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MPEG LAYER-3
Thanks to this new audio codec, WAV-format files can be created that use MPEG Layer-3 compression and still retain their original quality - but taking up only a fraction of the storage space. And they are truly WAV-format files - you can still use them as system event sounds, if you like. The audio codec, however, will only work with a WAV player that is native to your operating system; if you use Windows 95, it must be a 32-bit WAV player; if you use Windows 3.1, it must be a 16-bit WAV player. And they must be capable of playing ACM Waveform format WAV files. Media Player and Sound Recorder come with all versions of Windows and have this capability. SoundAmerica's archives are eventually going to be entirely converted over to this new format. This is a good thing; it means you'll be able to download the sound files in a fraction of the time it normally takes. Now the bad news: you'll need to download and install extra software in order to benefit from the new compression technology. TO SEE IF YOU NEED THE MPEG LAYER-3 CODEC, CLICK HERE If you are able to play the sound, the appropriate audio codec is installed on your system. If not, you will need to download and install the appropriate software needed to play the sounds. Windows 95, and Windows NT 3.51/4.0 should get download the MPEG Layer-3 Codec, which contains the appropriate codec necessary to play the compressed WAV files. Windows 3.1 users will need Netshow 2.0, which can be downloaded by clicking on the link below. Note that Windows 98 users will not need to download Netshow since it is included with the Windows 98 installation package. NOTE: If you install the new Microsoft Media Player version 5.2, it will remove the MPEG Layer-3 codec from your system. If you want to use MPEG Layer-3 compressed WAV files as system event sounds, you will need to reinstall the codec after the Media Player has been installed. The MPEG Layer-3 Codec is a freely distributable package, subject to this licensing agreement
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