[NTLUG:Discuss] MP3 Encoder

[Paul Ingendorf]

Interesting, were can I find more information on this issue with regards to the 
legalese of mp3 encoding software?  I am asking as the only mention I can find 
of it is on the ogg vorbis website were they are justifying why people should 
move to ogg.  I have seen mention of this before but never have I seen anything 
without bias towards this being a fact.

I know that the Mandrake version I run on my server currently has the lame mp3 
encoder which I have successfully scripted on many occasions to rip some of my 
cds to mp3 without a hitch.

Quoting mike <Just_Mike_Y at Yahoo.com>:

> I searched for a MP3 encoder a couple months ago.  I found that Thompson
> 
> electronics patented mp3 encoding, and Beginning in 2001(?) they want to
> 
> charge you to include mp3 encode functionality in your programs.  I've
> seen 
> some MP3 encoders on foreign websites (sites hosted in countries not 
> supporting US IP patents)  However, those sites warn you to not download
> if 
> its illegal, with specific mention that it IS illegal for US residents.
> 
> 
> Bottom line is: In the US, MP3 encoders are illegal without a license
> from 
> one of (microsoft's, RIAA's) little brothers, so don't expect it to be
> 
> readily available as free software for quite a while.
> 
> If you are still interested in reading more about this (i.e. going to
> ignore 
> legal warnings,) Try searching info bases of non-US linux distro's  for
> "MP3 
> encoder."  
> 
> 	http://www.suse.co.uk/index_uk.html
> 	
> Or googlesearch ".rpm MP3 bladeenc download"
> 
> (or substitute your packaging extension (.zip, .dbm, etc) and (lame,
> notlame, 
> other encoder that your frontend supports)
> 
> The open source community's answer to Thompson electronic's belated
> licensing 
> move is to create a 'patent-free' spec for compressed music (as well as
> other 
> multimedia types in the future.)  
> 
> 	http://www.xiph.org/ogg/
> 
> OGG vorbis is the 'open' answer to  mp3 (altho I haven't found a working
> 
> encoder binary for OGG yet.) OGG and MP3 are not mixable (??as best I
> can 
> determine--anyone know for sure??) All the MP3 players you can buy at
> Fryes 
> will not play OGG's.(?)  However, KDE's kmedia player has .ogg play 
> capability, and XMMS has .ogg play. The one or 2 .oggs I've downloaded
> sound 
> similar to .mp3's of the same size/length ratio (through my 1 inch PC 
> speakers anyway.) 
> 
> I'm more closely watching the OGG Tarkin project (still in the cloud 
> stage--a.k.a vaporware.) which will a video compression spec that is
> patent 
> free.  My plans to take over the world with a video recorder are based
> on 
> this technology (heh)
> 



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