mp3 v. AAC?

If you’re reading this, I’m assuming it’s because you may know the term “mp3″ but not know what it is or how it relates to “AAC” (also called “mp4″). Since subscribers of “What Are We Talking?” receive episodes in AAC format, it might be worth taking a moment to compare the two.

In a nutshell, “mp3″ is simply the name of a compression technology used to make audio files smaller, rendering them more convenient for downloading and/or storing on a computer or portable music player. “AAC” (which stands for “Advanced Audio Coding”) is another such encoding scheme which does pretty much the same thing.

While mp3 is the older — and thus more universal — format, AAC has a few key advantages going for it. When using AAC to compress audio, the resulting files are smaller yet retain the same (many argue even better) sound quality. Plus, AAC allows for the incoporation of chapter markers (good for longer pieces) and photos. (This is sometimes referred to an an “enhanced” file or podcast.) What this means is that as you’re listening to an episode of “What Are We Talking?”, you’ll be able to skip back and forth between chapters and view photos (either on your iPod or through iTunes) that relate to the content. Pretty cool, eh? (More details on the features of AAC encoding.)

One caveat, though: AAC files are not as universally compatible as mp3s. On the upside, this is quickly becoming a non-issue. At the moment, AAC is the format-of-choice for the iTunes Music Store and iPods (which comprise 80% of the portable music-player market). Plus, AAC compatibility is being incorporated into many new mobile devices, so I really don’t foresee much of a problem with respect to not being able to play episodes. Just in case, though, I’m going to make mp3 versions of these shows available for download through the website.