[FFmpeg-soc] AAC Encoding - Where we stand, what's left

[Diego Biurrun]

On Wed, Jul 08, 2009 at 03:08:59PM -0400, Alex Converse wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 3:05 PM, Diego Biurrun<diego at biurrun.de> wrote:
> > On Wed, Jul 08, 2009 at 03:02:43PM -0400, Alex Converse wrote:
> >> On Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 2:36 PM, Diego Biurrun<diego at biurrun.de> wrote:
> >> > On Wed, Jul 08, 2009 at 01:49:59PM -0400, Alex Converse wrote:
> >> >> On Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 6:52 AM, Kostya<kostya.shishkov at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >> > On Wed, Jul 08, 2009 at 12:25:09PM +0200, Diego Biurrun wrote:
> >> >> >> On Mon, Jul 06, 2009 at 10:38:55PM -0400, Alex Converse wrote:
> >> >> >> > On Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 9:28 PM, Diego Biurrun<diego at biurrun.de> wrote:
> >> >> >> > > On Mon, Jul 06, 2009 at 09:14:00PM -0400, Alex Converse wrote:
> >> >> >> > >>
> >> >> >> > >> To be frank, at this point it seems like it might be prudent for me to
> >> >> >> > >> stop working on this
> >> >> >> > >
> >> >> >> > > Uh, why?
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > Getting faac free (by dropping long forgotten profiles and
> >> >> >> > reimplementing things from spec), seem like less effort than getting
> >> >> >> > FFmpeg to faac quality (running around trying to fix bugs in someone
> >> >> >> > else's codebase). Building on 26.410 v8.0.0 is attractive because it
> >> >> >> > is already better quality than ffmpeg and faac and includes a working
> >> >> >> > SBR implementation which would require tons of work to add to ffmpeg
> >> >> >> > or faac.
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> What is "26.410 v8.0.0", where can I find it and how is it licensed?
> >> >> >
> >> >> > 3GPP TS 26.410 aka AAC encoder floating point code. Guess license by
> >> >> > yourself ;)
> >> >>
> >> >> All of the encoder source lacks copyright notices/licensing terms
> >> >>
> >> >> >From the Documentation:
> >> >>
> >> >> No part may be reproduced except as authorized by written permission.
> >> >> The copyright and the foregoing restriction extend to reproduction in all media.
> >> >>
> >> >> © 2008, 3GPP Organizational Partners (ARIB, ATIS, CCSA, ETSI, TTA, TTC).
> >> >> All rights reserved.
> >> >>
> >> >> >From the build system:
> >> >>
> >> >> # Copyright (c) Coding Technologies 2003
> >> >> # All Rights Reserved
> >> >
> >> > So this is completely nonfree, you may neither modify nor distribute it.
> >> > This is not something you can use as a base for your work unless you
> >> > wish to throw your time away...
> >>
> >> Let's not forget that lame started out as a dist10 patchset.
> >
> > That was before my time, what is dist10?

So what is dist10?  Somebody please enlighten me...

> >> Libfaac has two incompatible licenses.
> >
> > Yes, that's why it is crap and needs to be replaced.  The 3GPP AAC
> > encoder has just one license: prohibitively nonfree.  There is really
> > nothing more to say about it...
> >
> > What is your point exactly?
> 
> It's the best AAC encoder with source available.

It may have source available, but the source is under as nonfree a
license as possible.  That's not helpful, on the contrary...

> I don't see a path to
> merging our AAC encoder anytime in the near future.

What exactly is missing?

> I also think we are getting to the point where an encoder without SBR
> is a bit of a joke.

As I said, let's take things step by step...

Diego