flac dev - Sep 2015 - Fw: 32 bit data

Begin forwarded message:

Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2015 13:46:13 -0700
From: John La Grou <jl at jps.net>
To: Erik de Castro Lopo <erikd at mega-nerd.com>
Subject: 32 bit data


Erik, could you please post this to the FLAC mailing list. I've tried a 
couple times, but nothing happens. Tks.

.........................

There are reasons to support 32-bit data. The emerging network standard 
is based on a 32-int pipe (AVB/Dante). Dante now has over 200 licensees.

Higher dynamic range hardware and plug-in products are in the works. It 
won't be long before the 24-bit barrier is commonly exceeded in certain 
devices, though I agree with others here who point out that real-world 
<systemic> dynamic range will likely remain under 20 bits (room => mic 
=> pre => ADC => DAW processing => delivery format => DAC =>
analog
stage => amplifier => speakers/HP => room noise)

I believe Reaper and Audition maintain lossless 32-int within a 64-float 
engine, with more DAW makers to come.

And as some have noted, there's movement towards 32-bit audiophile 
delivery.

FLAC should be the 32-bit delivery format of choice.


>
> On Sat, Sep 26, 2015 at 10:36 AM, Martijn van Beurden 
> <mvanb1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>     > * This is nuts. 24 bits has a dynamic range of ~140dB which is
roughly
>     >    the difference between a quiet whisper in a quiet room, to
>     the sound
>     >    of a jet engine at 10 meters. Surely that is enough?
>
>     Yes, this is nuts. First, 24-bit is already overkill, as there
>     is no hardware (ADC or DAC) that can handle more than 120dB of
>     dynamic range anyway. There probably never will be hardware that
>     can handle the full 24 bits, because at this point that hardware
>     is already pushing the boundary of thermal noise. Second, most
>     32-bit material is 32-bit float, and that is something the FLAC
>     format can't handle. I really wonder why anyone would have
>     32-bit integer material anyway.
>
>
-- 


*****************************
John La Grou
http://www.linkedin.com/in/lagrou




-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Erik de Castro Lopo
http://www.mega-nerd.com/

At least on some Japanese online music stores 32bit WAV files are
already commonly sold, example http://ototoy.jp/_/default/p/50962

On this website they're always 32bit floats or 24bit ints, though, no
idea how realistic float support is. My personal opinion is that having
compression for this kind of distribution would be good, and if they use
something else than WAV, then it would be good that they'd use a free
format like flac, even if it's very unlikely that any living human could
ABX this against regular 16bit ints.

However, having no back compatibility could also be bad: if the consumer
uses old software or hardware player and find some flac files to not be
able to playback, they can lose faith in the format, especially when
there's no easy way to distinguish between compatible and non-compatible
files.