Your lossy codec of choice in 2006?, Format popularity Options

[vinnie97]

Self-explanatory, I think...the previous poll being over a year old and there has been substantial development (IMO) across all the major players (barring MPC with little known about WMA).

[jolo]

It is said that people let the marketing deparment of large oligopilies control what they use. Ugh.

The best way to fight control the total Corporate control of art, creativity, unfair copyright laws, the idiotic DRM is with your dollars.

The worse of them is Microsoft and Apple. How consumers just accept anything they do is beyond me.

For example, there are better portable audio players, that the incredibly unflexible Ipod.
They will never, ever support any royalty free, open source product because they are about marketing and convincing you to eat their limitations and be happy. After all, it has the "accepted cool factor".

Why people who have an understanding of the industry use iTUNES is beyond me. You are stuck with the awful DRM crap.

I use AllofMP3. After I select what I want, then I choose the audio format and quality. One of the options is lossless and I have downloaded music in Monkey's Ape format, lossless.
The will encode your selections for you if you want. Does it cost more to have a lossless format, of course, but it is your choice.
NO DRM.
Youi can select OGG and the quality desired, MP3 and the quality desired, MMC, Flac, etc, etc.

Lack of support of open source formats and bowing down to the marketing of oligoopolies, means, more copy protection schemes, less control of your purchased products, less creativity, less choices, higher prices, less artists getting a chance to create their art, less revenue for artists and simplpy more Corporate control over art.

Think a little bit and just do a search before purchasing something. Reward the innovative and independent by your dollar.

[grommet]

The best way to fight control the total Corporate control of art, creativity, unfair copyright laws, the idiotic DRM is with your dollars.
{edit}

I use AllofMP3. After I select what I want, then I choose the audio format and quality. One of the options is lossless and I have downloaded music in Monkey's Ape format, lossless.
The will encode your selections for you if you want. Does it cost more to have a lossless format, of course, but it is your choice.  NO DRM.
{edit}

Think a little bit and just do a search before purchasing something. Reward the innovative and independent by your dollar.

Do note if you purchase anything from "AllOFMP3", you aren't rewarding anyone but some, uh, "creative" Russians. Anyway, thanks for taking me off topic.