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Vorbis Tutorial
Q: What is Vorbis?
A: Vorbis is a format for storing audio data similar to MP3, WMA, and AAC. However, unlike those formats, it isn't patented, and doesn't support DRM. What that means is that by using Vorbis you are
given complete control of your music and it's 100% free. MP3, WMA, and AAC all require expensive licenses to use and can even prevent you from making copies of your own music. Vorbis is part of the Ogg
container which is why it has the file extension *.ogg.
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Q: How do I play Vorbis?
A: There are many programs that play Vorbis natively like the following.
There are also plug-ins that will let you listen to Vorbis in your already existing player.
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Q: Why can't I play Vorbis on my portable digital audio player (iPod, Zune, etc.)?
A: Companies like Apple and Microsoft force you into using their own patented formats. Doing this increases the format's popularity, thereby allowing the company to gain more money from their
patents. They also mandate DRM (Digital Restrictions Management), which allows them to control how many copies of your music you can make and who you can give it to. Since Vorbis is totally free, and because
it doesn't support DRM, companies like Microsoft and Apple do everything they can to prevent its use. This is why none of Apple or Microsoft's media players support Vorbis. Luckily, there are ways around
their greed. See the next question.
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Q: How do I get Vorbis to play on my portable digital audio player (iPod, Zune, etc.)?
A: There are three solutions to this problem. The first is to write a letter to Apple or Microsoft asking them to support Vorbis (good luck with that). The second it to convert the Vorbis file into
an MP3 file that every player supports. This is what is known as "transcoding". Transcoding should be used in moderation because you lose quality each time you do it. The second solution is to replace the
firmware on your portable digital audio player with one that supports Vorbis. These two methods are discussed below.
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Q: How do I convert Vorbis to MP3?
A: There are several programs that can convert Vorbis into MP3. One is called "Free MP3 WMA Converter". Upon installation it will try to install
a bunch of junk, so check off everything except the convert itself. Other programs that can convert Vorbis into MP3 include Winamp's Disk Writer plug-in,
Audacity's export function, and GoldWave's batch processing.
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Q: How do I change my portable digital audio player's firmware?
A: Changing your digital audio player's firmware is a technical process that should not be attempted by amatures and may void the warranty of your device. That being said, visit
rockbox.org for details.
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© Copyright 2008: Dean Tersigni. All rights reserved.
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