format. Instead of TrueMotion VP6, an improved version is offered - VP7.
VP6 software
Flash browsers, video players.
Free FLV Converter and Any Video Converter are respectively paid and free converters from FLV to other video formats.
Advice. If you want all of the above packages to be installed on your computer and do not want to download each codec separately, download and install the universal and free K-Lite Pack (www.codecguide.com). It is distributed in 5 versions:
- Basic - contains the required minimum: DivX and Xvid codecs.
- Standard - more extended compared to the previous package. Allows you to play common and less well-known formats.
- Full - the package most intended for video encoding / decoding. Includes all the tools necessary for these operations.
- Corporate is a corporate solution. Very similar to the Full package.
- Mega - Full version plus a set of Real Alternative codecs.
Video formats
MPG
Basic MPEG format. A file with this extension contains MPEG1 video + MP2 (MPEG -1 layer 2) or, more rarely, MP1 audio.
VOB
MPEG file format on DVD-Video discs. It is the same MPG, but with subtitles and a non-MPEG audio track (it can be AC-3 audio.
AVI
AVI (Audio Video Interleaved - Audio + Video + Layered) is a format developed by Microsoft and is most commonly used for storing MPEG4 video. Microsoft currently recommends using ASF instead of AVI.
ASF
ASF (Active Streaming Format) is another Microsoft development. There are two flavors of ASF - v1.0 and v2.0. For some time, ASF files have had the extension WMA or WMV.
MOV / QT
The format was developed by Apple. QuickTime is the recommended format for MPEG4. MOV files come with the extension MPG or MP4. The video and audio in these files is nothing more than MPG and AAC.
RealMedia
Streaming format. It is characterized, on the one hand, by low image quality at high bit rates and, on the other hand, by a good compression ratio. This allows you to play music and video on the Internet in “demo” quality. RealMedia files have the extension * .RM, * .RAM, or * .RMVB.
Audio formats (abbreviated)
ASF
ASF (Advanced Streaming Format, not to be confused with the video format of the same name) is an audio standard for Mac OS. Large file size and quality close to AudioCD.
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) - Compresses audio up to 50 percent without loss of sound quality.
Wav
Standard format for Windows. The sound is stored without loss of quality and, accordingly, the file takes up a lot of disk space.
FLAC(English Free Lossless Audio Codec - free lossless audio codec) is a popular free codec for audio compression. Unlike lossy codecs Ogg Vorbis, MP3 and AAC, it does not remove any information from the audio stream and is suitable both for listening to music on high-quality sound-reproducing equipment and for audio collection. Supported by many audio applications.
AIFF
File format for the Mac OS platform. It is characterized by high sound quality as it is not subject to compression (the so-called loseless format).
Monkey's Audio is a popular lossless digital audio encoding format. Distributed free of charge along with open source and a set of software for encoding and playback, as well as plugins for popular players. Monkey's Audio files have APE extensions for storing audio and APL for storing metadata.
WMA (Windows Media Audio) is a format developed by Microsoft for storing and broadcasting audio information. Initially, the WMA format was conceived as an alternative to MP3, but for the day Microsoft opposes it to another format - AAC. The files compressed with this codec are about a quarter more in volume than OGG, although the WMA format is characterized by a good compression ability, which allows it to "bypass" MP3 in sound quality at low bit rates.
MP3 lossy compression format. In short, the audio compression algorithm is as follows: audio information that a person cannot perceive is removed from the recording.
Objectively, MP3 cannot be called the “best” or “optimal” format. Its main advantage is that the format is so widespread that there can be no problems with software / hardware incompatibility. The compression ratio can be varied, including within the same file. The range of possible bitrate values is 8 - 320 kbps. Most of the music distributed on the Internet illegally has a bitrate of 128 to 256 (in rare cases 320) kbps. For introductory listening, this quality is quite enough, but for storage in an audio collection, we recommend using OGG or AAC. In terms of size / quality, AAC wins.
AAC
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) is the most likely alternative to MP3 (as they say - "the result of the evolution of MP3 files"). The format is promoted by Apple - in particular, in the well-known online music store iTunes. Sometimes AAC is found on other music services as well.
When compressed, AAC loses less audio information than MP3. As a result, with the same size, AAC outperforms MP3 in quality. Moreover, in this format it is possible to compress audio without loss of quality (ALAC profile). Other features compared to MP3:
Frequencies from 8 Hz to 96 kHz (MP3: 8 Hz - 48 kHz)
- Up to 48 audio channels
- Greater coding efficiency with a constant audio stream
- Greater coding efficiency with changing audio stream
File format:
M4A- unprotected AAC file,
M4B- AAC file supporting bookmarks (used for audiobooks and podcasts),
M4P- protected AAC file. Used in online stores to protect a file from copying.
OGG
Ogg Vorbis is a relatively new audio compression format (officially released in the summer of 2002). Since the license under which it is distributed is completely open source, OGG has taken root as the main format in the Linux environment. OGG allows you to compress tracks in a decent listening quality (8kHz-48.0kHz, 16+ bit, bitrate from 16 to 128 kbps per channel). This puts the format on a par with AAC, WMA and, of course, MP3. The psychoacoustic model used in Vorbis is close to MPEG Audio Layer III, but the practical implementation of this model is somewhat different. Therefore, when listening to OGG files, you can notice a noticeable difference (both at high and low bitrates) compared to other formats.
Author: Jack M. Germain
Published Date: November 3rd, 2010
Translation: N. Romodanov
Date of translation: November 2010
When it comes to the sheer number of formats used on digital media, users on any platform can feel dizzy, and users who may be thinking about switching to Linux may find that certain file types simply cannot be reproduced on an open source OS. In reality, there is nothing to be afraid of - below are three applications that can be used to convert common and little-known digital media formats to those that are easily accepted by Linux.
One of the concerns that potential Linux users will remain with is that once they leave Windows, they will not be able to play their audio and video recordings. This was once a real problem. But now you don't have to worry about that anymore.
With three relatively new Linux applications, audio and video recordings can be converted in such a way that they can be played on most Linux distributions. Applications, and can move all your favorite multimedia files to Linux together or separately.
These three applications are really key if you want to use Linux as a real desktop alternative to Microsoft Windows. Computer users have more and more portable devices that consume an insane amount of audio and video recordings. Nothing will put newbies away from Linux as quickly as not being able to use audio or video.
Proprietary issues
A big stumbling block when working with video and audio files is the proprietary codecs that are used by programs on other platforms. The format conversion is not intended for unauthorized use of music or video content. I just want to be able to reproduce what I already have on whatever computer platform I choose. Audio and video converting applications serve this purpose.
This means that you should be able to receive files in proprietary formats used on other platforms, such as Real Media, Apple Quicktime, and Microsoft Windows Media Video, and quickly and easily convert them for playback using open source players.
Using Arista
In Arista Transcoder, you can select any encoding and any type of video source as long as it is readable with GStreamer. This includes the contents of the DVD. You can also choose the format of the output file.
This application is extremely convenient due to the fact that it comes with a huge number of presets for a wide range of portable devices. The presets save the user the guesswork of how to perform the conversion, which happens all the time with other programs used to convert multimedia formats.
These presets avoid the hassle of fiddling with things like choosing different video and audio codecs, output image sizes, frame rates, and so on.
Rice. 1. Arista Transcoder application
Free tool
Until now, I haven’t come across a converter program that is as simple as Arista Transcoder. In the Edit / Preferences panel, there is practically nothing to select.
If you check the Search box, the application will automatically find the media source that you have connected to your computer. Otherwise, you will have to make a choice yourself using a dialog box.
Using a quick-opening menu, you can select the type of device, such as an optical disc, specify the device, such as a computer or connected mobile device (I assume I iPod, smartphone, Sony PSP, etc.) and select a preset.
The conversion progress bar indicates the time remaining until the conversion is complete. In the Live Preview window, you can monitor the created image at a rate of two frames per second.
Presets reduce problems
There are very few choices in the interface. But that's not bad. In the preliminary settings, everything is done for you, taking into account the possibility of inputting a "live" multimedia signal, the use of licensed pure conversion, as well as the choice of the following quality levels: low, medium and high.
There are presets for iPod, computer, DVD player, PSP, PlayStation 3 and many more devices. The ability to automatically update presets is built in.
Key Features of SoundConverter
SoundConverter has a reputation for being reliable and useful. It is the leading audio conversion application for the GNOME desktop.
Fig. 2. Sound Recorder Application
Just like Arista Transcoder, SoundCoverter needs the GStreamer library. With the help of this duet, you will be able to read everything that you submit to the input of the application.
The application reads the following formats: Ogg Vorbis, AAC, MP3, FLAC, WAV, AVI, MPEG, MOV, M4A, AC3, DTS, ALAC, MPC, Shorten, APE, SID, MOD, XM, S3M and many others. And records files in WAV, FLAC, MP3, AAC and Ogg Vorbis formats./p>
Check out the following link for a quick guide on how to run the SoundConverter application on Ubuntu, Fedora, Mandriva, Gentoo, and Debvian distributions.
Fast and using all resources
Thanks to its multithreading technology, SoundConverter is very fast. It can use multiple cores on the fly.
It can also extract audio tracks from videos. This increases the speed of work.
SoundConverter is built on a simple GTK + GUI for the GNOME desktop.
SoundConverter's interface is very austere. All actions are made invisible to the user. You have very little choice in the file you convert.
Small selection of options
The largest number of SoundConverter settings are available in the Edit / Preferences panel. This is where you specify where the output file will be placed and also specify other output characteristics.
You can either specify the directory where the input file is located, or choose a different location. You can also create a subdirectory directly from the panel or delete the original file.
SoundConverter also has minor options for adjusting the sample rate, which depends on the other settings you choose. For example, set the target bitrate to 192kpbs. If you look at the Resample settings, you will see that you have seven options to choose from.
Good governance
When it comes to applications that convert formats, it is very important to be able to control the settings of the resulting file. I like the option offered by SoundControl as it is not found in other applications.
In the drop-down list, you can specify the name of the output file. You can also specify the track number and title, list artists, and add your own data.
You can also specify the format type in the output filter. You can select Vorbis (.ogg), lossless FLAC (.flac), or MS Wave (.wav). The latter option is likely to be more comfortable for those who come from the Windows world.
In the Preferences pane of this application, there is a hierarchy of settings for setting different levels of output file quality. You can choose from six quality levels. They range from very low to insanely high.
We use the Ogg format
OggConvert is a Gnome and GTK utility for converting multimedia files to the Vorbis patent-free format. This utility is slightly more flexible than other applications. The OggConvert utility can work with the latest versions of the format.
Fig. 3. OggConvert App
The formats are Theora, Dirac and VP8. Don't confuse OggConvert with Ogg Converter. These are completely different programs.
What OggConvert, SoundConverter, and Arista Transcoder have in common is that they all use GStreamer to convert media files to Theora and Vorbis formats.
Restrictions
Converting formats in OggConvert is easier than in other programs I've used. The only potential downside to this app is that it only converts files to Ogg and Matroska formats.
Matroska is an open source, open standard multimedia container. These are usually files with the extensions .MKV (Matroska video), .MKA (Matroska audio) and .MKS (subtitles). This format is also the basis for .webm (WebM) files.
I haven't had the opportunity to work much with Matroska files. But Ogg is the standard, especially for Linux players. So I think OggConvert is a good choice when you have to deal with files in various audio and video formats.
How to use
Of all the three converter apps discussed here, OggConvert has the leanest interface. The developer even dispensed with the traditional menu items - File / Edit / etc.
Using this app is not difficult at all. Just navigate to the location where you have recorded your media files and select the file. Set the audio quality and video quality with the help of two engines.
Select Ogg or Matroska as the output format and, if you want, click on the title of the window and change the name of the output file. Indicate where you want to save the output file.
That's all there is to configure. Just hit the Convert button and you're done.
In the Site Library, you will also find the following articles on converting files to free formats:
In this article, you will see how easy it is to convert files of these formats to each other using the command line.
