# Should I use mp3 or real audio files for streaming audio? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 17, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916 "2003-05-17T17:11:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/1 "2003-05-17T17:11:30Z")
Is there a reason I would use one over the other? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/2 "2003-05-17T17:33:17Z")
I know of absolutely no reason to ever use any Real media formats. Crappy quality and proprietary. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/3 "2003-05-17T17:38:27Z")
Technologically, I have no opinion. But, I will never trust RealAudio again after it was shown they were a “pioneer” of spyware. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/4 "2003-05-17T17:47:53Z")
Is streaming Ogg Vorbis an option? [http://www.vorbis.com/](http://www.vorbis.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Liz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/liz/32/17737_2.png) [@Liz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liz)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/5 "2003-05-17T18:33:51Z")
I would be personally go with .mp3 since it’s a pretty universal format. I have yet to encounter a media player that doesn’t support it. Real Audio, on the other hand, will read ONLY in shitty RealPlayer, which has horrid quality, IMO. I also second **RevTim** about the spyware thing. That’s also a big reason I don’t use any Real Media software. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/6 "2003-05-17T19:57:53Z")
Real audio is awful. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/7 "2003-05-17T20:16:35Z")
Good thread topic. I was thinking of asking why anyone, anywhere, would use anything other than MP3 or WAV. Is there ever any advantage to posting your audio files as .rm? ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/8 "2003-05-17T20:48:54Z")
Real Player is supported by Symbian OS and I use it for streams to smart-phones. I have encoded various movies to RM format to watch on my phone. MP3 is better quality obviously, but RM does have it’s uses. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/9 "2003-05-17T21:07:34Z")
While we’re on the subject, does anyone know of a simple way to convert .rm files to either mp3 or wav? The only thing I have found so far is a method of trapping the sound card output in real-time, then saving that in the desired format. But this is clumsy and time-consuming for 10 songs. Ideally it would be a standalone batch converter from rm-\>mp3. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/10 "2003-05-17T23:38:49Z")
**Musicat** that’s one of the things that has me perplexed. There are so many rm files on the internet yet no fricking converters or at least not easy to find. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/11 "2003-05-18T04:02:25Z")
Can you stream MP3’s? all the ones I have seen you had to download onto your HD completely before it could be run. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/12 "2003-05-18T15:49:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KidCharlemagne \* > **Musicat** that’s one of the things that has me perplexed. There are so many rm files on the internet yet no fricking converters or at least not easy to find. So I’m not the only one who’s perplexed. Is there any technical or legal reason why a standalone converter doesn’t exist? ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/13 "2003-05-18T18:42:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KidCharlemagne \* > \*\ ***Musicat** that’s one of the things that has me perplexed. There are so many rm files on the internet yet no fricking converters or at least not easy to find. \*\* There is a way to do it. There is a program that can be found on the web called RM Converter. Though unless RM is the only format you can find something in, I wouldn’t bother as it is INCREDIBLY lossy and would give you a poor quality file generally. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/14 "2003-05-18T19:39:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Musicat \* > \*\*Is there any technical or legal reason why a standalone converter doesn’t exist? \*\* I kinda sorta remember Real suing a company that had a program that would capture and save a RealAudio stream. Sorry I can’t give more than that. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/15 "2003-05-18T20:37:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mockingbird \* > There is a program that can be found on the web called RM Converter. So how about a link? If it’s not illegal, there’s no reason not to post it. A google search for “rm converter” turned up [www.rmconverter.com,](http://www.rmconverter.com/) which I had discarded before, since neither MP3 or WAV is mentioned anywhere in the conversion list. At the [RM to MP3 Converter Directory,](http://www.mp3-converter.biz/rm-to-mp3-converter-directory/) which sounds like just the thing, there are two programs that appear to be capture-type programs, at least according to a friend who tried them. They are not standalone file data converters; you must play the file in realtime and tweak some volume settings to get the desired final product. Time consuming. And **Mockingbird,** I understand what you are saying about the sound quality. However, RM is the only format I can find some things in, so I have no choice. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-use-mp3-or-real-audio-files-for-streaming-audio/175916/16 "2003-05-18T21:07:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shalmanese \* > \*\*Can you stream MP3’s? all the ones I have seen you had to download onto your HD completely before it could be run. \*\* Quicktime can do it through a browser. Most likely through the standalone player as well.