What export format would you recommend to maximize the accessibility for the most people?
I’m using Audacity 2.0.5 downloaded as .exe yesterday (2014-02-24) and installed under Windows 7 using the .exe installer. I recorded myself reading a statement 57.7 seconds long. I want to use it with a video, which I plan to create using Avidemux. I exported as WAV (10 MB), AIFF (10 MB), Ogg Vorbis (1.0 MB), FLAC (5 MB) and MP2 (1.1 MB). I’m not eager to use MP3, because I could have copyright problems in the US. (My video questions government secrecy, and is therefore a potential target for disruption by the US government, according to Glenn Greenwald; https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation. I don’t want them to sue me for patent infringement.) WAV, AIFF, and MP2 would play with the software already installed on my Windows 7 computer. FLAC would not play at all. Ogg Vorbis opened Windows Live Movie Maker, but didn’t make a sound after that.
This suggests that I should use MP2, because it has the smallest size of the formats that would play using software I already have. However, I wonder if there is something else I should consider.
I’m unclear what the goal is. Is the video comment just fluff and misdirection? You want to reach the most people with a sound file? That would be MP3. Copyright problems with MP3 have to do with making it which is licensed software by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Lame is work-alike, open source software that produces MP3 sound files with no restriction.
Next is WAV (Microsoft) which all three common computer platforms play. That’s why WAV is the Audacity default uncompressed file type.
To reach the most number of people with a video, I would use Flash.
You could just upload it to YouTube (as long as it doesn’t violate any of their rules). They will automatically convert it to whatever format they use and that will take care of most of your worries.
[u]Wikipedia[/u] lists the formats supported by Windows Media Player.
You don’t need a license to distribute MP3 content as long as you are not making money (and as long it’s not copyrighted, or if it’s original material and you own the copyright). But, your audio/video file is unlikely to have MP3 audio. (IIRC, MP3 audio was developed for MPEG-1 but is rarely use with video anymore.)
Do I need a license to distribute mp3 encoded content?
Yes. A license is needed for commercial (i.e., revenue-generating) use of mp3 in broadcast systems (terrestrial, satellite, cable and/or other distribution channels)…
…However, no license is needed for private, non-commercial activities > (e.g., home-entertainment, receiving broadcasts and creating a personal music library), not generating revenue or other consideration of > any kind or for entities with associated annual gross revenue less than US$ 100 000.00. >
MP2, or anything MPEG is also going to be covered by patents & licenses. Most video formats are covered by some sort of patent, and most compressed audio formats are patented. If you start distributing DVDs or Blu-Ray discs, there are fees to be paid and there are organizations that consolidate collection of the fees & royalties and then distribute payments to the many-many patent holders.
Wikipedia also has a list of [u]open formats[/u]. Note that many open source CODECS (such as LAME) use patented technology… i.e. The LAME source code is open source and free, but if you distribute a complied fully-functioning LAME encoder (or any other MP3 encoder) you are supposed to pay royalties.
BTW - It’s NOT the U.S. government that’s going to come after you… It’s the patent holders.