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Push for low audio quality in UK continues
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"
Mobile radio listeners will be able to download tracks as as they hear
them from early next year. Radio production outfit UBC and Heart FM
will roll out downloads via DAB in beta form this year, with a full
commercial launch in Q1 2007.
Each track, which cost £1.25 in the recent pilot project in
Birmingham, comes as two WMA files.
One is delivered to the phone and rated at 32kbps - which UBC claims
was acceptable quality in the trial, with 84 of 100 users satisfied -
and a higher quality 128kbps version more suitable for adding to
users' music libraries which will be accessible online.
"
Are they taking the p*ss, 32k and 128k as an acceptable bitrate - are
these people all deaf?
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No they just don't know of anything better thats all!..
Theres a nation growing up who haven't seen a good TV picture or have
much idea of what audio should be like!.
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128kbps WMA v9 is _far_ better quality than anything broadcast on DAB
and surprisingly good (though not perfect) even under critical
listening.
Even if it's 128kbps WMA v8 (which is more likely - better
compatibility), it's still far better quality than anything broadcast
on DAB (with the _possible_ exception of R3 on some content).
I assume 32kbps isn't really for listening via headphones, but for
playing via the built in speaker of the mobile phone. It's probably
adequate for the task.
Cheers,
David.
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