Disqus
So, I am often typing away whilst listening to tracks I’ve downloaded on iTunes (yes, I’m happy to pay for them!). Most recently, I have had some closed-ear headphones (“cans”) plugged in to my PC, rather than perambulating around with a mobile device – and I think I’ve noticed something different, odd, and not good!
Previously I have had the iTunes tracks at a high volume in headphones, and listened closely – no track distortion. But recently I’ve started hearing ‘encoding artefacts’ poppping up. Now I don’t think Apple have changed their encoding bitrates, but, these artefacts can be introduced with something as trivial as encoder hardware/software change-out.
What do we mean by artefacts? well it could be that cymbals suddenly appear warped (instead of clear), or that the overall track seems compacted. Alternatively, the vocals could be unduly hissy. All of these aesthetic audio issues signify where the encoding process has thrown away data needed to faithfully represent the audio quality.
Of course, ‘quality is in the ear of the beholder’ so to speak, but I wonder whether other IntoMobile readers have noticed the same thing? I gotta say it’s somewhat ruining my experience of late. Given I spent nearly two years working for a Mobile Operator on audio and video encoding, I know my stuff, and I say the quality is different than even 12 months ago…. what say you? Am I going mad? Didn’t things used to be better?
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
