Chris Fahey wrote:
quoted 3 lines What's the point of having pre-recorded RealAudio tracks? Isn't
>
> What's the point of having pre-recorded RealAudio tracks? Isn't
> RealAudio meant for live broadcast?
You can use it for both.
quoted 7 lines If I want to hear pre-recorded stuff that I get from the web, why can't
> If I want to hear pre-recorded stuff that I get from the web, why can't
> I just download a full-quality 44/16/stereo WAV file, maybe
> zip-compressed, and listen to that? That is, instead of listening to a
> crappy RealAudio file which not only sounds bad but breaks up in heavy
> net traffic?
>
> Does anyone know what the theory is behind it?
The theory is that 44/16/stereo WAV files are very large, and downloading
them takes a long time. If you have an entire song, the file may very
well take you 10 minutes or more to download.
On the other hand, if you have RealAudio, you don't have to wait for the
download, and you don't have to have that much space allocated for the
music while you listen. And when you hit the URL, it starts right away,
so there's no waiting.
Also, if I want to give people an opportunity to listen to my CD over the
Web, I don't want them dowloading 44/16/stereo WAV files, because then
they could press them onto recordable CDs and they'd have no reason to
buy the original. With the lesser quality of RealAudio, you *still* get
a very good feel for what the music sounds like and whether you'd want to
buy it, but you'd still have to front the money to get the best-quality
version of it.
This is the theory, anyways. I am completely ambivalent on the subject.
--
Adam J Weitzman "Getting [your computer] to work is no more
Individual, Inc. difficult than building a nuclear reactor
weitzman@individual.com from wristwatch parts using only your teeth."
http://www.individual.com - Dave Barry