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Apple Reportedly Looking to Offer 24-Bit Music Files in iTunes Store
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Point I was going to make... 24-bit would be nice for the small percentile, but surely the best first-step would be Apple Lossless?
If they are catering for audiophiles I'd have to assume that the 24-bit format would also be lossless. The files would be huge though (at least 50MB for a single).
I was actually surprised when I downloaded a song about a year and a half ago from iTunes, and saw that it was 256 kbps. I usually rip MP3s at 160 or 192. 256 was overkill for me. So, I dunno if I would be able to tell the difference between 16 bit and 24 bit. It would be interesting to give it a listen though and see.
Yes, and no...
Although this would be a nice addition to the iTunes store, price increases are not good
99p per track in the UK is very expensive, and iTunes already has some competition here in the UK for internet music purchasing, so would a price increase just send iTunes plummeting here? Probably.
Although this would be a nice addition to the iTunes store, price increases are not good
99p per track in the UK is very expensive, and iTunes already has some competition here in the UK for internet music purchasing, so would a price increase just send iTunes plummeting here? Probably.
lossless does not mean compression.
Lossless means that nothing is lost in the file. WAV files, for example are lossless. APE files (which are compressed file formats of WAV files) are lossless. Zipping or RARing up a WAV file is still lossless but you can't play a ZIP or RAR file.
No. Most wave files are compressed using a lossy codec. During compression, quality and dynamic range are affect, thus... not lossless. Most of the audio and video files people download to their iStuff are compressed and lossy. You sacrifice quality for portability.
It's great to see Apple catching up with the audiophile community. Maybe they'll start streaming better quality video too, in about 5 years.
What's the difference between "lossless" audio, such as an Apple Lossless file ripped off a CD, and this 24-bit audio?
If they switched to 24 bit lossless, I'd be buying from the ITMS instead of buying on CD and ripping (as I do now).
To the FLAC fans... What is the big deal for you about FLAC over Apple Lossless? It's LOSSLESS - so you can make bit-perfect translations between one and the other!
To the FLAC fans... What is the big deal for you about FLAC over Apple Lossless? It's LOSSLESS - so you can make bit-perfect translations between one and the other!
They are building or have built a new data center. Maybe they could store lots and lots of 24bit music there!!!!! We can dream right!!
There are plenty of us jazz and classical listeners who appreciate it. It may be irrelevant for Britney Spears, but that does not make it irrelevant for music.
Most WAV files are uncompressed. WAV is a container format so it can contain both, but most of the time WAV files are uncompressed 16-bit linear PCM. From Wikipedia:
Kind of reminds me of the day with SACD. The sounds you would hear on a good system. Oh the days......
If you haven't done so, check out the 24 bit remasters of the Beatles.
CD's have a bit depth of 16bits. Studios usually record in 24bits. The advantage is increased dynamic range (a much lower noise floor).
I'd be happy enough with 16bit lossless from itunes.
