..ts:

Firstly: does anybody have a link to a comparison of .ogg and .aac?

Secondly: what's the computer format for 5.1 audio? (I'm assuming there is one)

Thirdly: is there a lossless compression format for 5.1 channel audio either in existence or in preparation?

Help with any or all of these would be appreciated. Thankyou.

Oh, I've found the first one. For anybody else interested:

http://www.rjamorim.com/test/multiformat128/results.html - http://www.rjamorim.com/test/multiformat128/results.html

http://www.rjamorim.com/test/128extension/results.html - http://www.rjamorim.com/test/128extension/results.html

oliverstoned wrote: analog rules!

I was just waiting for that one .

Does anyone have any answers to my questions? I have some vague idea now but I could still do with somone who knows what he's talking about telling me.

Cut-and-paste from http://www.axiomaudio.com/archives/DVDA.html - http://www.axiomaudio.com/archives/DVDA.html  shown below, if it's any help.

DVD-Audio lets recording producers choose any of several sampling rates and word sizes: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 or 192 kHz, coupled with 16-, 20- or 24-bit words. By using Meridian Lossless Packing (MLP), a "lossless" compression algorithm that does not discard data (it’s like zipping a PC file or stuffing a Mac file), all DVD-A’s can deliver six full-bandwidth audio channels sampled at 96 kHz with 24-bit words. Do the math and you’ll find that yields an upper frequency limit of 48 kHz (high enough for your family dog, cat or bat), and a dynamic range of 144 dB (24 x 6 dB = 144 dB).

But (and this is a big "but"), can you play it on your CD player? Nope, you cannot. It will only play on a new DVD player that has a DVD-Audio decoder. And because there are currently 500 million CD players worldwide, that may be a huge impediment to the success of DVD-Audio. However, the good news is that virtually all DVD-Audio discs carry a duplicate Dolby Digital 5.1-channel mix, which means that DVD-A’s will play on any DVD player. This will let you sample multichannel music through your existing DVD player and Dolby Digital/dts A/V receiver, albeit without the 96-kHz sampling rates and 24-bit word lengths that DVD-Audio delivers.

What about Sony’s Super Audio CD (SACD)? Launched by Sony and Philips in 1999, SACD uses Direct Stream Digital (DSD), a 1-bit system with a sampling rate of 2.8 million times a second, about 64 times the sampling rate of conventional CDs. This 2.8-MHz rate yields a frequency response of 1 Hz to 100 kHz, far beyond the response limits of human hearing, and a 120-dB dynamic range that is roughly equivalent to our ears’ dynamic range. SACD is now capable of delivering six full-bandwidth DSD channels that encompass those extraordinary standards.

But can you play SACD on a CD player? Yes--and no. An SACD isn’t playable on a standard CD player unless it’s a hybrid two-layer disc with a CD-compatible second layer. And then you’ll only hear it in stereo with CD standards. Oddly, most of Sony Music’s own SACD releases are not hybrid discs, and will play only in an SACD machine. But some other labels are now releasing hybrid SACDs, and many of those do take advantage of SACD’s multichannel capabilities.

That does look truly beautiful. If I had a lot of money and a big interest in casettes, I'd be tempted. Unfortunately, I'm soon to be a student, so money isn't flowing all that well at the minute. Do you happen to know if

http://www.idylic.co.uk/html/cambridge_audio_70_s_fm_tuner.html - http://www.idylic.co.uk/html/cambridge_audio_70_s_fm_tuner.h tml

that tuner is any good for a very small budget? The rest of my system (CD, turntable, preamp, amp) is basically bottom of the range for hi fi (before this I just had mini hi fi!) and I thought a proper analogue tuner might be nice, especially when it's so much cheaper than even the cheapest modern ones and might sound a bit better.