Can Surround Sound Save MP3?

By David Walker | February 21st, 2006

Wired magazine has asked a fascinating, if somewhat puzzling (at first) question. Can Surround Sound save the mp3 format? To be honest, until I read this article, I wasn’t aware that a dire future faced the accepted worldwide digital music standard. However, Eliot Van Buskirk brings up some fascinating points that lend credence to the idea that the MP3 format, at the least, is under attack from multiple angles and may be in need of a reinvention.

For one, consider the fact that online music stores offer their music in formats other than MP3. Apple’s iTunes Music Store sells AAC files while most others release their songs in WMA format. While almost every player on the market supports MP3, most of the new ones now carry embedded support for DRM wrapped WMA files and Apple would prefer that you use their AAC format and in fact, forces you to use AAC when buying music online. Only eMusic currently offers MP3 files, and it lacks the support of most major studios. Also consider that open-source alternatives like Ogg Vorbis are quickly gaining in popularity while lossless codecs such as FLAC are becoming more desirable as storage increases daily and it becomes clear that the MP3 standard is not a locked-in survivor.

Thomson, owners of the MP3 format, have created a “free” upgrade to a new standard called (imagine this) MP3 Surround. The beauty of the new format is that it adds a very small footprint on the file (15 bits per second) and the file is backwards compatible, ensuring older players won’t choke on it. Additionally, most devices should be able to support the new standard through a simple flash update to firmware, so long as the player is capable of 150 mips of processing power. RCA (a subsidiary of Thomson) plans to release compatible players in the next year. Also, it looks like native support for the format may be included in the Playstation 3, giving the format new cred in the geek community. Thomson is also “very close” to Apple, so iPod support is a strong (and important) possibility.

However, there are hurdles. The biggest hurdle is the consideration of where MP3 Surround files will come from. Re-ripping CD’s and converting existing files won’t give true Surround Sound. Also, considering the RIAA has deemed that ripping is really still illegal, ripping DVD-Audio or SACD discs is probably out of the question as well. Sadly, it will probably take a Napster-like source to pop-up on the internet to propel the new MP3 standard into the limelight.

Only time will tell, but it would appear that the MP3 format dominance may be in some trouble. Thomson had better hope that the new and improved Surround version will become another industry standard and that widespread support flourishes, or else, we’ll be calling these devices “Digital Music Players” instead of “MP3 players” one day.