Technical Information on the difference between Normalization and Replay Gain.Encoding Settings
These settings determine what type and quality of encoding (compression) to use during the encoding processes used in ripping, recording, and converting.
Encoding for. You can set 3 different encoding profiles: one for CD Ripping, another for File Conversion, and a third for Sound Recording.
Encoding Type & Quality
When you want to “rip” (copy) a CD to your computer, you must select an encoder. The encoders listed in the drop-down menu are installed by default with a new Media Center installation. If none are listed, or the one you want is not listed, click on "For more encoders visit Encoder Plug-ins Page".
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External Encoder. This creates MP3 files using an external encoding program. You must enter the EXE path and parameters. If the encoder supports long file names, check the box. You can verify this information later by clicking on the Advanced tab.
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Monkey's Audio (APE). Monkey's Audio is super fast lossless encoder. It's significantly faster than competing lossless compressors (can process most albums in under 3 minutes on a 500 Celeron) Monkey’s Audio supports tagging, and supports all sample frequencies. Quality Settings: Fast, Normal (Recommended), High and Extra High. The last two compress the file the most, but the file will also be slower to decompress and play. The High setting only saves about 6MB of space over an entire CD. Use only when compression is crucial.
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MP3 Encoder. This plug-in is based on LAME encoder version 3.91 Select the quality you want by clicking the "Advanced" button.
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MP3 Encoder VBR. Same as above, but encodes using variable bitrate.
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MPEGplus Encoder This compression technology has a higher frequency capability than other MP3 encoders. For more info: http://www.heibrink.nl/mpcworld/
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OGG Vorbis. This creates files in the increasingly popular OGG format. This format is very compact and has quality that many consider superior to MP3. Unlike MP3, it requires no license fee.
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Windows Media. This creates Microsoft Windows media format files.
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Windows Media Lossless. This creates Microsoft Windows media format files. Since it is lossless, you will not lose any quality.
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Windows Media VBR. Same as Windows Media encoder, but encodes using variable bitrate.
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Uncompressed Wave. If this option is chosen, the incoming music files are not compressed. They are left as WAV files. Be aware that using this option, the data will take up about 10MB of disk space per minute of music.
If you already own a command line MP3 encoder such as Xing, Blade, Lame, or Gogo, you can use the External MP3 Encoder and fill in the correct command line options (if they do not appear automatically, click on the "Advanced" button after selecting "External MP3 Encoder"). You may also download an "internal" MP3 encoder such as Gogo, Lame, or DM from the encoder web page
Advanced
The Advanced button is context-sensitive; the options it displays will depend on your selection under "encoder".
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External Encoder displays fields for EXE Path, Parameters, Extension, and Encoder support for long filenames.
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MP3 Encoder displays the following options: Normal, High Speed, or High Quality. The main quality indicator is the bitrate associated with your selection in the "Quality" drop-down box. If your selection translates to 128 kbps, for example, this bitrate can sound better or worse, depending on the speed of the encoding. In the Advanced tab you can choose whether you prefer to have higher quality (and thus slower encoding) or higher speed.
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Windows Media displays the option to enable Personal Rights Management
Quality
This is where you choose the best compromise between sound quality and the amount of disk space the music will consume.
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CBR Encoding. You have a list of encoding rates (kbits per second) to choose from. The lower this number, the more music you can fit on the disk but the poorer the sound quality. On the other hand, a higher number gives better sound quality and uses more disk space. The default is 128 kilobits of data per second of music, which works out to roughly one million bytes per minute. This is the number that most people agree maintains CD quality sound while giving an excellent compression ratio. If you will be listening on home stereo equipment rather than your computer, you may prefer the 160 or 192 kilobit settings however.
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VBR Encoding. You have five bitrate choices to balance compact size vs. sound quality:
Low. Highest compression. This might be a good choice to fit the maximum number of tracks on a portable MP3 player for example.
Normal/Low. Near CD quality. This would also be a good choice for portable MP3 players.
Normal. CD quality. This may be the best choice for most people especially for listening to music on your computer.
Normal/High. CD quality. This might be a better choice for listening to music on home stereo equipment.
High. Archival quality. This would be a good choice for top quality home stereo equipment.
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Custom. For your own custom commands, select "custom" in the drop-down menu, then click on the advanced button. For information on command line switches, see Hydrogenaudio’s List of recommended LAME settings or do a search in Media Center’s Interact Boards.
Normalize Before Encoding
If you enter a value other than zero here, the volume of your music data will be raised (or lowered) to the percent of maximum that you specify before encoding. Usually you will either set this to zero to turn it off, or use a value between 95 and 100%. See Normalization for more details.
See the link below for more information about Normalization.
Technical Information on the difference between Normalization and Replay Gain.