New High Quality MP3 Format Debuts

[Keefe]

The makers of the original MP3 format have announced a new format for the much popular digital music format dubbed MP3Pro.  Thomson Multimedia and the Fraunhofer Institute who created the original and new standard claim that MP3Pro will take up half of the space that current MP3 files take up without sacrificing sound quality.

Thomson Multimedia and the Fraunhofer Institute, the companies behind the MP3 digital music format, are releasing an upgraded version of their music format Thursday called MP3Pro. The companies hope to attract software and hardware developers to the new technology but are also providing a version for consumers to play with.

Although the release will be limited, it will include a new player and "ripper," or file creator, that will allow music lovers to create near-CD quality digital music files using only about half the disc space previously required for MP3s.

While MP3Pro files will work with software and devices based on the current MP3 format, they may sound worse on systems designed for standard MP3s because of differences in the way the sound is recorded. MP3Pro uses two separate streams of data to improve audio quality, only one of which can be detected by older players.

New High Quality MP3 Format Debuts