readease Chapter 132 Setting Standards
Chapter 132 Setting Standards
Chapter 132 Setting Standards
Since Edison invented the phonograph, the history of humankind in preserving and transmitting sound has spanned over a century.
Over the long years, countless audio technologies have emerged, constantly changing the way people listen to the world.
However, if we were to discuss which audio format has had the most profound impact on the human music experience, the answer would undoubtedly be MP3.
As the most widely used audio format in the world in later generations, MP3 made music a truly accessible mass consumer product for everyone for the first time. To some extent, people even took MP3 as a synonym for music.
However, few people know that the MP3 format was actually a failed and obsolete product.
The development of MP3 is relatively recent. In the 1970s, a German professor named Dieter Seidt suddenly came up with a forward-thinking idea: he wanted people to be able to sit at home and use ISDN phone lines to request music.
Today, this idea may not seem like cutting-edge technology, but at the time, it was simply a pipe dream.
Because ISDN's speed is too low, only 128kbps, the network speed would need to be increased by at least 12 times to realize his idea.
Dieter Seth knew that he couldn't solve the problem of improving internet speed, but what if he invented an audio format that was only one-twelfth the size of the mainstream CD audio format at the time?
So he handed the project over to one of his students, Karl-Heinz Brandenburg, because the latter's graduation thesis focused on a speech compression algorithm called ATC.
When Karl-Heinz Brandenburg received this task, he was dumbfounded. He thought to himself, "Damn it, if a professor like you can't do this, how can a PhD like me possibly do it?"
But the task assigned by his mentor could not be left undone, so Karlheinz Brandenburg planned to spend some time proving that it was simply impossible, and then get through it.
Unexpectedly, just as he was struggling to prove that he couldn't invent an audio format 12 times smaller than a CD, he suddenly discovered that it might actually work.
He felt that this goal was not out of reach, because he found that no audio compression format had reached its limit.
Because sound is a type of data that is extremely chaotic and has very high information entropy.
There are many parts of the sound spectrum that are imperceptible to human hearing. Removing these inaudible sounds can effectively reduce file size.
This is similar to how we filter out irrelevant content and keep only the key parts when processing information.
Furthermore, sound can be compressed repeatedly, just like when we go to the supermarket to buy five of the same thing, the list will be marked with "item ×5" instead of printing the name of the item five times.
This approach can be applied to audio compression as well, by identifying and processing duplicate audio segments to further reduce file size.
Based on these findings, and after more than a decade of continuous research and optimization, Karl-Heinz Brandenburg finally published his paper in 1989, and the MP3 format was finally developed.
They thought the MP format would usher in a glorious new era, making them winners in life. However, during its subsequent promotion, reality dealt it a heavy blow.
In the 1990s, several new technologies suddenly emerged in the industry, including the familiar CD-O.
M and DVD formats.
At the time, major manufacturers were fiercely competing for the new industry standard. The MPEG organization, responsible for setting the relevant standards, ultimately selected the CD format provided by the MUS I CAM organization from 14 submitted audio formats.
Because behind MUS I CAM is Philips, a well-known and dominant player in the music standards industry.
Of course, MP3 is also inferior to its counterpart in terms of technology. The latter's algorithm requires less processing power, which is more advantageous in an era where processors are generally not very powerful.
Therefore, MP3 was a complete failure, and even its inventor, Karl-Heinz Brandenburg, began to research new audio coding methods.
"So Google got this bargain?"
After dropping off the Australian Aries, Ernst rushed to the airport and took a chartered private jet to Mountain View.
What impressed Ernst most about his visit to Google was the change in the morale and spirit of the employees.
With the success of Google's Series B funding round, becoming a business giant is a foregone conclusion. Conservatively estimated, Google's market value after its IPO will exceed 10 billion US dollars.
Being able to serve as a key member of such a future giant company is a completely different experience for employees compared to starting a business in a small company.
Sergei Brin's face beamed with excitement, and he unconsciously rubbed his hands together as he shared his joy with Ernst. "When you told me you wanted to develop a music software and use the MP3 format, I immediately had someone research that audio format."
"You know what? It's a perfect match for the Internet."
"MP3 format does indeed have higher requirements for devices in terms of algorithm processing than CD, but in recent years, processors have developed rapidly and their performance has been greatly improved, while the development of storage media has lagged behind."
"The largest hard drive currently available is the 9GB hard drive launched by Seagate in 1994, but more than 80% of computers worldwide still use 1GB hard drives, so storage space is the most critical issue right now."
"The biggest feature of the MP3 format is its small file size, which perfectly meets the current needs." Sergei Brin took a sip of water to moisten his throat and continued, "After obtaining this research result, I sent someone to contact the MP3 R&D team and finally got this great deal for $85, and obtained the technology patent."
Ernst never expected such a surprise.
This is an MP3 format, after all. For at least the next ten years, any company that wants to use this format will have to pay Google a patent fee.
Why are Philips and Sony so dominant in the music industry? It's because they set the industry standards.
As we all know, a company's status is often demonstrated through its core values and market positioning.
Top-tier companies can lead the development trend of the industry.
They are not just selling products, but more importantly, setting and promoting industry standards, becoming shapers and leaders of market rules.
These companies, with their technological strength, innovation capabilities, and market insight, set the framework and guidelines for the development of the entire industry, and other companies can only act within this framework and follow the rules.
Following closely behind are second-tier companies, which take technological innovation as their core competitiveness and provide customers with a value experience that exceeds expectations by continuously developing cutting-edge technologies.
While these companies may not be able to set industry standards like top-tier companies, their investment and breakthroughs in technological research and development can drive technological progress in the industry and bring new vitality and opportunities to the market.
Next are third-rate companies, which focus on product optimization and marketing, securing a place in the highly competitive market by improving product quality, enriching product lines, and employing effective marketing strategies.
They primarily focus on improving and refining products based on existing technologies and standards to meet the needs of different consumers.
Fourth-rate enterprises often rely on traditional production models and labor cost advantages to make a living by providing basic products or services, and their competitiveness is mostly based on price and simple labor.
These types of enterprises are in a significantly weak position in market competition, have poor risk resistance, and are easily affected by changes in the market environment and industry.
High risk, low profit – that's the kind of business that fits the bill.
Before the 1990s, there were many chip manufacturers and operating system manufacturers in the United States. Why did two companies start to widen the gap in the same industry and one become huge after the 1990s?
It was through the collaboration between the two companies that the Wintel standard was established.
In name, Microsoft and Intel are in an alliance and are working closely together, but those in the know understand that they are actually setting industry standards together.
Using a Microsoft operating system requires an Intel processor, and vice versa.
This close cooperation creates a virtuous cycle: as long as one company makes a technological breakthrough, the sales of the other company's products will also increase.
With sufficient sales, companies can invest more funds in research and development, thereby widening the technological gap with their competitors.
Once these two companies dominate the market, software developers will also develop software and hardware that are compatible with them.
To meet consumers' demands for software compatibility, computer manufacturers naturally prefer to use Microsoft operating systems and Intel processors. This is because if they choose products from other brands, they may encounter many software malfunctions, and consumers obviously will not buy such products.
Google's acquisition of the MP3 format patent at an extremely low price is undoubtedly an important step towards setting an industry standard.
In the internet age, the MP3 format, with its small file size, perfectly meets the needs of online distribution.
With the popularization of the Internet and the rise of digital music, the MP3 format will play a huge role in the field of music distribution, and Google, which holds the patent for the MP3 format, will also occupy a favorable position in the wave of digital music.
"So, does that mean we can become the next Philips and Sony, and dominate the entire music market?"
Why do Philips and Sony dominate the hardware and software of audio production? It's because they hold patents.
Once someone's hardware technology becomes far superior, they will use their patents to block you, which is very domineering.
Sergey Brin nodded excitedly. "That's right. Once the MP3 audio format is fully popularized, music companies all over the world will have to be mindful of our position."
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