OT: mp3 vs mp4

[Stephen Quinn Barncard]

>Does anyone know about the merits/problems of encoding audio for 
>internet delivery as mp4 (presumably smaller files and better 
>quality) vs sticking with mp3? One issue we know of is that RealOne 
>Player will play mp3 files now (their own .ra codec is really no 
>longer needed)

Realplayers have been able to play mp3s for years, as long as they 
are designated as the default player, however they were regarded as 
not 'sounding as good' as other players such as Audion or Winamp. For 
a long while, Real products were a pain in the ass as they viciously 
modified user settings for every format it could play. People 
complained, and they backed off the practice. I'd see sometimes 4-5 
instances of identical realplayer assignments in the Mac Internet 
panel.

>  but perhaps .mp4 files will not play on windows. Problem being, as 
>a Mac user, I find everything, works everywhere... We would like to 
>switch to mp4 but am worried that it could break on windows 
>machines, both in Revolution (i.e. using Quick
>time on Windows) and in RealOne Player.

Nothing beats real for the most compact and easily streamed files for 
voice. If the demand is small, you don't need real's server and you 
can still stream by http. Real *did* make a free encoder (albeit 
clumsy to get you to buy the paid one, and no Mac OSX version.  And 
Microsoft still didn't get it... there's still no encoder for mac for 
Windows media...and anyway, what distinguishes Win media from just 
being a me-too format except the enormous might of an almost-monopoly?

>
>Any thoughts or input welcome (email me off list it this thread 
>seems to far a field though though other developers may be 
>interested.
>
>
>TIA
>
Sannyasin Sivakatirswami