The problem with getting AV via the Internet and computers is compression, as well as the conflicting needs of all the non-AV-processing innards of your computer. Internet video usually uses greatly-compressed MPEG2 files and the standard for HD movies is 720p, not 1080p. Also, the best you can do in AV audio is a data-reduced 5.1 channel mix – not 48K or 96K uncompressed PCM 5.1 or DTS HD-Master Audio 5.1. Yes, some services are beginning to offer higher-res audio downloads, but still nothing to compare with SACD or uncompressed PCM. AV via computers has to have scalability to provide images and sound on everything from the smallest portable device to the largest flat screen or projected image. (Never mind that no videophile wants to watch a widescreen epic such as Lawrence of Arabia on a laptop or smart phone.)
Then there are all the power supplies and high-frequency digital emanations produced by the components inside your computer – none of which are selected to achieve the most transparent audio quality. Audiophiles would be aghast at what an audio signal is subject to inside their PCs, whether it comes over the Internet or off a physical CD or DVD. All this is why those of us who still care about achieving the highest quality picture and sound must support the physical formats of Blu-ray, SACD, 96K DVD, K2 HD, vinyl and open reel tape!
Gadgets to Reduce Artifacts of MP3 Compression – Some manufacturers are now offering add-on gadgets to try to ameliorate the annoying artifacts caused by the compression of audio files to fit them on small portable hard drives or solid state memories. I suppose we audio buffs would urge them to get larger hard drives and use at least the standard 44K-16bit format; ah, but that’s not the way it’s done nowadays. One of the recent entries in this audio Band-Aid business is the Clari-Fi, a $60 device from Intunition that plugs into your iPod or MP3 player’s headphone output and then your phones plug into it. The audio signal powers the device, so no batteries are needed. The Clari-Fi compresses the spiky frequencies while allowing the less-processed frequencies to come thru, achieving a smoother and less fatiguing sound. (Our suggestion would be to first trash those awful white earbuds that come with the iPod and replace them with some better headphones; then consider one of the battery-operated portable headphone amps; finally process your audio files at 320 kbps instead of 128 or worse.)
