Ogg Vorbis

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Ogg Vorbis

Ogg Vorbis (sometimes just called Vorbis) is an open source patent-free audio compression format, developed as a replacement for proprietary digital audio encoding formats, such as MP3 , VQF, and AAC. Vorbis files (which have an .ogg extension) compress to a smaller size than MP3 files, which reduces bandwidth and storage requirements. According to many reports, Vorbis provides better sound quality than MP3.

Chris Montgomery started the Vorbis project at MIT, but was motivated to make the format available after the MP3 codec (coder/decoder) developers, the Fraunhofer-Gesellshaft Institute, announced that they intended to seek remuneration not only for licensing MP3 encoders, but for any stream carrying an MP3 file. Because this action could put many small and/or independent Web casters out of business, Montgomery was motivated to make the free MP3 alternative available as quickly as possible.

The Ogg part of the name came from the network game Netrek. In Netrek, an Ogg is a tactical maneuver, and the word has entered broader usage to mean "doing something forcefully, perhaps without due consideration of possible consequences." The Vorbis part of the name came from a character in the book Small Gods by Terry Pratchett.





Read more about it at:
> The Ogg Vorbis Web site provides more information.
> Graham Mitchell provides "An introduction to compressed audio with Vorbis."
> The Register has an article on the launching of Ogg Vorbis.
> Xiph.org provides a comparison of leading audio compression formats.
This word suggested by: Dave Pridgeon
Last updated on: May 09, 2006

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