After nearly a year of development, XIPH.org has unveiled the release of Audio Codec opus 1.5, aimed at delivering high-quality coding and minimal delay for streaming sound and VoIP telephony applications with limited bandwidth. The encoder and decoder implementation of OPUS are now available under the BSD license, with full specifications of the format approved in RFC 6716.
OPUS, a result of collaboration between Xiph.org, Skype, and other companies like Mozilla, Octasic, Broadcom, and Google, combines technology from celt and Skype Silk to provide a patent-free codec solution. Users can leverage OPUS without worrying about licensing fees or patent disputes, making it an attractive choice for various applications. The codec has already proven its superiority over competitors like Apple HE-AAC, Nero HE-AAC, Vorbis, and AAC LC at 64Kbps bitrate.
OPUS offers a wide range of features, including variable bitrate, support for narrowband and broadband audio, stereo and mono channels, dynamic tuning options, error concealment, and multi-channel support. With a bitrate range of 5 to 510 kbit/s and sampling frequency from 8 to 48 kHz, OPUS is versatile and efficient for different use cases.
Key innovations in OPUS 1.5 include the expanded use of machine learning in encoder and decoder processes, as well as the implementation of deep neural networks for better quality and resilience to packet loss. The continuous improvement and evolution of OPUS make it a leading choice for audio coding in diverse applications.