Re: RealAudio samples from LD

["Stephen P. Goodman" <sgoodman@earthlight.net>]

Chris Chovit inquired:

>> > Which audio formats can be looped (ie. repeated indefinitely)?  To me,
this
>> > is key, seeing as it is the theme of our site...


Agreed with Doug Wyatt, that it's the Player (or Playing Process Used) that
determines whether or not it can loop.  The format of the file is 
irrelevant
unless perhaps its size (or other factors) cause poor playback or rewinding
of the sound file altogether.  But this is rare.

HOWEVER!  (And, no, I'm not coveting the head seat on The McLaughlin Group)
A major difficulty is the nature of the player/encoder technology.  I tend
to stay the heck away from anything that requires the people who visit my
site to download something they'll never use anywhere else (unless such a
thing were completely unique).  I also avoid solutions that require a large
monetary investment on my part.  Encoders need content, my fellow loopers,
more than they need funds from the people who make that content.  That is,
us.

So far, the folks who win the prize for being non-proprietary would be the
RealAudio producers.  A lot of the other file formats/players/etc are both 
a
huge download and expense, and in comparison with that it tends to be no
contest.  I say this with the caveat that this happens regardless of
resultant sound quality, since, I think, people will sit and wait for it to
get better if they're not happy with it, rather than spend a lot of money
for something that flat out isn't close to a standard, and only
readable/writable by one company's software.

Stephen Goodman  * It's... The Loop Of The Week!
EarthLight Studios    * http://www.earthlight.net/Studios