Comment Re:Are iTMS's 128kbps Songs Worth Collecting? (Score 1) 421
Hmm,
Lets refresh.
MPEG-2 is as close to an Absolute encoder as there ever will be.
MPEG-4 and such are Perceptual encoders; it only encodes what the average ho hum person can perceive in a 320x240 on a computer screen.
You dont really see any improment in an MPEG 4 past 1Mbps in SP or ASP; the only profiles in current use. Now, if it was an MPEG4 at Studio Profile @ 38Mbps; then yes, it would look better.(4000x4000 resolution). But, MPEG2 at 38Mbps is dam nice. Hell, MPEG2 @ 25Mbps is nice.
Most Direct TV talking head crap is MPEG2 @ 2Mbps. This is were the bitrate is too small for the enocder to work properly; but there is no motion, so it works. Thats why most sporting events on DirectTV are at 9 to 12Mbps; too much motion.
And, all those stupid digital cable providers are crushing the shit out of everything; you cant even see the puck during a hocky game, its gone.
So, back to your point; you weren't comparing apples to apples.
You took MPEG2 at near its bottom limit to do anything worth while and compared it to MPEG4 at its useful max.
Well, I would believe also that the MPEG 4 will look better. But its still a perceptual encoder.
You say that the codec determines the quality.
Well, MPEG4 is a lossy encoder, MPEG2 isn't.
As far as bitrates go, they must correspond to the codec's intent.
MPEG2@2.5Mbps is like MPEG4@50Kps.
Now, I would rather watch the MPEG2 file at 480x400@30fps than the MPEG4 at 160x80@10fps.
Here is the kicker though, people will watch a crappy picture, but they will NOT tolerate bad audio. Our ears have more "resolution" than our eyes do.
Sonic depth of field.
Stereo seperation. ie 3dimensional imaging.
Frequency Range.
Harmonics.
All of this is lost in a low bitrate lossy encoder.
Try a lamemp3 with a vbr range of 192-256 @ 48Khz with minimum bitrate enforced with a low pass filter set at 19.5K and disable the temporal masking effects.
File size is about the same, and the quality is great; but still missing some harmonics.
What will really get you is listening to an actual Vinyl Album and compare it to a CD.
Lets refresh.
MPEG-2 is as close to an Absolute encoder as there ever will be.
MPEG-4 and such are Perceptual encoders; it only encodes what the average ho hum person can perceive in a 320x240 on a computer screen.
You dont really see any improment in an MPEG 4 past 1Mbps in SP or ASP; the only profiles in current use. Now, if it was an MPEG4 at Studio Profile @ 38Mbps; then yes, it would look better.(4000x4000 resolution). But, MPEG2 at 38Mbps is dam nice. Hell, MPEG2 @ 25Mbps is nice.
Most Direct TV talking head crap is MPEG2 @ 2Mbps. This is were the bitrate is too small for the enocder to work properly; but there is no motion, so it works. Thats why most sporting events on DirectTV are at 9 to 12Mbps; too much motion.
And, all those stupid digital cable providers are crushing the shit out of everything; you cant even see the puck during a hocky game, its gone.
So, back to your point; you weren't comparing apples to apples.
You took MPEG2 at near its bottom limit to do anything worth while and compared it to MPEG4 at its useful max.
Well, I would believe also that the MPEG 4 will look better. But its still a perceptual encoder.
You say that the codec determines the quality.
Well, MPEG4 is a lossy encoder, MPEG2 isn't.
As far as bitrates go, they must correspond to the codec's intent.
MPEG2@2.5Mbps is like MPEG4@50Kps.
Now, I would rather watch the MPEG2 file at 480x400@30fps than the MPEG4 at 160x80@10fps.
Here is the kicker though, people will watch a crappy picture, but they will NOT tolerate bad audio. Our ears have more "resolution" than our eyes do.
Sonic depth of field.
Stereo seperation. ie 3dimensional imaging.
Frequency Range.
Harmonics.
All of this is lost in a low bitrate lossy encoder.
Try a lamemp3 with a vbr range of 192-256 @ 48Khz with minimum bitrate enforced with a low pass filter set at 19.5K and disable the temporal masking effects.
File size is about the same, and the quality is great; but still missing some harmonics.
What will really get you is listening to an actual Vinyl Album and compare it to a CD.
Slashdot Top Deals
"It is better to have tried and failed than to have failed to try, but the result's the same." - Mike Dennison
