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I created this due to someone on the forum asking about the format. You can download the encoder and decoder for MP3HD here:
Known bugs:
When telling dBpoweramp to write ID3 tags to the file, only the lossy portion of the MP3 is saved. Even with the
switch and writing tags using the
switch it still stripts out the lossless portion stored in the tag.
I wouldn't recommend anyone using this encoder as the correction data is in the ID3 tag, because mp3 doesn't allow frame sizes large enough. Therefore, your lossless collection could too easily be lost with a basic mass-tagging operation.
The lossless part of the codec is stored in ID3v2 tags.
The size of ID3v2 tags is limited to 256MB by specifications; as a result, the lossless part of an mp3hd file may not be over 256MB.
You have been warned!
On the flipside, you apparently get a true Fraunhofer MP3 encoder for normal MP3 if you tag files, so there’s that…
If you want to only encode to lossless, just use the cli encoder, uncheck Write Tags, place .mp3 only in the encoder.txt file, and the switches
.
Dynamic CLI below:
MP3HD help file with switches:
HTML Code:
http://mp3hd-toolkit.soft32.com/
When telling dBpoweramp to write ID3 tags to the file, only the lossy portion of the MP3 is saved. Even with the
Code:
-nodbtag
Code:
-id3in
I wouldn't recommend anyone using this encoder as the correction data is in the ID3 tag, because mp3 doesn't allow frame sizes large enough. Therefore, your lossless collection could too easily be lost with a basic mass-tagging operation.
The lossless part of the codec is stored in ID3v2 tags.
The size of ID3v2 tags is limited to 256MB by specifications; as a result, the lossless part of an mp3hd file may not be over 256MB.
You have been warned!
On the flipside, you apparently get a true Fraunhofer MP3 encoder for normal MP3 if you tag files, so there’s that…
If you want to only encode to lossless, just use the cli encoder, uncheck Write Tags, place .mp3 only in the encoder.txt file, and the switches
Code:
-if [infile] -of "[outfile]"
Dynamic CLI below:
Code:
[codec] .mp3 mp3hdEncoder.exe [msgifnoencoder] Before using this encoder MP3HDEncoder.exe must first be downloaded (Google "Thomson mp3HD software Toolkit", or go here: http://mp3hd-toolkit.soft32.com/ ). [label] 4 0 Mode [radio&slider] 4 36 292 1 26 0 VBR + Correction 13 VBR5 ~114 kbps (0.3%>FLAC) -mode 5 VBR4 ~137 kbps (2.0%>FLAC) -mode 4 VBR3 ~147 kbps (2.2%>FLAC) -mode 3 VBR2 ~188 kbps (2.0%>FLAC) -mode 2 VBR1 ~216 kbps (5.1%>FLAC) -mode 1 [/sliderend] 99 0 CBR (common CBR) 8 96 kbps (min) -br 96000 112 kbps -br 112000 128 kbps -br 128000 144 kbps -br 144000 160 kbps -br 160000 176 kbps -br 176000 192 kbps -br 192000 224 kbps -br 224000 256 kbps -br 256000 320 kbps -br 320000 [/sliderend] 180 0 CBR (Fine) + Correction 8 96 kbps (min) -br 96000 97 kbps -br 97000 98 kbps -br 98000 99 kbps -br 99000 100 kbps -br 100000 101 kbps -br 101000 102 kbps -br 102000 103 kbps -br 103000 104 kbps -br 104000 105 kbps -br 105000 106 kbps -br 106000 107 kbps -br 107000 108 kbps -br 108000 109 kbps -br 109000 110 kbps -br 110000 111 kbps -br 111000 112 kbps -br 112000 113 kbps -br 113000 114 kbps -br 114000 115 kbps -br 115000 116 kbps -br 116000 117 kbps -br 117000 118 kbps -br 118000 119 kbps -br 119000 120 kbps -br 120000 121 kbps -br 121000 122 kbps -br 122000 123 kbps -br 123000 124 kbps -br 124000 125 kbps -br 125000 126 kbps -br 126000 127 kbps -br 127000 128 kbps -br 128000 129 kbps -br 129000 130 kbps -br 130000 131 kbps -br 131000 132 kbps -br 132000 133 kbps -br 133000 134 kbps -br 134000 135 kbps -br 135000 136 kbps -br 136000 137 kbps -br 137000 138 kbps -br 138000 139 kbps -br 139000 140 kbps -br 140000 141 kbps -br 141000 142 kbps -br 142000 143 kbps -br 143000 144 kbps -br 144000 145 kbps -br 145000 146 kbps -br 146000 147 kbps -br 147000 148 kbps -br 148000 149 kbps -br 149000 150 kbps -br 150000 151 kbps -br 151000 152 kbps -br 152000 153 kbps -br 153000 154 kbps -br 154000 155 kbps -br 155000 156 kbps -br 156000 157 kbps -br 157000 158 kbps -br 158000 159 kbps -br 159000 160 kbps -br 160000 161 kbps -br 161000 162 kbps -br 162000 163 kbps -br 163000 164 kbps -br 164000 165 kbps -br 165000 166 kbps -br 166000 167 kbps -br 167000 168 kbps -br 168000 169 kbps -br 169000 170 kbps -br 170000 171 kbps -br 171000 172 kbps -br 172000 173 kbps -br 173000 174 kbps -br 174000 175 kbps -br 175000 176 kbps -br 176000 177 kbps -br 177000 178 kbps -br 178000 179 kbps -br 179000 180 kbps -br 180000 181 kbps -br 181000 182 kbps -br 182000 183 kbps -br 183000 184 kbps -br 184000 185 kbps -br 185000 186 kbps -br 186000 187 kbps -br 187000 188 kbps -br 188000 189 kbps -br 189000 190 kbps -br 190000 191 kbps -br 191000 192 kbps -br 192000 193 kbps -br 193000 194 kbps -br 194000 195 kbps -br 195000 196 kbps -br 196000 197 kbps -br 197000 198 kbps -br 198000 199 kbps -br 199000 200 kbps -br 200000 201 kbps -br 201000 202 kbps -br 202000 203 kbps -br 203000 204 kbps -br 204000 205 kbps -br 205000 206 kbps -br 206000 207 kbps -br 207000 208 kbps -br 208000 209 kbps -br 209000 210 kbps -br 210000 211 kbps -br 211000 212 kbps -br 212000 213 kbps -br 213000 214 kbps -br 214000 215 kbps -br 215000 216 kbps -br 216000 217 kbps -br 217000 218 kbps -br 218000 219 kbps -br 219000 220 kbps -br 220000 221 kbps -br 221000 222 kbps -br 222000 223 kbps -br 223000 224 kbps -br 224000 225 kbps -br 225000 226 kbps -br 226000 227 kbps -br 227000 228 kbps -br 228000 229 kbps -br 229000 230 kbps -br 230000 231 kbps -br 231000 232 kbps -br 232000 233 kbps -br 233000 234 kbps -br 234000 235 kbps -br 235000 236 kbps -br 236000 237 kbps -br 237000 238 kbps -br 238000 239 kbps -br 239000 240 kbps -br 240000 241 kbps -br 241000 242 kbps -br 242000 243 kbps -br 243000 244 kbps -br 244000 245 kbps -br 245000 246 kbps -br 246000 247 kbps -br 247000 248 kbps -br 248000 249 kbps -br 249000 250 kbps -br 250000 251 kbps -br 251000 252 kbps -br 252000 253 kbps -br 253000 254 kbps -br 254000 255 kbps -br 255000 256 kbps -br 256000 257 kbps -br 257000 258 kbps -br 258000 259 kbps -br 259000 260 kbps -br 260000 261 kbps -br 261000 262 kbps -br 262000 263 kbps -br 263000 264 kbps -br 264000 265 kbps -br 265000 266 kbps -br 266000 267 kbps -br 267000 268 kbps -br 268000 269 kbps -br 269000 270 kbps -br 270000 271 kbps -br 271000 272 kbps -br 272000 273 kbps -br 273000 274 kbps -br 274000 275 kbps -br 275000 276 kbps -br 276000 277 kbps -br 277000 278 kbps -br 278000 279 kbps -br 279000 280 kbps -br 280000 281 kbps -br 281000 282 kbps -br 282000 283 kbps -br 283000 284 kbps -br 284000 285 kbps -br 285000 286 kbps -br 286000 287 kbps -br 287000 288 kbps -br 288000 289 kbps -br 289000 290 kbps -br 290000 291 kbps -br 291000 292 kbps -br 292000 293 kbps -br 293000 294 kbps -br 294000 295 kbps -br 295000 296 kbps -br 296000 297 kbps -br 297000 298 kbps -br 298000 299 kbps -br 299000 300 kbps -br 300000 301 kbps -br 301000 302 kbps -br 302000 303 kbps -br 303000 304 kbps -br 304000 305 kbps -br 305000 306 kbps -br 306000 307 kbps -br 307000 308 kbps -br 308000 309 kbps -br 309000 310 kbps -br 310000 311 kbps -br 311000 312 kbps -br 312000 313 kbps -br 313000 314 kbps -br 314000 315 kbps -br 315000 316 kbps -br 316000 317 kbps -br 317000 318 kbps -br 318000 319 kbps -br 319000 320 kbps (max) -br 320000 [/sliderend] 85 - out of gas [checkbox] 30 14 0 No ID3 v1 Tags -noid3v1 [label] 10 55 <Lossy Quality 808080 [label] 235 55 Lossy Quality> 808080 [clistring] -nodbtag -if [infile] -of "[outfile]" -id3in -Title "[title]" -Artist "[artist]" -Album "[album]" -Track [track] [noallowfloat] [maxchannels] 2 [estimatesize] VBR5 ~114 kbps (0.3%>FLAC) 114000 VBR4 ~137 kbps (2.0%>FLAC) 137000 VBR3 ~147 kbps (2.2%>FLAC) 147000 VBR2 ~188 kbps (2.0%>FLAC) 188000 VBR1 ~216 kbps (5.1%>FLAC) 216000
PHP Code:
*****************************************************************************
* *
* mp3HD Codec V1.5.0 *
* (Evaluation Version) *
* *
* (c) 2007 - 2010 Technicolor S.A. *
* (c) 1996 - 2010 Fraunhofer IIS *
* All rights reserved. *
* *
* This software and/or program is protected by copyright law and *
* international treaties. Any reproduction or distribution of *
* this software and/or program, or any portion of it, may result *
* in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted *
* to the maximum extent possible under law. *
* *
*****************************************************************************
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Origin
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Website: http://www.all4mp3.com
Contact: info@all4mp3.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Software package
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This package contains the following software:
- mp3HD Command-Line Encoder: mp3hdEncoder.exe
- mp3HD Command-Line Decoder: mp3hdDecoder.exe
- Winamp Decoder Plug-Ins:
Winamp 5.5 and above: in_mp3hd.dll
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
System requirements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minimum requirements for the use of the software are:
- Windows 2000/Windows XP
- At least Pentium III 1 Ghz or higher
- At least 128 MB memory
- At least 30MB of available hard-disk space
- Winamp V5.5 or higher plus stereo soundcard for playback
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The mp3HD Format (Some Terminology)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
mp3HD is a new scalable format for high-quality lossless compression
of audio signals. It guarantees bit-exact reproduction of the
original PCM samples at state-of-the-art compression ratios. As for
all lossless compression formats, the compression ratio and resulting
data rate depends on the compressed content. As a rule of thumb, the
mp3HD codec can compress WAV files to about 30% to 60% of their
original size for typical audio content. Typically, smaller data
rates are needed to encode classical music or audio books, while Rock
and Pop music requires larger data rates.
mp3HD has been designed with the explicit target to be as compatible
as possible to the ubiquitous MP3 format. As a consequence, the mp3HD
format uses advanced compression algorithms and a special bit stream
format in order to be compatible to most of the available MP3 players.
Therefore mp3HD is both a lossless format for the reproduction of the
original PCM samples and a standard MP3 file that play's on your MP3
player.
The mp3HD Format supports tagging the files with meta data according
to ID3 Version 1.0, 1.1, 2.3 and 2.4. That is, you can use many
existing tools to add ID3 tags to your mp3HD content, and to manage
and organize your audio collection.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
mp3HD Command-Line Encoder
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This program encodes WAV audio files to mp3HD files. The WAV audio
files have to contain plain PCM samples in mono or stereo with a
resolution of 16 bit per sample. The sample rate is restricted to one
out of 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, or 48 kHz.
It is in the nature of lossless audio compression that the resulting
bit rate is inherently defined by the audio content. Consequently,
the bit rate of the mp3HD file cannot be specified. However, the
target bit rate for the backwards-compatible MP3 bit stream already
has to be specified at the time of encoding the mp3HD file. You can
select both variable bit rate (VBR) mode at several qualities or
constant bit rate (CBR) mode for the resulting MP3 via the
command-line argument "-mode".
For CBR mode you can further define the data rate for the resulting
MP3 file. The range of possible bit rates is constrained as follows:
Stereo signals:
- sample rate of 32 kHz: 80000 - 320000 bit/s
- sample rate of 44.1 kHz: 96000 - 320000 bit/s
- sample rate of 48 kHz: 112000 - 320000 bit/s
Mono signals:
- sample rate of 32 kHz: 40000 - 320000 bit/s
- sample rate of 44.1 kHz: 56000 - 320000 bit/s
- sample rate of 48 kHz: 56000 - 320000 bit/s
To add existing ID3 meta data to the mp3HD file use the command-line
arguments "-id3in" to pass an existing ID3 (Ver. 2.3 or 2.4) meta data
file to the mp3HD encoder. For example, the file can be an existing mp3
file that includes the desired ID3 tag information.
Alternatively, you can use the following command-line arguments to set
the ID3 meta data directly:
-Title "[title string]"
-Artist "[artist string]"
-Album "[album string]"
-Track "[track number]"
-Length "[length in ms]"
-Year "[year string]"
-Genre "[content type]"
-Encoder "[encoded by ..]"
-Encoder_Settings "[encoder name and settings]"
-pic "[jpegFile]"
The "-id3in" command-line argument can't be used in combination
with the other ID3 command-line arguments.
To call the mp3HD command-line encoder simply open a command prompt
and enter "mp3hdEncoder". If called without arguments, the encoder
outputs a list of possible command-line arguments and encoding
options.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
mp3HD Command-Line Decoder
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This program decodes mp3 and mp3HD files to WAV audio files. The output
files contain bit-exactly the same PCM samples as the originally encoded
WAV files.
Note that the mp3HD decoder cannot reconstruct any side information,
i.e. additional chunks besides the actual audio data, that may have
been contained in the original WAV file. Therefore, you may observe
differences if you compare the decoded WAV file with the original WAV
file on the file level.
To call the command-line decoder simply open a command prompt and
enter "mp3hdDecoder". If called without arguments, the decoder
outputs a list of possible command-line arguments and decoding
options.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
mp3HD Winamp Decoder
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have a Winamp player installed, the mp3HD format can be added
to the audio formats supported by the player. By default, the mp3HD
Winamp Decoder plugin decodes mp3HD files in mp3HD quality, i.e. the
high-quality original PCM samples are played.
You may configure the plugin to play mp3 quality instead of mp3HD quality
by default. In addition, you can activate in the settings dialog to
display a window in which you can switch between mp3 quality and mp3HD
quality in real time while decoding an mp3HD file.
We recommend to use Winamp version 5.5 or above. The new version of
the Winamp player can be downloaded at http://www.winamp.com.
To install the Winamp decoder plug-in copy the "in_mp3hd.dll" file to
your local Winamp plug-in folder. Typically, the directory of the Winamp
plug-in folder is "C:\Program Files\Winamp\plugin".
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAQ
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
** What are PCM samples?
The acronym PCM stands for pulse code modulation. In most digital
workflows, PCM samples describe the raw digital audio signals
either right after conversion from the analog domain or before
conversion to the analog domain.
PCM samples are not compressed like e.g. MP3 files. Therefore,
they offer in principle the best possible sound quality for a given
sample rate and resolution. As an example, a CD stores audio as
PCM samples with a rate of 44100 samples per second (and channel)
and a resolution of 16 bit per sample. This gives a bit rate of
1411.2 kbit/s.
** Can I use the mp3HD Codec to rip my audio CDs?
To rip mp3HD files from your audio CDs you need an audio CD
grabber tool with external Encoder support. For example you can use
the Exact Audio Copy CD grabber. The current version of Exact Audio
Copy can be downloaded at
http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/en/index.php/resources/download/.
You can include the mp3HD encoder into the Exact Audio Copy grabber
by performing the following steps:
- Open the "Compression options" from the "EAC" menu
- Go to the "External Compression" tab
- Enable the "Use external program for compression" option
- Set "Parameter passing scheme" to "User Defined Encoder"
- Write ".mp3" into the "Use file extension" field
- Type the link to your mp3hdEncoder.exe file into the
"Program, including Path, used for compression" field
- Insert the following text into the Additional command-line option field:
-if %s -of %d -br %r000 -Artist "%a" -Album "%g" -Title "%t" -Year "%y"
-Track "%n" -Genre "%m"
- Select the desired bit rate in the "Bit rate" field.
- Uncheck the "Add ID3 tag" option
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version History & Release Notes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
V1.4.0 First public release of the mp3HD Codec
V1.4.1 First public release for Mac OS
Bug Fix: Winamp pause button didn't work for standard mp3 files
V1.4.2 Command-line argument changes in the mp3hdEncoder
Minor bug fixes
V1.5.0 Faster En- and Decoding
Decoding of plain mp3 files
Original File Length support for plain mp3 files
Some minor bug fixes
Encoding of very short input signals
Automatic resynchronization to the mp3HD stream on errors
Redesign of the mp3HD Winamp quality switch
Changed the default ID3 tag version of the mp3HD Encoder to 2.4
Automatically adds ID3v1 tags to the end of the file
******************************************************************************
* *
* mp3HD Commandline Encoder v1.5.0 *
* using mp3HD library v1.1.7 *
* (Evaluation Version) *
* *
* Revision 487 *
* Build Feb 2 2010 *
* *
* (c) 2007 - 2010 Technicolor S.A. *
* (c) 1996 - 2010 Fraunhofer IIS *
* All rights reserved. *
* *
* This software and/or program is protected by copyright law and *
* international treaties. Any reproduction or distribution of *
* this software and/or program, or any portion of it, may result *
* in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted *
* to the maximum extent possible under law. *
* *
******************************************************************************
Usage: mp3hdEncoder.exe [-if infile] [-of outfile] [-br Birate] [options]
-if infile:
A 1 channel or 2 channel wave input file.
-of outfile:
The destination mp3HD bitstream file.
[options]:
-br Bitrate
The MP3 bitrate in bits/sec <default: 128 Kbit/s>
-mode <0-5>
Encoder mode (0 = CBR, 1 = VBR highest quality, 5 = VBR lowest
bit rate) <default: CBR>
VBR mode 5 is disabled for infiles with 48 kHz samplerate.
-id3in id3File
The id3File can contain an ID3V1.x and an ID3V2.3 or an ID3V2.4 tag.
The ID3 tags are copied into the mp3HD file.
The ID3V2.X tag has to be at the beginning of the file.
The ID3V1.x tag has to be at the end of the file.
Add ID3 tags directly:
(Ignored in combination with the "-id3in" option)
-Title "[title string]"
-Artist "[artist string]"
-Album "[album string]"
-Track "[track number]"
-Length "[length in ms]"
-Year "[year string]"
-Genre "[content type]"
-Encoder "[encoded by ..]"
-Encoder_Settings "[encoder name and settings]"
-pic jpegFile
The jpegFile must contain an jpeg picture.
The picture is copied into the mp3HD file.
-noid3v1
The noid3v1 flag disables the writing of ID3v1 tags.
-com "[Text]"
Adds a comment text into the mp3HD info frame.
-quiet
Standard output of only one line
Example: mp3hdEncoder.exe -br 128000 -if test.wav -of test.mp3