Would i be right in thinking...

[Terbinator]

That music stored on an iPod and such at a higher bit-rate (say 320 vs 192kbps) would require more processing and thus more battery?

[format]

I would imagine if you're correct the difference would be negligible.

[m.a.miah]

thats random.. what made you think of that?
but i agree with format the difference would be negligible

[Funkstar]

What might not be negligible though is the extra hit on the storage when increasing the bit rate. If it was a hard drive based iPod, like the Classic or an older non-flash iPod, then the drive is going to need to spin more as the larger files will fill the read buffer faster. Using ALAC will have an even bigger effect.

Having said that, I know that the different compression levels of FLAC will have an effect on the processing required to decompress and play it. FLAC does use a completely different compression methods to lossy compression (like MP3). You probably would notice the difference with regular FLAC files, but I know Logitech's line of Squeezebox players have had problems processing highly compressed, high resolution FLAC files in the past. One work around on some players was to set the screen to do blank while playing them as that allowed a little more processing power to be dedicated to decompressing those FLAC files.

[Mde]

Yes, music on Apple devices is usually extra high quality due to their codecs.

[HSK]

Funny, I thought of your thread today after I picked up a new Mp3 player and read some parts of the manual regarding formats / battery life.

Here's what I learnt anyways!

Adjust data format and bit rate
Playing time will vary, as battery charge can be affected by the format and bit
rate of songs, videos or photos that are played.

Actual battery life may vary depending on settings. The estimated battery usage hours
shown below are based on typical usage conditions with “Basic setting of battery life
measurement (Longer battery life setting)” as shown in the table below. Note that even if
the player is turned off for an extended period, a small amount of battery power is still
consumed. Battery life may vary depending on volume setting, conditions of use, and
ambient temperature.
Music
Playback at MP3 128 kbps Approx. 29 hours
Playback at WMA 128 kbps Approx. 29 hours
Playback at AAC-LC 128 kbps Approx. 29 hours
Playback at Linear PCM 1,411 kbps Approx. 31 hours

There is a hit in power from any of the sounds effects turned also - VPT(Surround), DSEE(Sound
Enhance), Clear Stereo, Dynamic Normalizer etc.

This was a Sony walkman.

[Terbinator]

Interesting the higher bit-rate format lasts longer.

[DDY]

Interesting the higher bit-rate format lasts longer.

Probably because linear PCM e.g. WAV is uncompressed, unlike for example MP3 or AAC which are compressed, which I suppose takes a bit of juice to decompress.

[kalniel]

Interesting the higher bit-rate format lasts longer.

Quick test is to time how long it takes to compress them - granted, decompression isn't exactly the same, but it's a rough guide. The more time to (de)compress, the more processing is going on. If I was at my home computer I'd be able to test this for you as I've just been playing with lame and audacity.