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Audio Quality
In Mkchromecast you can modify the bitrate to stream using the -b
or --bitrate
options:
python mkchromecast.py -b 320
If you are using the system tray, there is an option in the Preferences
menu.
In general, the higher the bitrates the better sound quality. Of course, this is not true in some cases. For instance, aac
between 128-256k
is already considered transparent (in other words, average listeners do not perceive any differences). Between mp3
and ogg
, starting from a bitrate of 128k
, ogg
already delivers a better sound quality than 320k
mp3
.
The sound quality from the better to the "worse" lossy data compression formats:
aac
> ogg
> mp3
.
You can use different audio formats provided you install ffmpeg
or avconf
as follows:
python mkchromecast.py --encoder-backend ffmpeg -c ogg
If you intend to use high bitrates for these lossy data compression audio formats, you should instead consider using flac
or wav
.
python mkchromecast.py --encoder-backend ffmpeg -c flac
Audio quality improves with increasing bitrate:
- 32 kbit/s – generally acceptable only for speech.
- 96 kbit/s – generally used for speech or low-quality streaming.
- 128 or 160 kbit/s – mid-range bitrate quality.
- 192 kbit/s – medium quality bitrate.
- 256 kbit/s – a commonly used high-quality bitrate.
- 320 kbit/s – highest level supported by the MP3 standard. Used in
Deezer
premium subscription.
OGG provides the same quality for a lower filesize compared to MP3
- 45 kbit/s or 48 kbit/s
- 64 kbit/s
- 80 kbit/s - medium quality bitrate.
- 96 kbit/s
- 112 kbit/s
- 128 kbit/s - High quality.
- 160 kbit/s
- 192 kbit/s
- 224 kbit/s
- 256 kbit/s
- 320 kbit/s - Used in
Spotify
premium subscription. - 500 kbit/s
- 128 kbit/s - High quality, Stereo.
- 256 kbit/s - Quality as good as CD. Used in
Apple Music
service. - 320 kbit/s - Used in
Tidal
high quality subscription.
wav
and flac
are considered lossless formats. When using ffmpeg
or avconv
encoder backends, the option '-acodec pcm_s24le'
assures 24-bit.
As for the bitrates, wav operates about 1411 kb/s
, while flac does it at ~900 kb/s
.
Mkchromecast lets you cast using 24-bit/96kHz
high audio resolution. This is the maximum chromecast audio capability. The supported codecs are: wav
and flac
. In spite of the fact that aac
can use 96000Hz
sample rate, the bitrate corresponds to that of a lossy data compression format. Therefore, the following combinations can achieve this 24-bit/96kHz
capability:
-
wav
+96000Hz
sample rate. -
flac
+96000Hz
sample rate.
Reference: #11.