[drittiner]

Hello.


This may not be the same section so I apologize if it isnt.


I recently built an HTPC and am in the process of putting together my surround setup and receiver (going to have Polk Monitor IIs; 60 fronts - 30s Back - CS2 center - Bic F12 Sub). I plan on moving my music over from my old library to my new computer and will be ripping more CDs and also downloading some music.


I plan on doing some downloading from youtube to MP3. Mainly for live things and songs that dont have distinct albums (dubstep, etc). My questions are is there a particular Youtube to MP3 downloader/addon that seems to be the best for quality and such? Also i have been messing with a few and some download in 128kbps others in 192. Obviously higher is better but is the difference noticeable versus the size? Just want to make sure whatever i download will sound the best possible on the 5.1 setup once i get it running.


Thanks in advance for the help.


Also, i posted this last question in the HTPC forum, but if anyone knows of a good program for getting MP3 metadata or organizing your library that would be great.

 

[walbert]

Aside from the legal issues (I'm fairly sure you're violating copyright laws, at least if you're in the US), from a purely theoretical standpoint:


The audio stream you're capturing is already fairly compressed, so unless you can hear new/additional compression artifacts you're probably alright. 192 over 128 is preferable in most cases, but if the original stream was already butchered down to 64 or 96 or what have you, it doesn't matter.


If you're ripping CDs, I would suggest a much higher bitrate, something in the 256k or higher realm; storage is inexpensive, and depending on the type of music you're capturing you can avoid artifacts going with a higher bitrate.


In terms of organizing your library, what's wrong with Windows Media Player/Media Center or iTunes?