Big sound, small files

People have always sought high-quality sound

By BBC News Online internet reporter Mark Ward

Digital music files are getting smaller and sounding better.

The popular MP3 format used by millions to convert bulky music tracks into files a fraction of their former size is getting an overhaul.

A newer version of the software, which shrinks the files even further whilst still preserving the quality, is close to being released.

But the revised program faces stiff competition as companies vie to promote their particular way of converting CD tracks into digital, downloadable formats.

Music maestro

One of the reasons music is popular on the web is because of the MP3 compression algorithm that turns disk-hogging sound files into smaller versions that are far easier to store and swap.

MP3, or MPEG-1 audio layer 3 to give its full name, works by sampling a stream of music every now and again and throwing away what human ears will not miss.

The more information that is kept the higher the quality of the music. A rate of 128 kilobits per second produces near-CD quality. At this rate, a minute of music takes up about a megabyte of storage space.

Now, a new version of the file-squashing algorithm, called mp3PRO, is being developed by French electronics giant Thomson and Coding Technologies. The latter is an offshoot from the German Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits that developed one of the most popular MP3 encoders.

Sample saver

The mp3PRO software will be free to anyone making non-commercial codecs but those looking to make money out of it will have to pay for a licence.

Thomson and Coding Technologies claim that mp3PRO produces CD-quality music at half the sampling rate of previous versions. The software is due to be ready by March and players that can use it should be on sale by the second half of 2001.

They also claim that existing MP3 players, such as Thomson's Lyra, will be able to play tracks converted with the new format. However, only MP3 players that can have their internal software upgraded will be able to take advantage of the improved file compression.

Thomson and Coding Technologies have updated the software in response to the growing number of encoders produced by rivals such as Microsoft and MP3 enthusiasts that do a better job of compressing sound files.

Format fever

Thanks to its dominance of software for home PCs, Microsoft's Windows Media Audio is beginning to be widely used. It already claims to have a better compression-to-file-size ratio than MP3, and it has signed up large music makers, such as Warner, that is producing files in the format.

Real Networks has its own algorithm for shrinking audio and video files as does Liquid Audio.

Universal Music is developing a fresh format called Bluematter, which also draws on work from the Fraunhofer Institute.

While record companies are happy to produce music in all kinds of formats, many music sites and the makers of the players typically tie themselves to one or two. Unless music fans choose carefully, they may find there are some tracks that they cannot play.