EMI goes DRM free

[elmo3]

But no one's saying you can't go ahead and continue to buy lossy music with format licensing issues, if that's your choice.

Pray tell, what "format licensing issues" have you ever run into with MP3?

As far as Apple/EMI decided on AAC, nothing--NOTHING--in that world happens that isn't 100% to the benefit of them, and perhaps only incidentally of benefit to the customer. And it it's detrimental to the customer, they don't care. Just buy their stuff.

Gee. And MP3 has never been a problem, works well for its intended purpose (does anyone REALLY care about ultimate sound quality from an iPod?), and is ubiquitous.

[M A V I C]

[quote elmo3]How many AAC players are out there?

AAC is, for all intents and purposes, a proprietary, closed format owned by Apple--no matter how "freely" they CURRENTLY make it available. It's no different than any of the "freely available" Microsoft proprietary technologies that you all love to hate.

MP3 is everywhere, Anything can play an MP3.

No thanks. I'll take MP3, in order that my music is TRULY available to me anywhere on anything.
Lots of devices support AAC. I recently had fairly basic cell phone that supports AAC. I also have a WindowsMobile device that supports it.

[zachdog]

MP3 really sucks. Really. It doesn't matter what bit rate the original was converted. Yes, it may be the standard but it sucks. Listen to any MP3 on a great pair of speakers and the treble has scraping sounds and the bass sounds distorted. Yes, it may be faint, but it bothers me.

AAC sucks less. But it still sucks, especially at 128kbps. 256kbps is a huge improvement, but it is still lossy. The great thing about this announcement is that you can go ahead and convert it freely to MP3 -- if you like MP3 you won't be able to tell the difference anyway.

This is a great business move, and one that Apple is using to force the music industry to consider. The record companies want Apple to raise prices. Apple is saying "okay, but give the customer more value for their money." Boom. A win-win for everybody that uses the store.

Don't like the iTunes music store? No problem, go ahead and buy CDs. That's what I do.

[JoeM]

It all sux. Where's my Studer 2", 15 IPS with Dolby SR?

[deckeda]

[quote elmo3]
Pray tell, what "format licensing issues" have you ever run into with MP3?
Well, if you're going to sell a device or piece of software that plays back MP3 files, you've got "format licensing issues" to deal with, or get sued for patent infringement. MP3 is not open source.

[Seacrest]

Neither mp3 nor AAC are open source.
AAC licensing, however, is more "in the clear" than that mp3.
Microsoft just lost a judgment to Lucent/Alcatel over patent claims they purport to hold over mp3. So if the judgment holds up, all makers of of mp3-licensed hardware and software may have to cough up more licensing fees -- over and above what they already pay to Fraunhofer.

Apple does not, and never did "own" AAC.
AAC was often confused with the Fairplay DRM that they do own and refused to license to (most) other manufacturers, usually in poorly-written articles by bad "journalists" attempting to spread the FUD about so-called "iPod vendor lock-in".

[elmo3]

[quote deckeda][quote elmo3]
Pray tell, what "format licensing issues" have you ever run into with MP3?
Well, if you're going to sell a device or piece of software that plays back MP3 files, you've got "format licensing issues" to deal with, or get sued for patent infringement. MP3 is not open source.
That doesn't answer my question.

What "format licensing" issues have you ever run into with MP3?

MP3 is everywhere. AAC isn't.

[mikebw]

[quote elmo3]MP3 is everywhere. AAC isn't.
You're right. But not for long.

[elmo3]

[quote mikebw][quote elmo3]MP3 is everywhere. AAC isn't.
You're right. But not for long.
Money says....?

[deckeda]

[quote elmo3]
That doesn't answer my question.

What "format licensing" issues have you ever run into with MP3?
Me? Last time I checked, I don't write software or make hardware.