MUSIC FORMATS
Microsoft recently gave the open source movement an unintended boost. By replacing MP3 with its own format in Windows XP, the company has given a leg up to Ogg Vorbis. The unpatented, open source, digital audio compression format is attracting developers and hardware manufacturers who want to steer clear of Redmond's proprietary system and avoid MP3's costly licensing fees.
Named after a character in Terry Pratchett's novel Small Gods, Ogg Vorbis (or Vorbis, for short) rivals MP3 in sonic quality, and developers find it easy to work with. But Vorbis' real allure is that it's free. Although Microsoft says it doesn't plan to charge for Windows XP, companies aren't so sure there won't be strings attached. After all, most used MP3 for years without paying a dime. But after a seven-year free ride, the Fraunhofer Institute - the German research lab that holds the MP3 patent - started imposing fees in '98. Fraunhofer charges a minimum of $15,000 ($5 per encoder and 50 cents per player sold or distributed), even if the software or music is free. Streaming MP3 costs 2 percent of a licensee's revenue, with a $2,000 per year minimum. The institute also plans to establish a similar royalty setup for streaming or webcasting in MP3.
Supplanting MP3 as the standard for digital music downloads won't be easy, but Chris "Monty" Montgomery, Vorbis' creator, is confident that economics alone will drive the adoption of the format. Montgomery, who lives in Boston, recently released the first official version of Vorbis after a yearlong beta test. This fall, RealPlayer expects to support a plug-in for the new system, while WinAmp, another popular music player, already promotes Vorbis.
Playing Vorbis files on MP3 players and other digital audio devices is technically possible, but manufacturers like Iomega and Rio are waiting to see if consumer demand is strong enough to warrant a move to the format. iObjects, which makes operating systems for digital audio devices, is building in support for Vorbis. The new system's primary obstacle to mass adoption may well be the major record labels. None has plans to release music in the format, mainly because Vorbis has no built-in antipiracy mechanisms.
"We love the fact that the project is really raising awareness about the substantial intellectual property problems posed by MPEG-4," says Rob Lanphier, program manager at Real Networks. "Vorbis is exactly the kind of project that we developed our platform for."
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