I would like to convert some mp3 files, which have a bitrate of 320kbs, to e.g. 192kbs, so that they are somewhat smaller, for use in my mp3 player (iRiver H120). For ripping and conversion I use JRiver Media Center with (external) Lame 3.90.3 encoder.
Now I wonder if it makes sense to convert to vbr files with --alt-preset standard when converting from existing mp3 files. Or is this only meaningful when ripping cd's and is it better to convert to cbr ?
I hope this question is not too dumb.
Full Version: Use --alt-preset standard for conversion ?
My suggestion:
If you are solely converting for use on a portable, aim for the lowest possible bitrate you can stand. Maybe try abr 128 or --preset medium.
If you are solely converting for use on a portable, aim for the lowest possible bitrate you can stand. Maybe try abr 128 or --preset medium.
Thanks dreamliner77 for your reply.
However my question was not to get advise which bitrate I should use, but if it makes sense to make vbr's (e.g. with --alt-preset standard) from existing mp3 files.
However my question was not to get advise which bitrate I should use, but if it makes sense to make vbr's (e.g. with --alt-preset standard) from existing mp3 files.
VBR is always going to be better than CBR unless the encoder has a bad VBR implementation. In this case, lame has a very good VBR implementation, so you should use VBR.
Yeah, what phong said...
QUOTE(ton @ Jul 26 2004, 10:42 AM)
I would like to convert some mp3 files, which have a bitrate of 320kbs, to e.g. 192kbs, so that they are somewhat smaller, for use in my mp3 player (iRiver H120). For ripping and conversion I use JRiver Media Center with (external) Lame 3.90.3 encoder.
Now I wonder if it makes sense to convert to vbr files with --alt-preset standard when converting from existing mp3 files. Or is this only meaningful when ripping cd's and is it better to convert to cbr ?
I hope this question is not too dumb.
Now I wonder if it makes sense to convert to vbr files with --alt-preset standard when converting from existing mp3 files. Or is this only meaningful when ripping cd's and is it better to convert to cbr ?
I hope this question is not too dumb.
You probably want to use --alt-preset standard, though I guess it depends.
One thing you need to be aware of is that the quality drop is going to be significant when re-encoding, no matter what bitrate or mode you choose. Because of this, it might in the end make more sense to totally favor size (instead of quality) if you've already accepted the fact that you will lose a lot of quality in this conversion. So in that scenario, as suggested earlier, it might be better to just go for something even lower.
So at any rate, you should use vbr probably, yes. But what quality level you choose does become relevant if you want to get the most out of your situation. And if you start to go for a bitrate lower than 160kbps, I'd probably choose abr over vbr.
Thank you all for your responses. You made it clear to me.
QUOTE
QUOTE(Dibrom @ Jul 26 2004, 12:11 PM)
One thing you need to be aware of is that the quality drop is going to be significant when re-encoding, no matter what bitrate or mode you choose.
One thing you need to be aware of is that the quality drop is going to be significant when re-encoding, no matter what bitrate or mode you choose.
This is the old transcoding issue. But there is something that is still unclear to me:
If --alt-preset standard is transparent, doesn't that mean that it should be indistinguishable from the original, in this case the mps encoded at 320 kbs? If that is so there should be now degradation apparent to the listener. Or are there some more technical issues involved?
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.