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Atrac biography, Atrac discography
Learn about ATRAC the audio compression technology.Learn more about the technology behind ATRAC.Introducing some of the products that use ATRAC.DevicesSemiconductor Products
Services that ATRAC makes possible.Miscellaneous items relating to ATRAC.It was Sony that first made this possible with its audio compression technology ATRAC (Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Coding)*1, which was introduced with the MiniDisc in 1992.This ability to reduce the size of data has enabled recording media to be made smaller and more tracks to be recorded on them, changing the way we listen to music.DataSize
(One 4 minute track)
42.In this way, ATRAC has contributed to another major change in our lifestyles, making it possible for us to purchase music of our favorite artists, 24 hours a day, from the comfort of our own homes.ATRAC continues to evolve
ATRAC is evolving day by day.ATRAC*1 has evolved into ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus and now into ATRAC Advanced Lossless, continually providing a richer musical experience.SP mode used in the MD format.ATRAC*1 has continued to change the way we listen to music, evolving into ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus and ATRAC Advanced Lossless.ATRAC is the collective name of all these audio compression technologies.ATRAC: Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding for
MiniDisc
Kyoya Tsutsui
Hiroshi Suzuki
Osamu Shimoyoshi
Mito Sonohara
Kenzo Akagiri
Robert M.Abstract
ATRAC is an audio coding system based on psychoacoustic principles.The input signal is divided into three subbands which are then
transformed into the frequency domain using a variable block length.Transform coefficients are grouped into nonuniform bands to reflect
the human auditory system, and then quantized on the basis of dynamic
sensitivity and masking characteristics.Despite the reduced
storage capacity, it was necessary that the MiniDisc maintain high
sound quality and a playing time of 74 minutes.Simple and inexpensive hardware implementation suitable for
portable players and recorders.In general, audio coders operate by decomposing the signal into a set
of units, each corresponding to a certain range in time and frequency.This analysis indicates which
units are critical and must be coded with high precision, and which
units are less sensitive and can tolerate some quantization noise
without degrading the perceived sound quality.The ATRAC system operates as above, with several enhancements.In addition, ATRAC uses a transform
block length which adapts to the input signal.This ensures efficient
coding of stationary passages without sacrificing time resolution
during transient passages.Finally, the ATRAC decoder is described.Curves
The sensitivity of the ear varies with frequency.In general, two tones of equal power but different
frequency will not sound equally loud.The perceived loudness of a
sound may be expressed in sones, where 1 sone is defined as the
loudness of a 40 dB tone at 1 kHz.Distortion at insensitive
frequencies will be less audible than at sensitive frequencies.Examples of simultaneous masking and temporal masking are shown in
Figure 2 and Figure 3 respectively.First,
simultaneous masking is more effective when the frequency of the
masked signal is equal to or higher than that of the masker.The critical band scale is shown in Table 1.This indicates that the ear receives more information from
the low frequencies and less from higher frequencies.The ATRAC Encoder
A block diagram of the encoder structure is shown in Figure 4.The
encoder has three components.The analysis block decomposes the signal
into spectral coefficients grouped into Block Floating units (BFU's).The bit allocation block divides the available bits between the BFU's,
allocating fewer bits to insensitive units.The quantization block
quantizes each spectral coefficient to the specified wordlength.Each of these subbands is then transformed into the frequency
domain, producing a set of spectral coefficients.Finally, these
spectral coefficients are grouped nonuniformly into BFU's.Instead of a fixed transform block length, however, ATRAC chooses the
block length adaptively based on the signal characteristics in each
band.However, problems may
occur during attack portions of the signal.ATRAC switches to short
mode (Figure 8b) when it detects an attack signal.In this case,
because there is only a short segment of noise before the attack, the
noise will be masked by backward masking (section 2.Backward
masking is not effective for Long Mode because of its very short
duration.Thus, ATRAC achieves efficient coding in stationary regions
while responding quickly to transient passages.Note that short mode is not necessary for signal decay, because the
quantization noise will be masked by forward masking which lasts much
longer than backward masking.The MDCT spectral coefficients are then grouped into BFU's.In the case of long mode, the
units reflect 11.Spectral Quantization
The spectral values are quantized using two parameters: wordlength and
scale factor.Each BFU has the same wordlength and scale factor, reflecting
the psychoacoustic similarity of the grouped frequencies.The scale factor is chosen from a fixed list of possibilities, and
reflects the magnitude of the spectral coefficients in each BFU.The
wordlength is determined by the bit allocation algorithm (section
3.For each sound frame (corresponding to 512 input points), the
following information is stored in disc:
MDCT block size mode (long or short).Wordlength data for each Block Floating unit.Information about quantities of
redundant data is also stored on the disc.There are many possible algorithms, ranging from very simple to
extraordinarily complex.Nevertheless,
ATRAC is capable of good sound quality using even a simple bit
allocation algorithm, provided it is soundly based on psychoacoustic
principles.One suggested algorithm uses a combination of fixed and variable bits.Thus, for pure tones, the available bits will be
concentrated in a small number of BFU's.The ATRAC Decoder
A block diagram of the decoder structure is shown in Figure 5.These spectral coefficients are then used to reconstruct the original
audio signal (Figure 7).Conclusions
Through a combination of various techniques including psychoacoustics,
subband coding and transform coding, ATRAC succeeds in coding digital
audio with virtually no perceptual degradation in sound quality.Listening tests indicate that the difference between ATRAC sound and the
original source is not perceptually annoying nor does it reduce the
sound quality.Furthermore, the system is sufficiently compact to be
installed in portable consumer products.Using ATRAC, the MiniDisc
provides a practical solution for portable digital audio.International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing,
Glasgow, pp.Nishitani, "Adaptive
transform coding with an adaptive block size (ATCABS)," Proc.International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing,
Albuquerque, pp.International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing,
Albuquerque, pp.Audio Engineering Society 89th
Convention preprint 2966, Sept.Academic Press, New York, 1970.IEEE
International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing,
Hartford CT, pp.Return to the MiniDisc Community Page.DMCA) in the form of audio files DRM locked to Sony's ATRAC media players.Yet another in a seemingly endless stream of examples of how media companies are punishing their paying, legitimate customers for the RIAA's own infuriating technological shortsightedness."What will happen to my library (content I own)?You will continue to be able to play, manage, and transfer the music in your SonicStage library and on your ATRAC player.Translation: You can continue to "enjoy" "your" music until you get a new PC or a new music player.And really, why would you want a new PC or a new music player ever again?ATRAC player will never be truly obsolete!HD but blu ray is winning.It is the customers who make DRM possible.Don't complain because the plant you nurtured pricks you with its thorns.It shouldn't be in your house to begin with.Maybe if we didn't blame the companies, and instead laughed at foolish consumers, the foolish consumers would stop being foolish.I'm locked into to this Atrac if I want to listen to my mixes forever.And I have to forget about ever having control of the content I created.In fact, I think it's quite easy to prove the opposite, that the content providers saw a clear demand for online content distribution through the popularity of programs like napster and edonkey, fought court battles to try and make it go away, and when they finally showed up to participate in the internet marketplace, they, the companies insisted on DRM, not the other way around.US population) bumped up against the constraints of DRM, they thought they hit a bug or something.Anyone who has been following the story of content distribution in the internet age knows that the big media companies want to get paid for their products, products which are increasingly easy to get at very high qualities for free.In some ways, I feel like a Nader voter.I'm voting every day with my wallet.If I bought a product and its DRM nature was hidden to me until after purchase, I would return the product to the retailer.If the return was refused, I would complain to the retailer and not buy from that retailer again.If everyone refused DRM, it would not have had a chance in hell of going anywhere.Sorry for the multiple posts, but an analogy just hit me.Because it's so darn easy to spot Hummer owners.Well, frankly, it's not the same thing at all.MPG until the first time the buyer brought the thing to the pump, then we might have a good analogy here.Therefore, it is our (collective) fault that x exists."And I'm saying that "x can exist in the marketplace even if no one wants it, though it will, in the long run, be doomed to failure."How could you say, in that case "Well, they're making the guns like that so clearly it's the market's fault!"Which is exactly what has been happening with DRM.If there are any digital players that play DRM'd content strictly, I've never heard of them.And there's a good reason for that: way too many people already have tons of MP3s.Once the consumer base is educated on what DRM is and what it does, it doesn't have a chance in hell of going anywhere.If you read the FAQ, it does actually describe how to move your music from your current computer to a new one using their backup and restore functionality.We can't blame ballot tampering or the Supreme Court.This whole mess started with a bad idea and it flourished when too many people failed to become conscientious objectors.Which is buggy, and won't run because my copy of Windows was English whereas my MD Recorder is Japanese.Still, it's a great little piece of hardware.Pity I can't access any of my files.When the major record labels (finally) started selling music online, it all had DRM, which was never openly discussed, and it took a while for the public to find out what it was and what it does, and now that the portion of the public who buys digital downloads knows about DRM, it's going away.These people are fully aware, but haven't had a problem with DRM, so they don't have a problem with it.These people believe that Businesses are just trying to make things work, and still protecting their product.These people don't have any idea what's going on.Or, know about DRM, but aren't fully aware of it's problems.When you combine the first two groups with the clueless group, you have a Great Majority of people.As people in the Apathetic group are getting burned, they are now moving into the Fight DRM group.Business can implement things quickly (especially if it makes them more money) and have lots of money for marketing to make it seem like you need this product now.Thats how I've always imported minidisc audio into a computer.Now you can comment (sign out).Warning: Anonymous messages are held for moderation.This could take a (long) while.Please consider creating an account and logging in.Boing Boing tv Update: OFFWORLD, YES MEN, and THIS IS THE FIRST.Mr_Biggles on Regulator to hear Be..."By and large they have bee..."Thanks for the heads up.I'm a bit slow and never understood wh..."In my part of the UK (Wolverhampton) Corner shop, ev..."This little snippet would be a lot easier to try o...""Ah, kind of like the Beats."News like this will help PirateBay in their quest fo...""And, when is the last time a..."PaulR on Regulator to hear Be..."It's one of the reasons I..."The Sound of Two Smo...""If I could be confident I wasn't encouraging the foi..."FoetusNail on Jonestown, 30 years ..."The mistake is believing there is truth.Girl with a perl ear..."MarkHB on Apple to Mac owners:..."Boing Boing tv Update: OFFWORLD, YES MEN, and THIS IS THE FIRST.Boing Boing tv (and Xeni) at NewTeeVee Live, SF, Thu Nov 13.John Hodgman in BBtv's SPAMasterpiece Theater, Vol IV: V1V4 M3X1CO.Song For The New Depression: "Mom and Pop Killer," by The Grouch.Sony's decision to drop its ATRAC file format and shutter the Connect music store signals a radical departure for the electronics giant, which has tried for 15 years to market its proprietary file format as a viable competitor to MP3 and other digital music formats.Though technically ATRAC has its merits, the format failed to catch on with consumers in North American and European markets (though it's still big in Japan).The biggest problem: If you wanted to listen to ATRAC files, you were required to use Sony software and hardware, and Sony's offerings never took off like the iPod."With everything that's going on, it made sense for us to move to more of an open format and to become better positioned to be a participant in this overall ecosystem."S610, at the IFA conference in Germany on Thursday.The two players are the first entries in Sony's flagship personal audio player line released in the United States that are capable of playing video.Li said the new players are in response to growing consumer demand for devices that are compatible with the expanding stable of online outlets selling music in MP3 and WMA formats such as Napster and Yahoo.Sony will, however, continue to sell eBooks through the outlet.The Connect music store will remain open for North American and European customers at least through March 2008.As a part of the transition, the SonicStage jukebox software used by Walkman owners to manage their devices is also being phased out.In the meantime, Sony will begin phasing out the ATRAC audio format.ATRAC files to either WMA or MP3.The format uses lossy compression similar in sound quality and execution to MP3.In fact, for several years in the 1990s ATRAC was a viable competitor to MP3 and WMA.Sony devices does not play ATRAC files, has resulted in the format's demise.Connect store in the West, its Japanese equivalent, Mora, will continue to sell songs to Sony device owners."ATRAC is simply more ingrained into the way they consume music in Japan," says Li.The sharelet is passed to the myCustomCallback callback routine.Locate the span element and attach the ShareThis button.Can Open Source Outdo the IPod?AdvertisementWith HP wireless printers, you could have printed this from any room in the house.You may give each page an identifying name, server, and channel on
the next lines.As Sony executives must have said recently, out with the old, in with the new.Sony is ditching its proprietary audio format, ATRAC, in favor of a variety of formats, including Windows Media Audio, MP3, and advanced audio coding (AAC).Sony immediately announced new Walkman models, all of which support WMA, MP3, and AAC formats.Sony said in a statement.This gives customers greater flexibility in their music software approach.Consumers may also use their music in SonicStage libraries and on older ATRAC Walkmans afterl Sony Connect closes.Sony may not support Connect indefinately.The one part of Connect that is not affected is the eBook service for the Sony Reader.This entry was posted
on Thursday, August 30th, 2007 at 1:56 pm and is filed under Audio.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.Now I hear that ATRAC is discontinued.So what happens in the future when I no longer have my Sony ATRAC CD players?ATRAC into how I listen to music.Sony units that I may purchase.What i really want to know is how do you actually play ATRAC CDs??HiMD player last year and it makes really great recordings but i cant find a way to listen to the music i have recorded other than to play the minidisc??You can even make separate folders to categorize your music on one CDR.Hours) which is fun to shuffle play.Tracks the run together on the CD can be combined as one track so that they play together without abruptedly cutting away.Comes With Music is everywhere, but is the message getting through?HD content than the rest (but is the biz model the right one?You can now follow last100 on Twitter.NewTeeVeeA blog covering the online video revolution.CrunchGearA blog covering gadgets and computer hardware.EngadgetA blog covering gadgets and consumer electronics.Zatz Not FunnyAll your digital media goodness.ATRAC (Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Coding) is a proprietary audio compression technology developed by Sony for usage in their MiniDisc line of digital audio players.ATRAC (also called ATRAC1) was developed in 1991, and used in the first MiniDisc players in the early nineties.It used bitrates of 292kbps for stereo audio and 146 for mono.Several subversions were released, from 1 to 4.It's reported that it only started sounding good after version 3.ATRAC3 was released by Sony in 2000.It offers much better performance than ATRAC1, with reasonable quality at 132kbps.It's not backwards compatible with ATRAC1.Links
ATRAC3 official website at Sony.Resources and forums about MiniDisc and ATRAC
rjamorim conduced a listening test featuring ATRAC3 at 132kbps.This page was last modified 22:57, 8 September 2006.This page has been accessed 7,146 times.
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