MAD version 0.14.0b is now available.

Highlights of this release include:

- a new ID3 tag manipulation library implementation - a new dithering algorithm for (hopefully) even better sound quality - keyboard controls for `madplay' (see the man page for details) - a fix for `madplay' segfaults on files that are a multiple of 4K - improved code portability, and new MSVC++ project files - other various small code improvements

The new ID3 tag manipulation library is the most significant addition. The library has full support for reading ID3v1, ID3v1.1, ID3v2.2, ID3v2.3, and ID3v2.4 tags, as well as support for writing ID3v1, ID3v1.1, and ID3v2.4 tags.

Currently the only thing to make use of the new library is `madplay' for displaying tag information, however I also intend to use this as the basis for implementing ID3v2 support in the MAD plug-in for Winamp. Yes, it's coming soon!

The new dithering algorithm is intended to address the slight audio deficiencies of the old one. It should produce better sound in theory, but your ears are the best judge. Please test it and share your feedback.

The source code is here:

ftp://ftp.mars.org/pub/mpeg/

The plug-in for Winamp is here:

http://www.mars.org/home/rob/proj/mpeg/mad-plugin/

Cheers,