Ripping from CD to FLAC, and then transcoding to lossy (was: More on MP3 and open formats)

[Jason Stephenson]

Ben Scott wrote:
> On 2/26/07, Jason Stephenson <jason at sigio.com> wrote:
>> I'm already planing a nice utility for managing all of that, too.
> 
>  I'm starting to wonder if there isn't something out there already.
> I wrote my own collection of really bad hacks (shell and Perl scripts)
> to do this; I know others have; now you are, too.  It seems like
> there's an itch, here.

I've got a Perl (or is it sh?) script that I've used to rip CDs and 
convert the output to mp3.

However, this time around, I have grander ideas. I'd like to make 
something with a GUI front end that can be used to archive CDs in FLAC 
(that backup copy that fair use allows us to make) and convert the files 
to other, open file formats, such as Ogg* and MPC** (that format 
shifting thing we're also supposed to be able to do). There'd also be a 
cataloging/search feature and the ability to "restore" a lost CD from 
the archive. While I'm at it, it might as well be able to play the files.

This will give me something to do with my new MacBook.

* From what I've read, Ogg may not be all that safe to use patent-wise. 
Is this just FUD, or is there something to it?

** MPC claims to be "patent-free," but I'm not sure exactly how. It is 
using MPEG-1 layer 2 technology. I've not bothered searching for patents 
covering layer 2, and I have no idea how specific the Alcatel/Fraunhofer 
patent is.