Subject: Optimized mpeg encoders ?

From: Toerless Eckert <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 12:48:10 +0100 (MET)

Hi

I was wondering if someone on this group knows if there are 
optimized versions of mpeg layer2 audio encoders out there in source for 
free. I currently know only of the ISO reference implementation which is
especially pessimized in terms of performace so that the patent holders
can better sell their commercial stuff (just guessing).

There seem to be a couple of other mpeg layer-2 audio encoders out there, 
but what i've found so far is only binaries for DOS/Windooz/Mac, so
i cannot evaluate their performance anyway, apart from not being able to
guess if they would be available in source for free.

If anybody got hints here for me, please reply. With the layer 2 reference
encoder our best outcome is something slightly more than 100% CPU for
128 Kbps stereo encoding of 44.1 Kzh on an UltraSparc/250Mhz, so this definitely
isn't going to work with a videoconferencing application.

Best regards
	Toerless

P.S.:
I am asking for layer-2 encoder software, because the layer-2
reference encoder does contain a useful psychoaccoustic model and
thus optimization could have been done purely on the algorithmic
implementation to deliver higher throughput. As for layer 3, there
doesn't even seem to be a useful psychoaccoustic model published (i.e.:
the one in the ISO reference encoder delivers only slighter better
quality per bit than layer 2, but far from sufficient to get a better
bitrate/cpu-cycles ratio). Everybody who want's to use a good model seems
to have to buy licenses from FHG, and this doesn't work for software designated
to become freeware. Also, i don't want to support such a monopoly, even though
they're next door to us and are funded with my tax-money too (i 
especially like that part).
If i am mistaken in these point's i would be glad to go for layer 3.