Some of the media manager apps (like amrok under Linux) will even autoconvert formats for files transfered to players. There are lots of good solutions for this.
As far as MP3 patents go.. Not only does rca/tomson have patents in the US but in Germany as well (mostly the subband coding patents are the interesting ones). Typical terms require per download fees, so having a licensed encoder isn't enough.
It's all carefully managed in a way to keep the pain threshold for free format (Ogg/Vorbis) adoption just slightly higher than the fees. Such is life.
On 1/4/07, MacGyverMagic/Mgm macgyvermagic@gmail.com wrote:
There's plenty of conversion software out there that allows you to make the conversion for such files yourself. Have you googled it?
Mgm
On 1/4/07, Matt R matt_crypto@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
I'd like to download Spoken Wikipedia articles to my MP3 player so I can
learn
stuff without being stuck at a computer. At present I cannot, because my
MP3
player doesn't play Ogg Vorbis, and cannot be made to support it. Further, MP3's are not permitted on Wikipedia because of the lack of legal free
players:
http://mail.wikipedia.org/pipermail/wikitech-l/2004-July/011514.html
Our policy is motivated correctly: Wikipedia needs to be free, and that includes the technology which is required to access it.
However, is there any problem with having a rule along the lines of: "MP3 format can be used by Wikipedia only in those cases where the same
material is
also available in Ogg in equal or better quality"? That way, Wikipedia
audio
content can always be read by legal free players AND by devices which do
not,
and maybe cannot, support Ogg.
(As usual, feel free to point me to wherever this has been beaten to death already, if that's the case)
-- Matt
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Matt_Crypto Blog: http://cipher-text.blogspot.com
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