How widely available is PCA support?

farss wrote on 1/28/2005, 3:07 PM

I have a client how has a huge library of their own audio productions. They've been asking me about a better way to archive this material than their current way of storing as vanilla CDs.
Having only recently discovered how useful PCA is and it's potential to save them 1000s of square feet of storage I'm wondering is this a viable path for them to follow. For it to work for them they'd need a multiplatform tool that could compress / decompress files in PCA format or at least something more widely available than just Vegas / SF to retreive their audio.

Is PCA likely to just languish in the backwaters or is it going to get wider industry acceptance?

Anyone know of archivists using this format?

Comments

MJhig wrote on 1/29/2005, 6:19 AM

Bob, like you I value PCA tremendously. This is why I keep asking for the option when using Copy and trim media to select PCA. This would make archiving projects to CD/DVD so much easier/efficient.

As far as I know, only SF/Sony apps. support PCA, it's proprietary so whether Sony would expose it to others only they can answer. Further than that since Sonic Foundry was/is Win based, it would seem cross-platform would entirely relate to other vendor's interest in the format and Sony's policy.

Also it seems "compression" these days is less of a priority with the availability of large capacity storage media at reasonable rates.

But... only Sony can answer this question but like you I'm interested. A 50% lossless filesize reduction still appeals to me.

MJ

Rednroll wrote on 1/30/2005, 9:33 AM

A free version of the discontinued Batch converter sure would be nice now wouldn't it? Non Sony app users could use that to convert your PCA files you give them to .Wav, Aif, or whatever their preferred format, and then when it comes time to send something back to you and want to save on space again, use Batch Converter to change it back to PCA.

Hmmmmmm?????? Turn a discontinued no longer supported tool into a resource to help promote Sony's prietary PCA format? Maybe making it compariable to the .MP3 compression format explosion, but only lossless? Damn, I should be in Sony's marketing department. :-)

To me it's like, how did Adobe made their .PDF document format so popular? They gave away Adobe Acrobat Reader away for free. Now tell me, who can live without a app that can't open a .PDF file now? Someone please post, if they don't have Adobe Acrobat or some other app that can open a .PDF file on their PC? When ever I do a clean install, I find this is one of the first things I have to install, just so I can read any documentation with some other install, or driver install instructions.

Chienworks wrote on 1/30/2005, 3:32 PM

Hmmmm. You've got me head scratching now. Do you remember SIREN? You can install it in free mode and use it to rip files form the hard drive to the hard drive, saving them in a different format. It even supports batch conversions. I know it supports PCA in the fully registered mode but i'm not sure if it does as a free demo. I'll have to check that out when i get to work tomorrow and have a few spare computers to toy with.*

If it supports PCA in demo mode then anyone else without any other SONY media software can use it to "rip" PCA to WAV or WAV to PCA.

*I'm not gonna experiment here at home. It's been discontinued and i don't know how many more activations they'll let me get away with. It's my favorite media player and i don't dare jeopardize my installation. Heck, i snapped up 7 additional unused copies of it on ebay so that i can move to the new serial number if necessary, but i don't want to waste a single one of them!

farss wrote on 1/30/2005, 11:47 PM

I sure remember Siren, yeah gods. Why don;t they either market this stuff or put it into the public domain so someone can develop cross platform tools. Most of the audio I work with I get the files down to 30% and that's a HUGE saving. Not only that, it provides a practical way for archivists to store audio at 16/48 as data files which gives them better error correction as well.
Think of the money this could save places like CBC, BBC and ABC (sorry that's Australian Broadcasting Corporation). These places have HUGE libraries of audio, a lossless compression system would be worth serious money to them or look at it another way, they could afford to keep more of the national treasures or look at it yet another way, all those organisations are one way or another funded from the public purse. So this is costing all of us.
Bob.

CERTEGY wrote on 2/16/2005, 7:32 AM

Chienworks,

I too have extra copies of Siren for that same reason! I am still using Siren today with several files still in the PCA format. Hey Rednroll, I don't see you insulting anyone lately for brigning up SIREN like I did last year? (I was inquiring as to where the Siren forum was).

Rednroll wrote on 2/17/2005, 2:02 PM

"Hey Rednroll, I don't see you insulting anyone lately for brigning up SIREN like I did last year?"

Well since you're asking for it, I'll be happy to oblige.

The topic of this thread is about PCA, not about Siren Jukebox and Siren was suggested as an option for transferring to and from PCA, since it had that capability. I suppose that I should figure though, that anyone who would suggest a forum to be dedicated to a media player, wouldn't be smart enough to realize that fact. After all it's a "media player", how hard is it to figure out how to use a media player that we would need a forum dedicated to users asking questions? What we would share tips and tricks on playing back our media files? If that's too difficult for you, where you actually need a forum for you, then you probably couldn't get past installing it on your PC in the first place. Oh, yeah I can see the posts now in that forum. "Daahhhh....can someone tell me where the play button is in Siren?" "ahhhhh....how can I use Siren to remove vocals from my MP3 files?"

Do you feel better now that I've insulted you? Anytime you need me to fill your masochistic needs, feel free to just reach out and ask, and I'll humiliate you better than the $50 hooker with the little black leather whip at your local sex shop.

Who's your daddy!?....Byotch!!! Get down on your knees and lick the dog poop off my shoes!!!!

:-)

MyST wrote on 2/18/2005, 12:29 AM

I was hoping that Sony would push the PCA option when they bought SoFo.
However, they are pushing the ATRAC3Plus format for their walkmans. It comes with SonicStage software to convert CDs to the ATRAC format.
I think they figured PCA wasn't compressing enough to compete with mp3s as far as marketing goes. Teens are worried more about how many hours they can fit in their mp3 players much more than sound quality.
If Sony can give away SonicStage with their ATRAC capable Walkmans, it'd be nice if they could give away Siren with their PCA Walkmans for those that value quality over quantity.
I just don't think there would be any money in trying to sell PCA to the general public.

Mario

Chienworks wrote on 2/18/2005, 2:59 AM

While we're wishing, i wish SONY would give the SonicStage software to our Wisconsin friends and have them rewrite it so that it has an inkling of usability. ;)

I can imagine a whole cult-like effect growing up around the current SonicStage software ... "Yeah, hey, after fuzting around all night i finally figured out how to view a list of songs! Am i 'in' yet?" "Um, no. You need to spend another three days in introspection and meditation and figuring out how to populate a playlist before you advance to that level. Then you can discuss transferance with your mentor ..."

OK, maybe it's not that bad, but it looks like someone went way out of their way to make the software as opaque as possible. Hmmmmm, how about adding ATRAC support to SIREN? Now there's a wonderful idea!

MyST wrote on 2/18/2005, 3:47 AM

"...how about adding ATRAC support to SIREN? Now there's a wonderful idea!"

That's a GREAT idea Kelly!
Now where'd that Siren forum go so that I can make the suggestion??

Mario

MrPhil wrote on 2/21/2005, 8:26 AM

hehe
"who can live without a app that can't open a .PDF file now?"

I can :)

Rednroll wrote on 2/21/2005, 8:40 AM

"I can :)"

No wonder you have so many gripes about Vegas.....You've never been able to open the PDF manual to read it. :-)~

MrPhil wrote on 2/22/2005, 6:52 AM

hehehe

read it again, this time slower! :>)