[CELT-dev] Opus for audiobooks etc

[Daniel Jensen]

> With storage what it is today, I don't think that 64 kbps is the
> size problem it once was, and the improved sound is quite noticeable.

Well, it may well not be a size problem for listening to from a computer 
(though the growing use of SSDs and the flooding in Thailand mean 
infinity isn't a good approximation for hard drive size just yet), but 
it's still an issue for portable and embedded players, especially when 
you're putting hundreds (or thousands) of hours of books on there. The 
Ear Bible which I mentioned in my other email is a good example here- 
for a startup like that it makes a lot of difference if they can save a 
couple of dollars per unit by using less flash, and that's one reason 
they started with Speex.

(More of a corner case, but audiobook streaming is another application 
for low bit rates- though most of us are used to having enough bandwidth 
to stream youtube, netflix, etc there are still lots of people worldwide 
on dial-up or on pre-3G cell networks.)

And of course a lot of the idea is that Opus might do well enough that 
higher bit rates wouldn't be all that noticeable.