Variable Bit Rates

The bit rates specified for layer I and II are constant and must not vary for the entire data stream. Applications supporting layer III has to process variable bit rates.

A variable rate gives the opportunity to the encoder to react on phases with complex audio contents. Prerequisite for this option is, that phases immediately following require a lower transfer rate. Otherwise the average data transfer rate cannot be kept, what causes synchronization problems e.g. for streaming applications.

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