Re: batch convert mp3 to ogg

[Robin Laing <Robin Laing drdc-rddc gc ca>]

James Wilkinson wrote:
> Robin Laing wrote:
>
> > There is an interesting comment about oggenc will only work with wav files.
> >
> > From the man page.
> > "oggenc reads audio data in either raw, WAV, or AIFF format and  encodes 
> > it  into  an  Ogg  Vorbis stream."
> >
> > This would imply that to go from mp3 to ogg, you will have to convert 
> > the file to a wav, raw or AIFF.  Then create the ogg file.  Again, each 
> > process has the risk of creating more distortion.
>
>
> Er: no.
>
> Both FLAC and wav [1] are lossless compression formats. You can go from
> one to the other to the raw data all day without losing anything[2] or
> creating any distortion[3]. That's the point of FLAC: it stores
> *everything* in a relatively small amount of disk-space.
>
> You can also go from MP3 or ogg to wav without losing any more data.
> (You lost some when you created the MP3 or ogg in the first place:
> that's still gone, of course).
>
> So (if you're using a fixed-width font...):
> FLAC ------------> wav -----------> ogg
>      no data loss       data loss
>
> MP3 (some data   -----------------> wav ---------------> ogg
> already lost)    no data loss here       more data loss
>
> The data loss involved with going to ogg (or MP3) has to do with the
> output format, not the input. 

I do stand partly corrected.  I don't like admitting I am wrong. :)

The point is if you have mp3's, you are best to just leave then alone to 
retain the best quality possible in the mp3.

FWIW, I rip to flac as it is lossless.  Now to get a flac codec on my 
mp3 player.  I also won't purchase online unless it is in a lossless 
format as many mp3's I have heard sound like crap.  Which I agree is 
associated to the encoding.

Thinking about this, I remember the argument about CD's losing sonic 
quality over LP's.  Now we are going another step with losing quality by 
using mp3's.

--
Robin Laing