I just ran across this review. Im not sure how old it is though. Too bad they didn't review lame in this test.

Sean

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/SoundAndVision/FrameSet/0,1670,_sl_SoundAndVision_sl_Article_sl_0_cm_1653_cm_129_4395_1_cm_00,00.html

Interesting article. Anyone know what the heck the Sony ATRAC-3 is that they mention in this article? Leave it to Sony to come up with YET ANOTHER standard that will divide up consumers and dillute the market.

-Tony
MkII #554

I *believe* that the Sony ATRAC format is the native compression used in the MiniDisc products and their portable MP3 players.

Their portable MP3 products convert actual MP3 files into some other format (presumably ATRAC) and serialize the files for "security".

It seems to be a closed format, maybe along the lines of a Liquid Audio.

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greggerm 09000991

From what I remeber when I owned a MiniDisc, there are ATRAC, ATRAC-2, ATRAC-3, and ATRAC-4. They are the methods of encoding/decoding in Sony branded MiniDisc units. ATRAC-3 seems to be the most widely used in modern Sony MiniDiscs.

If you bought a MiniDisc player/recorder from Sharp or another brand, it would have a different method of encoding/decoding (most likely).

-Rob
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12GB MK2 Blue 090000736 (6166 in the queue)

The ATRAC versions are not really new formats (like MPEG 1 and MPEG 2) they are simply more refined circuits. They are also forward AND backward compatible. So, you can encode an MD on a ATRAC 4 machine and play it back on an ATRAC 1 machine. Sound quality got better with each version (ATRAC 1 was bad!)

Also, MD has been around longer than MP3 I believe (1992) and it is pretty invisible to most users. ATRAC does have digital copy protection, so I am guessing this was their main reason for using it.

12gig Mk. II BLUE
Detroit, MI USA
www.PfeifferBeer.com

Ah yes, good ol' MD. My dad bought a player/recorder when they were first coming out. The guys who sold it to us said "Tower Records just got a big shipment of pre-recorded MD's in". We went to Tower Records, and there was a small shelf in the back of the store with about 50 different albums. And blank discs cost $17!! Needless to say we returned it.

But I bought one a couple years ago and I love it.

I did notice the sound quality improve a heck of alot. I believe my player uses ATRAC-3.

DiGNAN
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, etc.

Anyone else think it's funny that ATRAC sounds like "8 track"? Could this be another format that never takes off?

-Tony
MkII #554

Interesting article. I think this is the same group that did the really neat double-blind test a while back with the burned CDs. They have further improved the double-blind test by eschewing the burned CDs and using an SPDIF output from the computer on a standardized system. Nicely done, and good data.

I have only one problem with the article: They tested everything at 128. Everyone knows 128 sucks, everyone knows that WMA is better than MP3 at low bitrates, yada yada yada.

I want to see a serious shootout like that one, but with everything at high bitrates or at a decent VBR setting.

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Tony Fabris

They had to test at some common bitrate across the board. 128 still seems to be the most common one used, even if most of us don't use it. I wish they would have tested lames vbr mode. It would be interesting to read what they would think about it.

Sean