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AudioFile
Each week, AudioFile prints the musings of Internet luminaries upon the ever-evolving online
audio revolution.
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From a programming standpoint, developers strive to constantly evolve
towards code
that is tighter, more svelte, more elegant. This week our guest
columnist runs an A->B on MP3 and a new file format, Pm4u.
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A Techie Case for Pm4u over MP3
Why make the switch?
- MP3 requires floating-point arithmetic, a lot of working memory and a
powerful processor. Pm4u uses only integer arithmetic.
- MP3 uses thousands of lines of complex code that will not fit into an
embedded application. Pm4u is only a few hundred lines of code.
- You need a Pentium II processor based PC to record MP3 in real time.
Pm4u will work just fine on 16 bit microprocessors.
- MP3 was designed over ten years ago by hardware engineers with
hardware implementation in mind, so that software implementations are
difficult and awkward. Pn4u is software only, by design.
- MP3 was designed for a wide spectrum of applications, too far
reaching, thereby carrying many useless constraints for Internet and music
applications, such as codec delay. Pm4u is optimized to deliver music and
multimedia content over the Internet, designed for use in handheld
devices.
What are the essential features of PM4U?
- Strong audio compression. The average compression ratio is 10.5:1
- CD-like music quality: Especially a perfect spatial restitution of
stereo signals.
- Real-time recording and encoding from any audio source with cost
effective microcontrollers. Playback could be possible with fast 8 bit
microprocessors.
- Streamable. The music can play without delay, while the data is loaded
from the storage media or while the download from the network is still in
progress.
- Capable of being split and networked. The packet structure of a Pm4u
stream makes it easy to transport over the Internet or any kind of digital
networks.
- Cue-able, Tweakable, and carries auxiliary data: Lyrics and pictures.
From a progamming perspective, Pm4u wins.
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