20.7 Open Media Formats

In recent years downloadable media has become a controversial subject and a big business. Millions of people now download music from the Internet, and artists who make music for video games often release their music in a number of standard formats. One of the most popular is the MP3 format, but those who create commercial music and release it in this format are responsible for paying patent fees. In recent years, however, open standard and patent-free technologies have been developed that can be used by anyone, for free, for any purpose. One of the leaders in the new, open, and patent-free media formats is Vorbis, and particularly its OGG audio format. Music developed and released in this format, including music featured in games, can be distributed without any patent charges or fees. Therefore, this format comes highly recommended. More information can be found at http://www.vorbis.com.