how does ripping a stream work? is it a transcode?

[airtas]

sites like purevolume, myspace, reverbnation, lala use streams obviosuly but when using a media catcher (not recorder) are you capturing the file as is or do their players transcode the file on the fly thus your catching a worse version

If you record from a sound card, you lose some quality (of course you can use lossless formats, but then you will waste hard disk space).

If you download stream or capture packets from a streaming media player, you get a perfect digital copy of the stream (without any quality loss).

[airtas]

Originally Posted by Stream Recorder

If you record from a sound card, you lose some quality (of course you can use lossless formats, but then you will waste hard disk space).

If you download stream or capture packets from a streaming media player, you get a perfect digital copy of the stream (without any quality loss).

but what if the player transcodes the original file?

or does that not happen

Originally Posted by airtas

but what if the player transcodes the original file?

or does that not happen

I don't really know what you mean by transcoding the original file.

[airtas]

like it the original file is 320 kbps is it possible the stream is outputting at 128?

Originally Posted by airtas

like it the original file is 320 kbps is it possible the stream is outputting at 128?

The original file can be anything... the output is defined by a streaming server. If you do not convert anything on the fly, you will download or capture the exact digital copy of the stream that a streaming severs sends. Streaming media downloaders and streaming media capture software gets the same data as streaming media players.

[airtas]

Originally Posted by Stream Recorder

The original file can be anything... the output is defined by a streaming server. If you do not convert anything on the fly, you will download or capture the exact digital copy of the stream that a streaming severs sends. Streaming media downloaders and streaming media capture software gets the same data as streaming media players.

so when capturing the file it doesn't matter that the player is transcoding on the fly because you are grabbing the file before the transcode process?

Sorry I sound like an idiot

Originally Posted by airtas

so when capturing the file it doesn't matter that the player is transcoding on the fly because you are grabbing the file before the transcode process?

When you capture or download, you just get packets digitally. So say if an mp3 file is broadcasted, you download it or capture packets and then save them as an mp3 file; you do it instead of transcoding, converting,... them, so there is no quality loss.

Originally Posted by airtas

Sorry I sound like an idiot

stay positive

I think it needs original file to work..

[airtas]

ok so lets say there is a 320 kbps song on purevolume but when the stream outputs at 128 kbps

when you capture the packets are you getting it at 320 or 128?