iTunes 5 comes with new mp3 codec?

[fiercetiger224]

I noticed that when ripping mp3s in VBR, the bitrate seems to be higher.

For instance, I rip a track on iTunes 4.9 stating that it has a bitrate of "163 kbps (VBR)", and then on iTunes 5, I rip the same track, but now states that it has a bitrate of "203 kbps (VBR)". These tracks are ripped with an average variable bitrate of 160 kbps, at the highest quality, sample rate at 48.000 kHz, and normal stereo.

The thing is, did Apple finally update their mp3 codec to a LAME mp3 codec? Or maybe not...

Oh well just my two cents I just wanted to let everyone know. :-D

 

[Sedulous]

Perhaps different songs will demand a higher bitrate? I wonder if under "About iTunes" it indicates what version of the encoder it is using.

 

[fiercetiger224]

Perhaps different songs will demand a higher bitrate? I wonder if under "About iTunes" it indicates what version of the encoder it is using.

Well yeah, different songs will have different bitrates. I just meant that if you ripped the same song between iTunes 4.9 and iTunes 5, there's a different overall bitrate. iTunes 4.9 and below I've seen the exact same bitrate, hovering around 160-170, and now going to iTunes 5, the bitrate varies from 160-210. Odd...