Nero today announced that the Nero Digital Audio reference quality MPEG-4 audio encoding software is now available free of charge via download from the company?s website (www.nero.com).

Fully compatible with the latest MPEG-4 audio standard (LC-AAC, HE-AAC and HE-AAC v2), the 3GPP-compatible software enables users to store an entire audio album in a single .mp4 file with the best audio quality available.

A simple text-based command-line interface ensures that Nero Digital Audio is compatible with any existing audio software that consumers may already be using. Every file saved in the Nero Digital Audio codec will have advanced content management built into it, including support for CD-audio index maps, embedded album art and ReplayGain.

The advanced sound processing features of Nero Digital Audio software address the needs of both the audiophile and casual music enthusiast. For example, the amount of compression can be selected for any given file, from 2.5:1 for the highest fidelity to the maximum compression for storing up to 58 CDs on a single disc. In addition, the ability to handle sampling rates from 8 to 96 kHz and bit rates to 320 kBit/s per channel with constant, average, variable, or double-pass coding modes ensures that users have no difficulty with content from any audio source.

In addition to the PC Windows compatible software, Nero Digital Audio offers an optimized decoding/playback solution for embedded hardware platforms running on Windows CE / Symbian OS / Linux (ARM, Intel XScale, TI-OMAP, Freescale mx.21), among others.

The Nero Digital Audio encoding software is available via download -- free of charge-- for personal and non-commercial use. Downloading the software is a simple process with step-by-step instructions. Commercial licensing for Nero Digital Audio is also available, please email info@nerodigital.com. For more information about Nero Digital Audio, visit: www.nerodigital.com.