Author Topic: Pono is coming....  (Read 15301 times)

Offline allenzachary

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Pono is coming....
« on: September 29, 2012, 09:57:57 AM »
New digital device that will allegedly kick digital devices collective asses.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/28/3422018/neil-young-pono-audiophile-music-player-prototype-on

Offline richidoo

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Re: Pono is coming....
« Reply #1 on: September 29, 2012, 12:30:10 PM »
Thanks for that Allen!

What intrigues me is not the sound quality BS, but the possiblity for a new file type which is hardware dependent. You can only play it on the Pono box, and not on any other machine, not even computer. That is why the record companies are "all on board," they think they can put the genie back in the bottle if new releases are eventually Pono only. Neil Young is a smart guy, if he put money into this, then stopping pirating is the purpose. SQ would be the marketing reason for people to buy it. Fine with me!

I wonder what the process is to make an existing digital file into a Pono file. Maybe it is just a high bandwidth streamer than can play flac or some Pono-proprietary lossless format.

I will try to find out more on the technical side.

Offline richidoo

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« Last Edit: September 29, 2012, 12:39:58 PM by richidoo »

Offline Packfill

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Re: Pono is coming....
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2012, 02:13:42 PM »
I believe a closed system will be DOA.

Plus the chances of this being anything really new or innovative are pretty slim.

but heck, thats just the optimist in me talking

Offline richidoo

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Re: Pono is coming....
« Reply #4 on: September 30, 2012, 01:44:14 PM »
I believe a closed system will be DOA.

Plus the chances of this being anything really new or innovative are pretty slim.

but heck, thats just the optimist in me talking

I hear ya. I am an "optimist" too.  But if the money players are behind it (RIAA & Co.) then it could get traction. Pirating is killing the business and the art, so we are getting to the point of a major shift in delivery. A secure file format is tempting, but you know it will be cracked.

So far nobody has said anything about this being a piracy deterrent, it is just my fantasy. But if Jobs was in on it, there was a licensing angle.

I have always wondered about a unique locked file security system for music, similar to how PGP works. You buy music with your public key, the download server encrypts it so only your private key can play it. You enter your private key into your playback software once, making the PGP process invisible to you and perfectly secure. You own your files, and they are useless to anyone else. My copy of "Billie Jean" is a different file than anybody else's, but decoded with my key it produces the same analog output.  Most personal players have a strong processor now to handle the decode. New phones come twice a year, Moore's Law lives.

Streaming content would not work with PGP though. Can't encode live content into millions of unique streams at once, right?

Offline sleepyguy24

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Re: Pono is coming....
« Reply #5 on: December 20, 2012, 09:04:29 AM »
I know this is old news to you all but this just came through my daily e-mails from SPIN Magazine.

http://www.spin.com/articles/neil-young-pono-audio-format-mp3?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=122012

Good to know information about this is making it to more of the masses in addition to audio enthusiasts.

Offline BobM

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Re: Pono is coming....
« Reply #6 on: December 26, 2012, 06:01:44 AM »
If something can be made "proprietary" and only playable on a fixed device due to a software algorythm, then it can certainly be pirated and made playable elsewhere. Too many vested pirate interests in this to think it will stand uncontested.
Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you'll have to blow your nose.



Offline Carlman

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Re: Pono is coming....
« Reply #9 on: March 14, 2014, 06:14:31 PM »
I don't really understand how this is better than my phone.  I play .flac files already from a Samsung S4 and it sounds great.
I could even add an external DAC if I wanted with a micro USB adapter.
Android OS plays .flac natively so any tablet will play FLAC files well.

I'll be interested to hear a comparison.

-C
« Last Edit: March 14, 2014, 06:16:08 PM by Carlman »
I really enjoy listening to music.

Offline _Scotty_

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Re: Pono is coming....
« Reply #10 on: March 14, 2014, 06:59:50 PM »
Theoretically the Pono player could run bigger batteries and an analogue output stage that could have been designed from the ground up to drive headphones well. The S4 can drive headphones but I don't think anyone would characterize it as an audiophile grade device. I playback WAV files on my S4 through the stock phones and while its not bad sounding I heard much better playback at last years Capitol Audiofest.
Scotty