the scoop on OGG Vorbis ?

[sakman74]

what's the deal with Ogg Vorbis, anyone try it out ? is it good ? who has software packages that can convert to it ? I downloaded the source files, but it does nothing for me.

[Sczervok]

You need something like DBPower amp (or whatever)
THe source files are only if you want to modify the encoding process.

Ogg is very good at low bitrates with its ability to keep a large amount of sound quality, and still sound great.
Compared the mp3, the lower the bitrate, the more Ogg sounds better than mp3.

They break even at about 192 kbps.. any higher, and mp3 wins over that.

Ogg is great for portable flash players that don't have a lot of memory to stuff many files onboard.

[blessingx]

Originally posted by Sczervok They break even at about 192 kbps.. any higher, and mp3 wins over that.

Am not sure everyone would say this, though LAME's presets do hold their own against Ogg Vorbis and AAC. Also I find -q6 (~192 kb/s) to be superior to 192 MP3.

One of the problems with Ogg is its CPU power recoding requirements and resulting battery consumption issues. One the plus side (if you can find a use for it over lossless ) you can go up to 500 kb/s.

[Thrasher]

Originally posted by blessingx
One the plus side (if you can find a use for it over lossless ) you can go up to 500 kb/s.

Why would someone encode at 500 kbps? I doubt if someone can hear the difference between a 256 kbps and 500 kbps Ogg file.
And BTW - AFAIK Ogg bitrate can go even higher than 500. OggdropXPd using GT3b1 has a nominal bitrate of 519.8kbps at -q 10.

[Thrasher]

Originally posted by sakman74
what's the deal with Ogg Vorbis, anyone try it out ? is it good ? who has software packages that can convert to it ? I downloaded the source files, but it does nothing for me.

Try downloading oggdropXPd using LibVorbis POST v1.0.1 and use -q 4 (about 128 kbps), which should be sufficient for common use or oggdropXPd using GT3b2 for higher bitrates.
Simply drag-and-drop your wav files.

[sakman74]

I downloaded and used this to convert the same WAV track I have saved as a 320 kbps MP3, to .ogg @ 350 kbps (there was no matching 320 kbps save, it was either 256, or 350). So I played back both the MP3 track and the OGG track, both converted directly from the source (WAV). There is a significant difference in quality, the OGG was much much better, eliminating those click noises you hear in an MP3 @ vocal and highs points. Seriously, for the extra 1 MB that it cost my hard drive (for this one music file), I would rather convert all my audio to OGG. As a matter of fact, i think i can downgrade to 256 kbps OGG and it would still sound better than a 320kbps MP3. Only downside is that conversion takes a while, maybe 1-2 mins for a 5 min average song. Maybe that's the software, I know doing it to MP3 is faster thru roxio. Maybe i'll snag the new roxio media creator, which supports OGG. Also Windows does not recognize the file type as music, so I cannot add all the kool track title artist things i would like (in windows explorer, properties, advanced). Media player doesn't play them either. But Winamp does. Can't wait for some Firmware that will enable the SlimX 550 to play them.....

[Thrasher]

Originally posted by sakman74
I downloaded and used this to convert the same WAV track I have saved as a 320 kbps MP3, to .ogg @ 350 kbps (there was no matching 320 kbps save, it was either 256, or 350). So I played back both the MP3 track and the OGG track, both converted directly from the source (WAV). There is a significant difference in quality, the OGG was much much better, eliminating those click noises you hear in an MP3 @ vocal and highs points. Seriously, for the extra 1 MB that it cost my hard drive (for this one music file), I would rather convert all my audio to OGG. As a matter of fact, i think i can downgrade to 256 kbps OGG and it would still sound better than a 320kbps MP3. Only downside is that conversion takes a while, maybe 1-2 mins for a 5 min average song. Maybe that's the software, I know doing it to MP3 is faster thru roxio. Maybe i'll snag the new roxio media creator, which supports OGG. Also Windows does not recognize the file type as music, so I cannot add all the kool track title artist things i would like (in windows explorer, properties, advanced). Media player doesn't play them either. But Winamp does. Can't wait for some Firmware that will enable the SlimX 550 to play them.....

What mp3 encoder did you use? I'm sure if you use LAME with --preset insane (320 kbps) you will not tell the difference between the Ogg file encoded @ 350 kbps from the same source WAV.

BTW, the Ogg firmware for SlimX is out for some time now. But it only supports Ogg bitrate from 96-256 kbps, but I think -q 5 (180 kbps) must be transparent for most people unless you have very high quality equipment and very good ears!

[sakman74]

really, didn't see a firmware update for the SlimX 550 that gives it ogg play capability. I use roxio easy cd creator 5 to rip from CD to MP3. Probably a cheesy software bundle to get good quality out of ? If so, then i can get me some better software when i find it.

[Thrasher]

Originally posted by sakman74
really, didn't see a firmware update for the SlimX 550 that gives it ogg play capability. I use roxio easy cd creator 5 to rip from CD to MP3. Probably a cheesy software bundle to get good quality out of ? If so, then i can get me some better software when i find it.

Try using Exact Audio Copy together with LAME mp3 encoder...

[steevc]

I had a play with OGG Vorbis over the weekend. I ripped Yoyo Ma's Bach's cello suites with EAC and encoded with LAME --alt-preset standard. This is for use on my Palm, so I don't want the files too big.

I encoded the WAV with OGG at various rates. Down to Q2 (75kb/s) it still sounded pretty good to me. I'm guessing that this music compresses quite well as it's fairly simple.

I need to play more with different types of music.

One reason some people prefer OGG is that it's a very open standard with no licencing or patent issues. It isn't as well known as MP3.

--
Steve