Encoders

With Sockso, it's possible to use various different encoders when playing music. You probably want to do this for one of the following reasons...

  • Re-encode one format to another (eg. so Ogg files can be played with Sockso's flash player, which only support mp3s)
  • Re-encode music at a lower bitrate so it can be listened to on slower connections

The Encoders Panel

The encoders panel in Sockso lists the various file formats that Sockso can handle, and then allows you to specify how Sockso should handle each of these different types. The default is to stream the track unaltered.

Builtin Encoding

These are in the form of settings and/or scripts that come with Sockso that allow you to just select an option from the list and have your music encoded. You will need to have the correct programs installed on your computer though, Sockso just provides the means to use them. So for example if you want to use Lame to re-encode your mp3's at a lower bitrate, you'll need to have it installed and available in your PATH.

Custom Encoding

This option allows you to specify a command to use to re-encode your music. This will probably be in the form of a shell script which does whatever you want to the music before playing it. Whatever program you use, it should take the path of the track as its first argument, and return the audio data to stdout (Sockso will then read it back in and send it to the users music player).