{{Use British English|date=June 2024}}
'''Fraunhofer l3enc''' was the first public software able to encode pulse-code modulation (PCM) .wav files to the MP3 format. The first public version was released on July 13, 1994.<ref>{{cite web|title=MP3 Todays Technology |url=http://513rocks.com/MP3_Todays_Technology_158.shtml |work=Lots of Informative Information about Music|accessdate=19 March 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704065939/http://513rocks.com/MP3_Todays_Technology_158.shtml |archivedate=July 4, 2008 |year=2005}}</ref> This command-line tool was shareware and limited to 112 kbit/s. '''l3enc''' fit on a single 3.5" floppy.<!-- https://almostarchaeology.com/post/145882405468/mp3archaeology --> It was available for MS-DOS, Linux, Solaris, SunOS, NeXTstep and IRIX.<ref name="l3enc">{{cite web |url=http://www.rarewares.org/rrw/l3enc.php |title=FhG l3enc MP3 Encoder on Really Rare Wares |year=2017 |accessdate=2017-09-11 }}</ref> A licence that allowed full use (encoding up to 320 kbit/s) cost 350 Deutsche Mark, or about $250 (US).{{fact|date=October 2021}}
'''Fraunhofer l3dec''' was the first public software able to decode the MP3 format.
Since the release in September 1995 of Fraunhofer WinPlay3, the first real-time MP3 software player, people were able to store and play back MP3 files on PCs. ''WinPlay3'' fit on a single 3.5" floppy.<!-- https://almostarchaeology.com/post/145882405468/mp3archaeology --> For full playback quality (stereo) one would have needed to meet the minimum requirements of a 486DX4/100 processor.{{fact|date=October 2021}}
By the end of 1997 l3enc stopped being developed in favour of its successor MP3enc.<ref name="l3enc" /> Development of MP3enc stopped in late 1998 to favour development of a parallel branch FhG had been developing for some time, called Fastenc.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rarewares.org/rrw/mp3enc.php |title=FhG MP3enc MP3 encoder on Really Rare Wares |year=2017 |accessdate=2017-09-11}}</ref> None of these programs are still marketed.{{fact|date=October 2021}}
== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/19970606171803/http://www.iis.fhg.de/departs/amm/layer3/ MPEG Audio Layer 3: Shareware Encoder and Decoder] 08.11.1996 (Fraunhofer-IIS) * Encoders are available at [http://www.rarewares.org/rrw/l3enc.php ReallyRareWares].
== See also == * LAME – free software codec used to encode/compress .mp3 audio
== References == {{reflist}}
Category:1994 software Category:MP3 Category:Audio codecs