Q: I am seeing a lot of references to eAAC and eAAC+ in cell phone test reviews, notably for Sony Ericsson phones. I use AAC for my iPod, but I’m interested in these other formats.
Can you elaborate on what eAAC and eAAC+ actually are? Does my iPod or iTunes support them?
– George
A: The eAAC and eAAC+ codecs are evolutions of the current AAC codec, allowing for even smaller files at excellent sound quality levels. They achieve this in part by the use of a technology called “Parametric Stereo”, which combines the left and right channels of audio for greater compression, but in a special way that allows the stereo separation to be restored for playback.
You’re right – at this point, the codec has currently only appealed to cell phone manufacturers and over-the-air music stores, as their needs for low-bitrate music are clearly more urgent than manufacturers of large-capacity hard drive players.
Years ago, there were rumors of Apple’s plans to incorporate the codec into the iTunes/iPod/Quicktime/Music Store system, but this still hasn’t materialized.
