https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=109.149.14.19&feedformat=atomHydrogenaudio Knowledgebase - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T14:51:36ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.22.7https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=VP6VP62012-10-26T23:32:12Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* External link */ added google acquired On2 , Strike Thru on website link.</p>
<hr />
<div>'''VP6''' is a video codec developed by On2 Technologies as a successor to earlier efforts such as VP3, VP4 and VP5. The VP6 codec has been used in products for broadcasting in the field, such as with BBC reporters and QuickLink software.<br />
<br />
In November of 2003, On2 announced that VP6 had been chosen as a codec for China's Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD), a competitor format to DVD. Beijing-based company E-World was to be the exclusive reseller of the EVD VP6 technology in China, with On2 Technologies earning royalty payments of about $2 USD per player. Then in April of 2004 On2 announced that negotiations with E-World had broken down and that On2 would file multiple breach of contract claims against E-World in arbitration proceedings. In March of 2005, On2 announced that the arbitrator had dismissed all of On2's claims and had decided that E-World owed nothing to On2. Although E-World included VP6 to its EVD standardization proposal to the Chinese government, it is not clear what, if any, action was then taken by the government. The EVD format initiative appears to be indefinitely stalled.<br />
<br />
In January 2005, On2 announced a new '''VP7''' codec with better compression capabilities than VP6.<br />
<br />
== External link ==<br />
* <s>[http://www.on2.com/vp6.php3 On2 VP6 Website]</s><br />
* Google acquired On2 Technologies and its video products and technology in February 2010.<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=MusepackMusepack2012-10-26T22:45:36Z<p>109.149.14.19: Strike Thru on (dead/broken) links.</p>
<hr />
<div>= Introduction =<br />
'''Musepack''' is a lossy audio compression scheme created by Andree Buschmann. He started work on the codec in 1998 (then called MP+) because he was unsatisfied with the audio quality of MP3 codecs at the time. It is strongly based on the [[MPEG-1]] Layer-2 ([[MP2]]) algorithms, with 32 subbands of the same bandwidth, but with several significant improvements. Musepack is optimized for "transparency". The format doesn't compete well at lower, 'streaming' bitrates such as 32/48/64kbps. This is due to MPC being a [[subband]] [[codec]] as well as the fact that very little optimization has gone into such low [[bitrate]]s. However, as can be seen in various 128kbit/s listening tests (see below), despite the fact that MPC has been optimized little for such bitrates it is in the same class of other modern competitors such as [[AAC]] and (Ogg) [[Vorbis]].<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Suffers from different "problem cases" than most other formats (less pre-echo)<br />
* Very fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Designed to be very good by default at --standard setting.<br />
* Open source<br />
* Portable playback by Pocket-PCs, Palm OS-based and Windows CE/Windows Mobile-based devices, even Smartphones, see http://tcpmp.corecodec.org<br />
* Portable playback on digital audio players with Rockbox support, see http://www.rockbox.org<br />
* Support & development forum at http://www.Musepack.net<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Marginal support (yet) on portable players<br />
* No support for [[sampling rate]]s above 48khz<br />
<br />
= Technical details =<br />
== Supported input formats ==<br />
* channels: 1 to 8<br />
* bit depths: 1 to 32 bit linear [[PCM]]<br />
* sample rates: 32kHz, 37.8kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz (44.1 and 48 are highly tuned)<br />
* [[WAV]], raw [[PCM]], a lot of [[lossless]] compressed audio formats like [[FLAC]], [[LPAC]], [[Monkey's_Audio|APE]], [[OptimFROG]], [[SZIP]] and Shorten ([[SHN]])<br />
<br />
== Encoder Functions ==<br />
[[MPC Encoder Functions]]<br />
<br />
= Links =<br />
== User oriented links ==<br />
* [http://musepack.net Musepack.net] - a general info, news and software site.<br />
* [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1927 Users' HowTo MPC guide at HydrogenAudio]<br />
* [http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=EAC_and_Musepack#Software_Needed EAC and Musepack]<br />
* <s>[http://www.uni-jena.de/~pfk/mpp/ Frank Klemm's official page]</s> (out of order now)<br />
: This page is mirrored at: <s>http://hydrogenaudio.org/musepack/klemm/www.personal.uni-jena.de/~pfk/mpp/</s><br />
<br />
== Technical links ==<br />
* [http://trac.musepack.net/wiki Specifications]<br />
* [http://svn.musepack.net/ Source code]<br />
* Frank Klemm's <s>[http://www.uni-jena.de/~pfk/mpp/ official page]</s> (out of order now)<br />
: This page is mirrored at: <s>http://hydrogenaudio.org/musepack/klemm/www.personal.uni-jena.de/~pfk/mpp/</s><br />
<br />
== Listening test involving MPC ==<br />
* [[Listening Tests]] page<br />
* <s>[http://ff123.net/128tests.html ff123's 128kbit/s group listening test]</s><br />
* <s>[http://ff123.net/128test/instruct.html ff123's second 128kbit/s group listening test]</s><br />
* <s>[http://audio.ciara.us/test/128extension/results.html rjamorim's 128kbit/s test]</s><br />
<br />
Please note that some of these tests, while valid, used encoder versions which have now been superseded. You should make your own decision about the comparative quality of MPC, listening to clips of music in the style you prefer.<br />
<br />
Also note that these are tests at low bitrates; an area where MPC is not particularly optimized. The encoder was designed by the author to be very good at the --standard setting, thus little to no low [[bitrate]] tuning has gone into the [[codec]], opposite to that of [[AAC]], (Ogg) [[Vorbis]], [[WMA]] and others which focus more on this region. However, as can be seen in the various listening test pages, MPC competes surprisingly well with the rest of them.<br />
<br />
[[Category: Codecs]]<br />
[[Category: Lossy]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=PsyTEL_AACenc_GuidePsyTEL AACenc Guide2012-10-26T10:49:52Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Encoding from the command line (not recommended) */ document link (dead) , Strike Thru.</p>
<hr />
<div>=Encoding from Wav to AAC using Psytel AACenc=<br />
<br />
Tools you'll need for this tutorial:<br />
<br />
<s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/aacenc.html Psytel AACenc]</s> AAC encoder<br />
<br />
Optional (but recommended):<br />
<br />
[http://members.home.nl/w.speek/ivan&menno.htm Ivan & Menno] AACenc frontend by Speek<br />
<br />
<s>[http://www.rarewares.org/files/aac/psyteldrop.zip Psyteldrop]</s> AACenc frontend by layer3maniac<br />
<br />
<br />
==Getting started==<br />
<br />
# From the AACenc package, uncompress aacenc.exe and ia32math.dll to some folder (e.g: C:\Music\AACenc)<br />
# If you plan to use one of the frontends, decompress it to the same folder.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Encoding with frontends (recommended)==<br />
<br />
===Encoding with Psyteldrop===<br />
<br />
# Run Psyteldrop<br />
# Right click on it -> Options -> Programs -> Set encoder. Browse to AACenc's location and select it<br />
<br />
:: [[Image:Aacguide_Psyteldrop01.png|Psyteldrop screen shot 1]]<br />
<br />
# Right click -> Quality -> VBR -> Normal <br />
<br />
:: [[Image:Aacguide_Psyteldrop02.png|Psyteldrop screen shot 2]]<br />
<br />
# Now, select some WAV files and drop them over the Psyteldrop window. After some time, you'll have a bunch of AAC files in the same folder as the original wav files. Now you can delete the wav files.<br />
<br />
<br />
===Encoding with Ivan&Menno===<br />
<br />
# Run Ivan&Menno<br />
# On the options screen, select AACenc as encoder<br />
: type -normal at options<br />
: select format "aac" <br />
<br />
:: [[Image:Aacguide_Speek01.png|Speek frontend]]<br />
<br />
# Drag'n'drop the WAV files at the "files" box, or use the "Add files" button<br />
# Click encode. After some time, you'll have a bunch of AAC files in the same folder as the original wav files. Now you can delete the wav files.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Encoding from the command line (not recommended)==<br />
<br />
# Run the Windows command prompt program<br />
# Go to the directory where AACenc is (E.G: 'cd C:\Music\AACenc')<br />
# Run the command line as follows:<br />
:; aacenc -normal -if "C:\music\tracks\file name.wav"<br />
: (replacing 'C:\music\tracks\file name.wav' with the path to your WAV file) <br />
<br />
[[Image:Aacguide_AACenc01.png|center|thumb|600px|AACenc command line]]<br />
<br />
# After encoding finishes, you can delete the wav file<br />
:; del "C:\music\tracks\file name.wav"<br />
# To leave the command prompt, type 'exit'<br />
<br />
<br />
Obs: If you want to use advanced AACenc switches, check this <s>[http://www.rarewares.org/wiki/index.php/AAC_implementations#Encoder_switches_.28Psytel_aacenc.2Ffastenc.29 document]</s><br />
<br />
These switches should only be used by advanced users.<br />
<br />
<br />
* Back to the [[AAC guide]]<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Software]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=PsyTEL_AACenc_GuidePsyTEL AACenc Guide2012-10-26T10:47:12Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Encoding from Wav to AAC using Psytel AACenc */ rjamorim / rarewares [Psytel AACenc/Psyteldrop] (dead/broken) links, Strike Tru.</p>
<hr />
<div>=Encoding from Wav to AAC using Psytel AACenc=<br />
<br />
Tools you'll need for this tutorial:<br />
<br />
<s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/aacenc.html Psytel AACenc]</s> AAC encoder<br />
<br />
Optional (but recommended):<br />
<br />
[http://members.home.nl/w.speek/ivan&menno.htm Ivan & Menno] AACenc frontend by Speek<br />
<br />
<s>[http://www.rarewares.org/files/aac/psyteldrop.zip Psyteldrop]</s> AACenc frontend by layer3maniac<br />
<br />
<br />
==Getting started==<br />
<br />
# From the AACenc package, uncompress aacenc.exe and ia32math.dll to some folder (e.g: C:\Music\AACenc)<br />
# If you plan to use one of the frontends, decompress it to the same folder.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Encoding with frontends (recommended)==<br />
<br />
===Encoding with Psyteldrop===<br />
<br />
# Run Psyteldrop<br />
# Right click on it -> Options -> Programs -> Set encoder. Browse to AACenc's location and select it<br />
<br />
:: [[Image:Aacguide_Psyteldrop01.png|Psyteldrop screen shot 1]]<br />
<br />
# Right click -> Quality -> VBR -> Normal <br />
<br />
:: [[Image:Aacguide_Psyteldrop02.png|Psyteldrop screen shot 2]]<br />
<br />
# Now, select some WAV files and drop them over the Psyteldrop window. After some time, you'll have a bunch of AAC files in the same folder as the original wav files. Now you can delete the wav files.<br />
<br />
<br />
===Encoding with Ivan&Menno===<br />
<br />
# Run Ivan&Menno<br />
# On the options screen, select AACenc as encoder<br />
: type -normal at options<br />
: select format "aac" <br />
<br />
:: [[Image:Aacguide_Speek01.png|Speek frontend]]<br />
<br />
# Drag'n'drop the WAV files at the "files" box, or use the "Add files" button<br />
# Click encode. After some time, you'll have a bunch of AAC files in the same folder as the original wav files. Now you can delete the wav files.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Encoding from the command line (not recommended)==<br />
<br />
# Run the Windows command prompt program<br />
# Go to the directory where AACenc is (E.G: 'cd C:\Music\AACenc')<br />
# Run the command line as follows:<br />
:; aacenc -normal -if "C:\music\tracks\file name.wav"<br />
: (replacing 'C:\music\tracks\file name.wav' with the path to your WAV file) <br />
<br />
[[Image:Aacguide_AACenc01.png|center|thumb|600px|AACenc command line]]<br />
<br />
# After encoding finishes, you can delete the wav file<br />
:; del "C:\music\tracks\file name.wav"<br />
# To leave the command prompt, type 'exit'<br />
<br />
<br />
Obs: If you want to use advanced AACenc switches, check this [http://www.rarewares.org/wiki/index.php/AAC_implementations#Encoder_switches_.28Psytel_aacenc.2Ffastenc.29 document]<br />
<br />
These switches should only be used by advanced users.<br />
<br />
<br />
* Back to the [[AAC guide]]<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Software]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=AAC_FAQAAC FAQ2012-10-25T19:45:59Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Related Links */ rjamorim link (dead link), Strike Thru.</p>
<hr />
<div>=Overview AAC FAQ= <br />
===Great, so you've given me all the technical stuff, but what is [[AAC]] really?===<br />
[[AAC]] is the culmination of the current state of the art audio encoding techniques. It is designed <br />
to improve upon and replace [[MP3]] as the defacto Audio Encoding standard. It usually offers (depending on the codec) equivalent quality to MP3 at a lower bitrate.<br />
<br />
===What is the difference between *.MP4 and *.M4A?===<br />
Besides the extension, absolutely nothing. Apple came up with extension to distiguish between files with Video and Audio (the [[MP4]] extension) and files with Audio only (the M4A extension). As far as the internal structure of the file, nothing is different.<br />
<br />
===What MPEG 4 extensions does the Apple iPod Accept?===<br />
The iPod accepts files with the MP4 extension, the M4A extension, the M4P extension (a Protected AAC file), and the M4B extension for audiobook files (which can be either protected or unprotected). It will not accept unwrapped AAC files (files with the .AAC extension).<br />
<br />
===What is the difference between LC (Low Complexity) and HE (High Efficiency)?===<br />
These are two of the various Object Types in the MPEG4 Systems Standard. LC is the most popular Object Type with all encoders/decoders supporting it. Currently, Apple, Nero, Coding Technolgies, and Panasonic have incorporated the HE AAC standard into their encoders, which allows for higher quality sound at lower bitrates then the LC Object Type does (at the same bitrate). The HE Object Type is only used for music with a bitrate of less than ~80kbps.<br />
<br />
===What's the best AAC encoder?===<br />
Deciding the best AAC encoder is difficult, because the quality of an encoding depends not only on the encoder implementation, but also on bitrate, audio content, playback equipment and conditions, and the subjective perceptual judgement of the listener at playback time.<br />
<br />
Since it is very difficult to quantify the quality of an encoder, [[Listening Tests|listening tests]] are used.<br />
<br />
Guruboolez's [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=29924 last test] concluded that [http://www.nero.com/en/ Nero AAC] was the best AAC encoder, at 128kbps, on classical samples, at the time the test was conducted.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, a public [http://www.rjamorim.com/test/multiformat128/results.html listening test] conducted by [[User:rjamorim|rjamorim]] in mid-2004 comparing different codecs, at 128kbps, with several music styles and featuring several listeners concluded that [[iTunes]] (the only AAC codec included in the test) was better than other codecs - even VBR-enabled ones. <br />
<br />
The quality of any encoder is not linear with bitrates, and therefore these results can not be extrapolated to other higher or lower bitrates. It can also be said with great confidence that both the iTunes AAC encoder and the Nero AAC encoder, although still under development at the end of 2006, are relatively 'mature' and should not fail badly (result in any obvious artifacts) on any particular sample at an average bitrate of 128kbps (i.e. Internet Profile for Nero AAC) or above (based on Roberto's listening tests, see bottom).<br />
<br />
Beyond that, only you can decide; you may want to conduct your own private [[Listening Tests|listening tests]], or you may base your decision on other criteria besides audio quality. See the [[Audio format guide]] for more information.<br />
<br />
===Do AAC encoded files play back gaplessly?===<br />
[[Gapless]] playback is not part of the AAC standard and as such is not mandatory. However, certain companies can choose to add gapless encoding/decoding if they desire, providing it doesn't break compatibility with previous decoders. This is what Ahead have done with their Nero AAC codec. The files get encoded with information that allows the gap heard between files to be removed. This however is only possible with supported players (currently these include foobar2000 and Nero ShowTime). Currently Nero AAC and FAAC are the only encoders to have gapless encoding/decoding support.<br />
<br />
===What software players can play back AAC music?===<br />
There are now a number of software players that can play back this new format. [[foobar2000]] is considered by many to be a very high quality audio player, and it is certainly capable of playing back AAC encoded files. Other players include [http://amarok.kde.org Amarok] using [http://www.audiocoding.com/ libfaad2], Apple's [[iTunes]], [[Winamp]], [http://www.real.com/ Real Player] and [http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.aspx Windows Media Player] using the [http://corecodec.org/projects/coreaac CoreAAC filter] and [http://www.elecard.com/download/ Moonlight MP4 Demultiplexer]. Also for Directshow-based applications playback and encoding is possible using the commercial [http://www.3ivx.com/ 3ivx filter suite].<br />
<br />
===What hardware players can play back AAC music?===<br />
There are also a few hardware players that can play back AAC audio. The most famous of these is the [[Apple iPod]] series of products, all of which feature AAC playback. A number of mobile (cell) phones also support unwrapped AAC (AAC not contained in the MP4 container). Recent Pioneer HT receivers can play back AAC files on a USB key or other USB mass-storage device.<br />
<br />
==Related Links==<br />
<br />
* [[AAC]] description article<br />
* Known [[AAC implementations]].<br />
* Read the [[AAC guide]] to learn how to obtain AAC/[[MP4]] files out of [[WAV]] files and CDs.<br />
* Detailed AAC comparisons can be found at <s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/test/ Roberto's listening tests page]</s>.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Technical]]<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=ATRACATRAC2012-10-25T19:15:12Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Links */ rjamorim link (dead link) , Strike Thru.</p>
<hr />
<div>ATRAC (Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Coding) is a proprietary audio compression technology developed by Sony for usage in their MiniDisc line of digital audio players. It actually relates to three different audio compression technologies related among themselves, but with incompatibilities. It uses quadrature mirror filters and modified discrete cosine transform to represent encoded audio.<br />
<br />
ATRAC (also called ATRAC1) was developed in 1991, and used in the first MiniDisc players in the early nineties. It used bitrates of 292kbps for stereo audio and 146 for mono. Several subversions were released, from 1 to 4.5, and all of them are backwards and forwards compatible. It's reported that it only started sounding good after version 3. <br />
<br />
ATRAC3 was released by Sony in 2000. It offers much better performance than ATRAC1, with reasonable quality at 132kbps. It's not backwards compatible with ATRAC1. <br />
<br />
ATRAC3 was used as default audio codec for mid-high bitrates in Real Audio 8. Since Real Audio 10, the default codec is [[AAC]]. It is also being used at Sony's [http://musicstore.connect.com/ Connect] music store.<br />
<br />
In 2003, Sony released ATRAC3plus, the third backwards-incompatible revision of their codec. They promise to deliver transparency at 48kbps with this new codec (of course, that's an absurd claim).<br />
<br />
==Links==<br />
<br />
*[http://www.sony.net/Products/ATRAC3/ ATRAC3] official website at Sony.net<br />
*[http://www.minidisc.org/ Minidisc.org] - Resources and forums about MiniDisc and ATRAC<br />
*<s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/test/ rjamorim conduced a listening test]</s> featuring ATRAC3 at 132kbps.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Mp3tagMp3tag2012-10-24T18:28:31Z<p>109.149.14.19: Mp3tag version Update.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Software Infobox<br />
| name = MP3tag<br />
| logo =<br />
| screenshot = [[Image:MP3tag-screenshot.png|250px|MP3tag screenshot]]<br />
| caption = powerful and easy-to-use tool to edit metadata <br />
| maintainer = Florian Heidenreich<br />
| stable_release = [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/download.html v2.53] (2012-10-24)<br />
| preview_release = [http://developer.mp3tag.de/ 2.52a] (2012-10-07)<br />
| operating_system = Windows<br />
| use = Metadata<br />
| license = Freeware <br />
| website = [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/ http://www.mp3tag.de]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
=Introduction=<br />
'''MP3tag''' is an powerful [[Metadata|metadata]] editor for lots of common audio formats. You can rename files based on the [[Tagging|tag]] information, replace characters or words from tags and filenames, import/export tag information, create playlists.<br />
<br />
The program supports online freedb database lookups for selected files, allowing you to automatically gather proper tag information for select files or CDs.<br />
<br />
==Features==<br />
<br />
* Write [[ID3v1.1]]-, [[ID3v2]]-, [[APEv2]]-Tags and [[Vorbis_Comment|Vorbis Comments]] to multiple files at once<br />
* Full Unicode support<br />
* Support for embedded cover art<br />
* Automatically create playlists<br />
* Recursive subfolders support<br />
* Remove parts or the entire tag of multiple files<br />
* Rename files based on the tag information<br />
* Import tags from filenames<br />
* Format tags and filenames<br />
* Replace characters or words from tags and filenames<br />
* Regular Expressions<br />
* Export tag information to user-defined formats (like html, rtf, csv, xml)<br />
* Import tag information from online databases like freedb or Amazon (also by text-search)<br />
* Import tag information from local freedb databases<br />
* Support for [[ID3v2|ID3v2.3]] (ISO-8859-1 and UTF-16) and [[ID3v2|ID3v2.4]] with [[UTF-8]]<br />
<br />
==Supported formats==<br />
<br />
* Advanced Audio Coding ([[AAC|aac]])<br />
* Free Lossless Audio Codec ([[FLAC|flac]])<br />
* Monkey's Audio ([[APE|ape]])<br />
* Mpeg Layer 3 ([[MP3|mp3]])<br />
* MPEG-4 ([[MP4|mp4]] / [[M4A|m4a]] / m4b / [[iTunes]] compatible)<br />
* Musepack ([[MPC|mpc]])<br />
* Ogg Vorbis ([[Ogg_Vorbis|ogg]])<br />
* OptimFROG ([[OptimFROG|ofr]])<br />
* OptimFROG DualStream (ofs)<br />
* Speex ([[Speex|spx]])<br />
* TAK ([[TAK]])<br />
* True Audio (tta)<br />
* Windows Media Audio ([[WMA|wma]])<br />
* WavPack ([[WavPack|wv]])<br />
<br />
==Operating Systems==<br />
* Win XP<br />
* Win 2003<br />
* Win Vista<br />
* Win 2008<br />
<br />
Windows 2000 is no longer supported as of version 2.40. Version 2.39 is still available on the download page at the MP3tag website.<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/ Mp3tag: Homepage]<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/download.html Mp3tag: Download]<br />
* [http://www.anytag.de/forums/ Mp3tag: official forum]<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/changelog.html Mp3tag: changelog]<br />
* [http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.php/Mp3tagGuide Mp3tagGuide - Slim Devices]<br />
* [http://www.anytag.de/forums/index.php?showtopic=1794 Mp3tag: additional Web Sources]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Software]]<br />
[[Category:Tag editors]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Free_Lossless_Audio_CodecFree Lossless Audio Codec2012-10-24T17:41:15Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Taggers */ Case's Tag tag.zip link , Updated.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = FLAC<br />
| logo = [[Image:FLAC logo.gif]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = Popular open source patent free lossless compression scheme.<br />
| maintainer = Josh Coalson, Xiph Community <br />
| recommended_encoder = FLAC encoder<br />
| recommended_text = FLAC v1.2.1<br />
| website = http://flac.sourceforge.net/<br />
}}<br />
'''Free Lossless Audio Codec''' ('''FLAC''') is a codec for lossless audiocompression.<br />
Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to [[MP3]], but [[lossless]], meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, if supported) just like you would an MP3 file.<br />
<br />
== General aspects of the format ==<br />
FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, UNIX (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of:<br />
* the stream format<br />
* reference encoders and decoders in library form<br />
* flac, a command-line program to encode and decode FLAC files<br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for FLAC files<br />
* input plugins for various music players<br />
<br />
When it's said that FLAC is ''free'', it means more than just that it is available at no cost. It means that the specification of the format is fully open to the public to be used for any purpose, although the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance. It also means that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any known patent. And it means that all the source code is available under open-source licenses. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.<br />
<br />
Some claim FLAC is the most widely used lossless compression format on UNIX systems, though it seems more likely that shn retains that honor on all OS platforms. FLAC files also can be placed inside an Ogg container using libOggFLAC and libOggFLAC++.<br />
<br />
== Features ==<br />
* '''Lossless:''' The encoding of audio (PCM) data incurs no loss of information, and the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to what went into the encoder. Each frame contains a 16-bit CRC of the frame data for detecting transmission errors. The integrity of the audio data is further insured by storing an MD5 signature of the original unencoded audio data in the file header, which can be compared against later during decoding or testing.<br />
* '''Fast:''' FLAC is asymmetric in favor of decode speed. Decoding requires only integer arithmetic, and is much less compute-intensive than for most perceptual codecs. Real-time decode performance is easily achievable on even modest hardware.<br />
* '''Hardware support:''' Because of FLAC's free reference implementation and low decoding complexity, FLAC is currently the only lossless codec that has any kind of hardware support.<br />
* '''Streamable:''' Each FLAC frame contains enough data to decode that frame. FLAC does not even rely on previous or following frames. FLAC uses sync codes and CRCs (similar to MPEG and other formats), which, along with framing, allow decoders to pick up in the middle of a stream with a minimum of delay.<br />
* '''Seekable:''' FLAC supports fast sample-accurate seeking. Not only is this useful for playback, it makes FLAC files suitable for use in editing applications.<br />
* '''Flexible metadata:''' New metadata blocks can be defined and implemented in future versions of FLAC without breaking older streams or decoders. Currently there are metadata types for tags, cue sheets, and seek tables. Applications can write their own APPLICATION metadata once they register an ID.<br />
* '''Suitable for archiving:''' FLAC is an open format, and there is no generation loss if you need to convert your data to another format in the future. In addition to the frame CRCs and MD5 signature, flac has a verify option that decodes the encoded stream in parallel with the encoding process and compares the result to the original, aborting with an error if there is a mismatch.<br />
* '''Convenient CD archiving:''' FLAC has a ''cue sheet'' metadata block for storing a CD table of contents and all track and index points. For instance, you can rip a CD to a single file, then import the CD's extracted cue sheet while encoding to yield a single file representation of the entire CD. If your original CD is damaged, the cue sheet can be exported later in order to burn an exact copy.<br />
* '''Error resistant:''' Because of FLAC's framing, stream errors limit the damage to the frame in which the error occurred, typically a small fraction of a second worth of data. Contrast this with some other lossless codecs, in which a single error destroys the remainder of the stream.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Portable to many systems<br />
* Source open and freely licenced<br />
* Hardware support (PhatBox, Kenwood MusicKeg, Rio Karma, etc. See below)<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Extremely fast decoding<br />
* Supports multichannel and high resolution streams<br />
* Supports [[ReplayGain]]<br />
* Supports cue-sheet (with some limitations)<br />
* Gaining wide use as successor to [[Shorten]]<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Compresses less efficiently than other popular modern compressors ([[Monkey's Audio]], [[OptimFROG]])<br />
* Higher compression modes slow, for little gain over the default setting.<br />
<br />
== Hardware and software that support FLAC ==<br />
For a more comprehensive list see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html FLAC links page].<br />
<br />
=== Hardware ===<br />
==== Home stereo ====<br />
* [http://www.request.com/us/ AudioReQuest] music servers<br />
* <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/ Avega Systems]</s>' wireless <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/_documents/Oyster_Specifications.pdf Oyster]</s> loudspeakers<br />
* Digital Techniques' "iStereo" <s>[http://www.digitaltechniques.com/M300A_Overview.html M300A Digital Music Player]<br />
* Escient's <s>[http://www.escient.com/ FireBall servers (E2-40/160/300, DVDM-300)]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.hermstedt.com/english/hifidelio/hifidelio.html Hifidelio]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.imuse.us/ iMuse]</s> audio/video media servers<br />
* Meda Systems' <s>[http://www.medainc.com/ Bravo servers]</s><br />
* The <s>[http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/show_floor/product_locator/product_details.asp?prodid=5181 MS300 Music Server]</s> by McIntosh Laboratory<br />
* Olive's [http://www.olive.us/ Symphony] wireless digital music center<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/homeplayer/index.php PhatNoise Home Digital Media Player]</s><br />
* [http://www.numark.com/ Numark]'s DJ equipment (HDX and CDX turntables, HDMIX mixer)<br />
* <s>[http://www.mock.com/receiver/ Rio Reciever]</s> and Dell Digital Audio Receiver<br />
* <s>[http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD]</s> (with [http://homepage.ntlworld.ie/p.mc.quillan/FLAC_V0.7.zip plugin])<br />
* <s>[http://www.skipjam.com/ SkipJam]</s>'s networked audio/video devices<br />
* [http://www.sonos.com/ Sonos Digital Music System]<br />
* Slim Devices' <s>[http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_transporter.html Transporter]</s> and [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox] networked audio players<br />
* <s>[http://www.z500series.com/ Zensonic Z500 Networked DVD Media Player]</s><br />
* Ziova's <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs510.php CS510]</s> and <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs505.php CS505]</s> network media players<br />
<br />
==== Car stereo ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/kenwood_music_keg.php Kenwood Music Keg]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/index.php PhatBox]</s><br />
<br />
==== Portable ====<br />
* [[Apple iPod]] with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* Bluedot's <s>[http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/2006/07/bluedot_pmp_runs_linux_loves.php BMP-1430]</s><br />
* Green Apple's portable media player: <s>[http://www.apod.com.cn/show_products.asp?photoID=437 AP3000]</s><br />
* [[iAudio M3]], M5 and X5<br />
* [[iRiver]] iHP-120/iHP-140 with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[Iwod G10]]<br />
* [[Rio Karma]]<br />
* TrekStor's [http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=66 Vibez]<br />
<br />
=== Software ===<br />
==== Players ====<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo]<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net Cog] — for Mac OS X<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[JRiver Media Center]]<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP]<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]]<br />
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ MPlayer]<br />
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV]<br />
* [http://www.quinnware.com/ QCD] ([http://www.quinnware.com/list_plugins.php?type=input plugin])<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with <s>[http://www.illiminable.com/ogg/ Illiminable's directshow filters]</s> or <s>[http://corecodec.org/projects/coreflac CoreFLAC]</s>)<br />
* [http://xine.sourceforge.net/ Xine]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/ XMplay]<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Windows) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.uninformative.com/flacattack/ Flacattack]</s><br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* <s>[http://www.unifront.boereck.de/ UniversalFront]</s> by Böreck<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
* <s>[http://www.webearce.com.ar/ MAREO]</s> by Kwanbis<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Mac) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC]</s><br />
* [http://www.sbooth.org/Max/ Max]<br />
* <s>[http://members.rogers.com/beamsplitter/ RipBeak]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21952 xACT]</s><br />
<br />
==== Converters ====<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] Music Manager / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* <s>[http://www.germanixsoft.de/ GX:Transcoder]</s> Music converter<br />
<br />
==== Editors ====<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]]<br />
* [http://www.goldwave.com/ GoldWave]<br />
<br />
==== CD writers/rippers ====<br />
* [http://www.ahead.de Ahead Nero Burning Rom]<br />
* [http://arson.sourceforge.net/ Arson]<br />
* [http://www.burnatonce.com/ burnatonce]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* [http://www.cdwave.com/ CD Wave]<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] CD ripper/writer<br />
* [http://cdburnerxp.se/ CDburner XP] CD writer<br />
<br />
==== Taggers ====<br />
* [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/download/Tag.zip Case's Tag] command line tagger<br />
* [http://www.jtclipper.eu/thegodfather/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://sbooth.org/Tag/ Tag] — for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] Tagger / Music manager (Including Multiple and Linked Album Art support)<br />
<br />
==== Other tools ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]</s><br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] - tool to multiplex FLAC streams inside the Matroska container<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance, also to calculate [[ReplayGain]] values for FLAC files lacking such<br />
<br />
...and many more; see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#software FLAC software section] and [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html#extras download section] for a more comprehensive list.<br />
<br />
== Frequently asked questions ==<br />
''Question:'' Does the compression level affect decompression speed?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': No.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': In truth, the compression level does affect the decompression speed, but the difference between the various compress levels can barely be measured and is too small to be noticed, even on low-end machines.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Question:'' What is the best compression level for encoding my music?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': The default setting, 5.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': Encoding at the default setting will give the best balance between compression and encoding speed. Encoding at 8 can more than quadruple the encoding time, while having an insignificant effect on compression.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
* [[Lossless comparison]]<br />
<br />
== Externals links ==<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/ FLAC website]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html FLAC download]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/format.html Detailed description of the FLAC format]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html FLAC documentation]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html FLAC FAQ]<br />
* <s>[http://people.ucsc.edu/~rswilson/flactest Omion's FLAC "File Size vs. Decoding Speed" test]</s> - a very thorough test on [[Free Lossless Audio Codec#Frequently Asked Questions|the influence of the chosen encoding level on the decoding speed of FLAC]]; the only one so far to have covered FLAC's --super-secret-totally-impractical-compression-level to this extent as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Free_Lossless_Audio_CodecFree Lossless Audio Codec2012-10-20T21:38:05Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Externals links */ "File Size vs. Decoding Speed" link (dead/broken).</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = FLAC<br />
| logo = [[Image:FLAC logo.gif]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = Popular open source patent free lossless compression scheme.<br />
| maintainer = Josh Coalson, Xiph Community <br />
| recommended_encoder = FLAC encoder<br />
| recommended_text = FLAC v1.2.1<br />
| website = http://flac.sourceforge.net/<br />
}}<br />
'''Free Lossless Audio Codec''' ('''FLAC''') is a codec for lossless audiocompression.<br />
Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to [[MP3]], but [[lossless]], meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, if supported) just like you would an MP3 file.<br />
<br />
== General aspects of the format ==<br />
FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, UNIX (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of:<br />
* the stream format<br />
* reference encoders and decoders in library form<br />
* flac, a command-line program to encode and decode FLAC files<br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for FLAC files<br />
* input plugins for various music players<br />
<br />
When it's said that FLAC is ''free'', it means more than just that it is available at no cost. It means that the specification of the format is fully open to the public to be used for any purpose, although the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance. It also means that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any known patent. And it means that all the source code is available under open-source licenses. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.<br />
<br />
Some claim FLAC is the most widely used lossless compression format on UNIX systems, though it seems more likely that shn retains that honor on all OS platforms. FLAC files also can be placed inside an Ogg container using libOggFLAC and libOggFLAC++.<br />
<br />
== Features ==<br />
* '''Lossless:''' The encoding of audio (PCM) data incurs no loss of information, and the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to what went into the encoder. Each frame contains a 16-bit CRC of the frame data for detecting transmission errors. The integrity of the audio data is further insured by storing an MD5 signature of the original unencoded audio data in the file header, which can be compared against later during decoding or testing.<br />
* '''Fast:''' FLAC is asymmetric in favor of decode speed. Decoding requires only integer arithmetic, and is much less compute-intensive than for most perceptual codecs. Real-time decode performance is easily achievable on even modest hardware.<br />
* '''Hardware support:''' Because of FLAC's free reference implementation and low decoding complexity, FLAC is currently the only lossless codec that has any kind of hardware support.<br />
* '''Streamable:''' Each FLAC frame contains enough data to decode that frame. FLAC does not even rely on previous or following frames. FLAC uses sync codes and CRCs (similar to MPEG and other formats), which, along with framing, allow decoders to pick up in the middle of a stream with a minimum of delay.<br />
* '''Seekable:''' FLAC supports fast sample-accurate seeking. Not only is this useful for playback, it makes FLAC files suitable for use in editing applications.<br />
* '''Flexible metadata:''' New metadata blocks can be defined and implemented in future versions of FLAC without breaking older streams or decoders. Currently there are metadata types for tags, cue sheets, and seek tables. Applications can write their own APPLICATION metadata once they register an ID.<br />
* '''Suitable for archiving:''' FLAC is an open format, and there is no generation loss if you need to convert your data to another format in the future. In addition to the frame CRCs and MD5 signature, flac has a verify option that decodes the encoded stream in parallel with the encoding process and compares the result to the original, aborting with an error if there is a mismatch.<br />
* '''Convenient CD archiving:''' FLAC has a ''cue sheet'' metadata block for storing a CD table of contents and all track and index points. For instance, you can rip a CD to a single file, then import the CD's extracted cue sheet while encoding to yield a single file representation of the entire CD. If your original CD is damaged, the cue sheet can be exported later in order to burn an exact copy.<br />
* '''Error resistant:''' Because of FLAC's framing, stream errors limit the damage to the frame in which the error occurred, typically a small fraction of a second worth of data. Contrast this with some other lossless codecs, in which a single error destroys the remainder of the stream.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Portable to many systems<br />
* Source open and freely licenced<br />
* Hardware support (PhatBox, Kenwood MusicKeg, Rio Karma, etc. See below)<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Extremely fast decoding<br />
* Supports multichannel and high resolution streams<br />
* Supports [[ReplayGain]]<br />
* Supports cue-sheet (with some limitations)<br />
* Gaining wide use as successor to [[Shorten]]<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Compresses less efficiently than other popular modern compressors ([[Monkey's Audio]], [[OptimFROG]])<br />
* Higher compression modes slow, for little gain over the default setting.<br />
<br />
== Hardware and software that support FLAC ==<br />
For a more comprehensive list see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html FLAC links page].<br />
<br />
=== Hardware ===<br />
==== Home stereo ====<br />
* [http://www.request.com/us/ AudioReQuest] music servers<br />
* <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/ Avega Systems]</s>' wireless <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/_documents/Oyster_Specifications.pdf Oyster]</s> loudspeakers<br />
* Digital Techniques' "iStereo" <s>[http://www.digitaltechniques.com/M300A_Overview.html M300A Digital Music Player]<br />
* Escient's <s>[http://www.escient.com/ FireBall servers (E2-40/160/300, DVDM-300)]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.hermstedt.com/english/hifidelio/hifidelio.html Hifidelio]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.imuse.us/ iMuse]</s> audio/video media servers<br />
* Meda Systems' <s>[http://www.medainc.com/ Bravo servers]</s><br />
* The <s>[http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/show_floor/product_locator/product_details.asp?prodid=5181 MS300 Music Server]</s> by McIntosh Laboratory<br />
* Olive's [http://www.olive.us/ Symphony] wireless digital music center<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/homeplayer/index.php PhatNoise Home Digital Media Player]</s><br />
* [http://www.numark.com/ Numark]'s DJ equipment (HDX and CDX turntables, HDMIX mixer)<br />
* <s>[http://www.mock.com/receiver/ Rio Reciever]</s> and Dell Digital Audio Receiver<br />
* <s>[http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD]</s> (with [http://homepage.ntlworld.ie/p.mc.quillan/FLAC_V0.7.zip plugin])<br />
* <s>[http://www.skipjam.com/ SkipJam]</s>'s networked audio/video devices<br />
* [http://www.sonos.com/ Sonos Digital Music System]<br />
* Slim Devices' <s>[http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_transporter.html Transporter]</s> and [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox] networked audio players<br />
* <s>[http://www.z500series.com/ Zensonic Z500 Networked DVD Media Player]</s><br />
* Ziova's <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs510.php CS510]</s> and <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs505.php CS505]</s> network media players<br />
<br />
==== Car stereo ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/kenwood_music_keg.php Kenwood Music Keg]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/index.php PhatBox]</s><br />
<br />
==== Portable ====<br />
* [[Apple iPod]] with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* Bluedot's <s>[http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/2006/07/bluedot_pmp_runs_linux_loves.php BMP-1430]</s><br />
* Green Apple's portable media player: <s>[http://www.apod.com.cn/show_products.asp?photoID=437 AP3000]</s><br />
* [[iAudio M3]], M5 and X5<br />
* [[iRiver]] iHP-120/iHP-140 with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[Iwod G10]]<br />
* [[Rio Karma]]<br />
* TrekStor's [http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=66 Vibez]<br />
<br />
=== Software ===<br />
==== Players ====<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo]<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net Cog] — for Mac OS X<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[JRiver Media Center]]<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP]<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]]<br />
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ MPlayer]<br />
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV]<br />
* [http://www.quinnware.com/ QCD] ([http://www.quinnware.com/list_plugins.php?type=input plugin])<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with <s>[http://www.illiminable.com/ogg/ Illiminable's directshow filters]</s> or <s>[http://corecodec.org/projects/coreflac CoreFLAC]</s>)<br />
* [http://xine.sourceforge.net/ Xine]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/ XMplay]<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Windows) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.uninformative.com/flacattack/ Flacattack]</s><br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* <s>[http://www.unifront.boereck.de/ UniversalFront]</s> by Böreck<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
* <s>[http://www.webearce.com.ar/ MAREO]</s> by Kwanbis<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Mac) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC]</s><br />
* [http://www.sbooth.org/Max/ Max]<br />
* <s>[http://members.rogers.com/beamsplitter/ RipBeak]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21952 xACT]</s><br />
<br />
==== Converters ====<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] Music Manager / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* <s>[http://www.germanixsoft.de/ GX:Transcoder]</s> Music converter<br />
<br />
==== Editors ====<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]]<br />
* [http://www.goldwave.com/ GoldWave]<br />
<br />
==== CD writers/rippers ====<br />
* [http://www.ahead.de Ahead Nero Burning Rom]<br />
* [http://arson.sourceforge.net/ Arson]<br />
* [http://www.burnatonce.com/ burnatonce]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* [http://www.cdwave.com/ CD Wave]<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] CD ripper/writer<br />
* [http://cdburnerxp.se/ CDburner XP] CD writer<br />
<br />
==== Taggers ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/Tag.zip Case's Tag]</s> command line tagger<br />
* [http://www.jtclipper.eu/thegodfather/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://sbooth.org/Tag/ Tag] — for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] Tagger / Music manager (Including Multiple and Linked Album Art support)<br />
<br />
==== Other tools ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]</s><br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] - tool to multiplex FLAC streams inside the Matroska container<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance, also to calculate [[ReplayGain]] values for FLAC files lacking such<br />
<br />
...and many more; see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#software FLAC software section] and [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html#extras download section] for a more comprehensive list.<br />
<br />
== Frequently asked questions ==<br />
''Question:'' Does the compression level affect decompression speed?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': No.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': In truth, the compression level does affect the decompression speed, but the difference between the various compress levels can barely be measured and is too small to be noticed, even on low-end machines.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Question:'' What is the best compression level for encoding my music?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': The default setting, 5.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': Encoding at the default setting will give the best balance between compression and encoding speed. Encoding at 8 can more than quadruple the encoding time, while having an insignificant effect on compression.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
* [[Lossless comparison]]<br />
<br />
== Externals links ==<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/ FLAC website]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html FLAC download]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/format.html Detailed description of the FLAC format]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html FLAC documentation]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html FLAC FAQ]<br />
* <s>[http://people.ucsc.edu/~rswilson/flactest Omion's FLAC "File Size vs. Decoding Speed" test]</s> - a very thorough test on [[Free Lossless Audio Codec#Frequently Asked Questions|the influence of the chosen encoding level on the decoding speed of FLAC]]; the only one so far to have covered FLAC's --super-secret-totally-impractical-compression-level to this extent as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Free_Lossless_Audio_CodecFree Lossless Audio Codec2012-10-20T21:34:49Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Other tools */ Other tools links (dead/broken).</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = FLAC<br />
| logo = [[Image:FLAC logo.gif]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = Popular open source patent free lossless compression scheme.<br />
| maintainer = Josh Coalson, Xiph Community <br />
| recommended_encoder = FLAC encoder<br />
| recommended_text = FLAC v1.2.1<br />
| website = http://flac.sourceforge.net/<br />
}}<br />
'''Free Lossless Audio Codec''' ('''FLAC''') is a codec for lossless audiocompression.<br />
Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to [[MP3]], but [[lossless]], meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, if supported) just like you would an MP3 file.<br />
<br />
== General aspects of the format ==<br />
FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, UNIX (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of:<br />
* the stream format<br />
* reference encoders and decoders in library form<br />
* flac, a command-line program to encode and decode FLAC files<br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for FLAC files<br />
* input plugins for various music players<br />
<br />
When it's said that FLAC is ''free'', it means more than just that it is available at no cost. It means that the specification of the format is fully open to the public to be used for any purpose, although the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance. It also means that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any known patent. And it means that all the source code is available under open-source licenses. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.<br />
<br />
Some claim FLAC is the most widely used lossless compression format on UNIX systems, though it seems more likely that shn retains that honor on all OS platforms. FLAC files also can be placed inside an Ogg container using libOggFLAC and libOggFLAC++.<br />
<br />
== Features ==<br />
* '''Lossless:''' The encoding of audio (PCM) data incurs no loss of information, and the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to what went into the encoder. Each frame contains a 16-bit CRC of the frame data for detecting transmission errors. The integrity of the audio data is further insured by storing an MD5 signature of the original unencoded audio data in the file header, which can be compared against later during decoding or testing.<br />
* '''Fast:''' FLAC is asymmetric in favor of decode speed. Decoding requires only integer arithmetic, and is much less compute-intensive than for most perceptual codecs. Real-time decode performance is easily achievable on even modest hardware.<br />
* '''Hardware support:''' Because of FLAC's free reference implementation and low decoding complexity, FLAC is currently the only lossless codec that has any kind of hardware support.<br />
* '''Streamable:''' Each FLAC frame contains enough data to decode that frame. FLAC does not even rely on previous or following frames. FLAC uses sync codes and CRCs (similar to MPEG and other formats), which, along with framing, allow decoders to pick up in the middle of a stream with a minimum of delay.<br />
* '''Seekable:''' FLAC supports fast sample-accurate seeking. Not only is this useful for playback, it makes FLAC files suitable for use in editing applications.<br />
* '''Flexible metadata:''' New metadata blocks can be defined and implemented in future versions of FLAC without breaking older streams or decoders. Currently there are metadata types for tags, cue sheets, and seek tables. Applications can write their own APPLICATION metadata once they register an ID.<br />
* '''Suitable for archiving:''' FLAC is an open format, and there is no generation loss if you need to convert your data to another format in the future. In addition to the frame CRCs and MD5 signature, flac has a verify option that decodes the encoded stream in parallel with the encoding process and compares the result to the original, aborting with an error if there is a mismatch.<br />
* '''Convenient CD archiving:''' FLAC has a ''cue sheet'' metadata block for storing a CD table of contents and all track and index points. For instance, you can rip a CD to a single file, then import the CD's extracted cue sheet while encoding to yield a single file representation of the entire CD. If your original CD is damaged, the cue sheet can be exported later in order to burn an exact copy.<br />
* '''Error resistant:''' Because of FLAC's framing, stream errors limit the damage to the frame in which the error occurred, typically a small fraction of a second worth of data. Contrast this with some other lossless codecs, in which a single error destroys the remainder of the stream.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Portable to many systems<br />
* Source open and freely licenced<br />
* Hardware support (PhatBox, Kenwood MusicKeg, Rio Karma, etc. See below)<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Extremely fast decoding<br />
* Supports multichannel and high resolution streams<br />
* Supports [[ReplayGain]]<br />
* Supports cue-sheet (with some limitations)<br />
* Gaining wide use as successor to [[Shorten]]<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Compresses less efficiently than other popular modern compressors ([[Monkey's Audio]], [[OptimFROG]])<br />
* Higher compression modes slow, for little gain over the default setting.<br />
<br />
== Hardware and software that support FLAC ==<br />
For a more comprehensive list see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html FLAC links page].<br />
<br />
=== Hardware ===<br />
==== Home stereo ====<br />
* [http://www.request.com/us/ AudioReQuest] music servers<br />
* <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/ Avega Systems]</s>' wireless <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/_documents/Oyster_Specifications.pdf Oyster]</s> loudspeakers<br />
* Digital Techniques' "iStereo" <s>[http://www.digitaltechniques.com/M300A_Overview.html M300A Digital Music Player]<br />
* Escient's <s>[http://www.escient.com/ FireBall servers (E2-40/160/300, DVDM-300)]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.hermstedt.com/english/hifidelio/hifidelio.html Hifidelio]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.imuse.us/ iMuse]</s> audio/video media servers<br />
* Meda Systems' <s>[http://www.medainc.com/ Bravo servers]</s><br />
* The <s>[http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/show_floor/product_locator/product_details.asp?prodid=5181 MS300 Music Server]</s> by McIntosh Laboratory<br />
* Olive's [http://www.olive.us/ Symphony] wireless digital music center<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/homeplayer/index.php PhatNoise Home Digital Media Player]</s><br />
* [http://www.numark.com/ Numark]'s DJ equipment (HDX and CDX turntables, HDMIX mixer)<br />
* <s>[http://www.mock.com/receiver/ Rio Reciever]</s> and Dell Digital Audio Receiver<br />
* <s>[http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD]</s> (with [http://homepage.ntlworld.ie/p.mc.quillan/FLAC_V0.7.zip plugin])<br />
* <s>[http://www.skipjam.com/ SkipJam]</s>'s networked audio/video devices<br />
* [http://www.sonos.com/ Sonos Digital Music System]<br />
* Slim Devices' <s>[http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_transporter.html Transporter]</s> and [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox] networked audio players<br />
* <s>[http://www.z500series.com/ Zensonic Z500 Networked DVD Media Player]</s><br />
* Ziova's <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs510.php CS510]</s> and <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs505.php CS505]</s> network media players<br />
<br />
==== Car stereo ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/kenwood_music_keg.php Kenwood Music Keg]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/index.php PhatBox]</s><br />
<br />
==== Portable ====<br />
* [[Apple iPod]] with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* Bluedot's <s>[http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/2006/07/bluedot_pmp_runs_linux_loves.php BMP-1430]</s><br />
* Green Apple's portable media player: <s>[http://www.apod.com.cn/show_products.asp?photoID=437 AP3000]</s><br />
* [[iAudio M3]], M5 and X5<br />
* [[iRiver]] iHP-120/iHP-140 with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[Iwod G10]]<br />
* [[Rio Karma]]<br />
* TrekStor's [http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=66 Vibez]<br />
<br />
=== Software ===<br />
==== Players ====<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo]<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net Cog] — for Mac OS X<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[JRiver Media Center]]<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP]<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]]<br />
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ MPlayer]<br />
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV]<br />
* [http://www.quinnware.com/ QCD] ([http://www.quinnware.com/list_plugins.php?type=input plugin])<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with <s>[http://www.illiminable.com/ogg/ Illiminable's directshow filters]</s> or <s>[http://corecodec.org/projects/coreflac CoreFLAC]</s>)<br />
* [http://xine.sourceforge.net/ Xine]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/ XMplay]<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Windows) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.uninformative.com/flacattack/ Flacattack]</s><br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* <s>[http://www.unifront.boereck.de/ UniversalFront]</s> by Böreck<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
* <s>[http://www.webearce.com.ar/ MAREO]</s> by Kwanbis<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Mac) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC]</s><br />
* [http://www.sbooth.org/Max/ Max]<br />
* <s>[http://members.rogers.com/beamsplitter/ RipBeak]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21952 xACT]</s><br />
<br />
==== Converters ====<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] Music Manager / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* <s>[http://www.germanixsoft.de/ GX:Transcoder]</s> Music converter<br />
<br />
==== Editors ====<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]]<br />
* [http://www.goldwave.com/ GoldWave]<br />
<br />
==== CD writers/rippers ====<br />
* [http://www.ahead.de Ahead Nero Burning Rom]<br />
* [http://arson.sourceforge.net/ Arson]<br />
* [http://www.burnatonce.com/ burnatonce]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* [http://www.cdwave.com/ CD Wave]<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] CD ripper/writer<br />
* [http://cdburnerxp.se/ CDburner XP] CD writer<br />
<br />
==== Taggers ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/Tag.zip Case's Tag]</s> command line tagger<br />
* [http://www.jtclipper.eu/thegodfather/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://sbooth.org/Tag/ Tag] — for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] Tagger / Music manager (Including Multiple and Linked Album Art support)<br />
<br />
==== Other tools ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]</s><br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] - tool to multiplex FLAC streams inside the Matroska container<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance, also to calculate [[ReplayGain]] values for FLAC files lacking such<br />
<br />
...and many more; see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#software FLAC software section] and [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html#extras download section] for a more comprehensive list.<br />
<br />
== Frequently asked questions ==<br />
''Question:'' Does the compression level affect decompression speed?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': No.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': In truth, the compression level does affect the decompression speed, but the difference between the various compress levels can barely be measured and is too small to be noticed, even on low-end machines.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Question:'' What is the best compression level for encoding my music?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': The default setting, 5.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': Encoding at the default setting will give the best balance between compression and encoding speed. Encoding at 8 can more than quadruple the encoding time, while having an insignificant effect on compression.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
* [[Lossless comparison]]<br />
<br />
== Externals links ==<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/ FLAC website]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html FLAC download]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/format.html Detailed description of the FLAC format]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html FLAC documentation]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html FLAC FAQ]<br />
* [http://people.ucsc.edu/~rswilson/flactest Omion's FLAC "File Size vs. Decoding Speed" test] - a very thorough test on [[Free Lossless Audio Codec#Frequently Asked Questions|the influence of the chosen encoding level on the decoding speed of FLAC]]; the only one so far to have covered FLAC's --super-secret-totally-impractical-compression-level to this extent as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Free_Lossless_Audio_CodecFree Lossless Audio Codec2012-10-20T21:32:50Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Taggers */ The GodFather link, Updated.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = FLAC<br />
| logo = [[Image:FLAC logo.gif]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = Popular open source patent free lossless compression scheme.<br />
| maintainer = Josh Coalson, Xiph Community <br />
| recommended_encoder = FLAC encoder<br />
| recommended_text = FLAC v1.2.1<br />
| website = http://flac.sourceforge.net/<br />
}}<br />
'''Free Lossless Audio Codec''' ('''FLAC''') is a codec for lossless audiocompression.<br />
Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to [[MP3]], but [[lossless]], meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, if supported) just like you would an MP3 file.<br />
<br />
== General aspects of the format ==<br />
FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, UNIX (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of:<br />
* the stream format<br />
* reference encoders and decoders in library form<br />
* flac, a command-line program to encode and decode FLAC files<br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for FLAC files<br />
* input plugins for various music players<br />
<br />
When it's said that FLAC is ''free'', it means more than just that it is available at no cost. It means that the specification of the format is fully open to the public to be used for any purpose, although the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance. It also means that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any known patent. And it means that all the source code is available under open-source licenses. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.<br />
<br />
Some claim FLAC is the most widely used lossless compression format on UNIX systems, though it seems more likely that shn retains that honor on all OS platforms. FLAC files also can be placed inside an Ogg container using libOggFLAC and libOggFLAC++.<br />
<br />
== Features ==<br />
* '''Lossless:''' The encoding of audio (PCM) data incurs no loss of information, and the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to what went into the encoder. Each frame contains a 16-bit CRC of the frame data for detecting transmission errors. The integrity of the audio data is further insured by storing an MD5 signature of the original unencoded audio data in the file header, which can be compared against later during decoding or testing.<br />
* '''Fast:''' FLAC is asymmetric in favor of decode speed. Decoding requires only integer arithmetic, and is much less compute-intensive than for most perceptual codecs. Real-time decode performance is easily achievable on even modest hardware.<br />
* '''Hardware support:''' Because of FLAC's free reference implementation and low decoding complexity, FLAC is currently the only lossless codec that has any kind of hardware support.<br />
* '''Streamable:''' Each FLAC frame contains enough data to decode that frame. FLAC does not even rely on previous or following frames. FLAC uses sync codes and CRCs (similar to MPEG and other formats), which, along with framing, allow decoders to pick up in the middle of a stream with a minimum of delay.<br />
* '''Seekable:''' FLAC supports fast sample-accurate seeking. Not only is this useful for playback, it makes FLAC files suitable for use in editing applications.<br />
* '''Flexible metadata:''' New metadata blocks can be defined and implemented in future versions of FLAC without breaking older streams or decoders. Currently there are metadata types for tags, cue sheets, and seek tables. Applications can write their own APPLICATION metadata once they register an ID.<br />
* '''Suitable for archiving:''' FLAC is an open format, and there is no generation loss if you need to convert your data to another format in the future. In addition to the frame CRCs and MD5 signature, flac has a verify option that decodes the encoded stream in parallel with the encoding process and compares the result to the original, aborting with an error if there is a mismatch.<br />
* '''Convenient CD archiving:''' FLAC has a ''cue sheet'' metadata block for storing a CD table of contents and all track and index points. For instance, you can rip a CD to a single file, then import the CD's extracted cue sheet while encoding to yield a single file representation of the entire CD. If your original CD is damaged, the cue sheet can be exported later in order to burn an exact copy.<br />
* '''Error resistant:''' Because of FLAC's framing, stream errors limit the damage to the frame in which the error occurred, typically a small fraction of a second worth of data. Contrast this with some other lossless codecs, in which a single error destroys the remainder of the stream.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Portable to many systems<br />
* Source open and freely licenced<br />
* Hardware support (PhatBox, Kenwood MusicKeg, Rio Karma, etc. See below)<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Extremely fast decoding<br />
* Supports multichannel and high resolution streams<br />
* Supports [[ReplayGain]]<br />
* Supports cue-sheet (with some limitations)<br />
* Gaining wide use as successor to [[Shorten]]<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Compresses less efficiently than other popular modern compressors ([[Monkey's Audio]], [[OptimFROG]])<br />
* Higher compression modes slow, for little gain over the default setting.<br />
<br />
== Hardware and software that support FLAC ==<br />
For a more comprehensive list see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html FLAC links page].<br />
<br />
=== Hardware ===<br />
==== Home stereo ====<br />
* [http://www.request.com/us/ AudioReQuest] music servers<br />
* <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/ Avega Systems]</s>' wireless <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/_documents/Oyster_Specifications.pdf Oyster]</s> loudspeakers<br />
* Digital Techniques' "iStereo" <s>[http://www.digitaltechniques.com/M300A_Overview.html M300A Digital Music Player]<br />
* Escient's <s>[http://www.escient.com/ FireBall servers (E2-40/160/300, DVDM-300)]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.hermstedt.com/english/hifidelio/hifidelio.html Hifidelio]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.imuse.us/ iMuse]</s> audio/video media servers<br />
* Meda Systems' <s>[http://www.medainc.com/ Bravo servers]</s><br />
* The <s>[http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/show_floor/product_locator/product_details.asp?prodid=5181 MS300 Music Server]</s> by McIntosh Laboratory<br />
* Olive's [http://www.olive.us/ Symphony] wireless digital music center<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/homeplayer/index.php PhatNoise Home Digital Media Player]</s><br />
* [http://www.numark.com/ Numark]'s DJ equipment (HDX and CDX turntables, HDMIX mixer)<br />
* <s>[http://www.mock.com/receiver/ Rio Reciever]</s> and Dell Digital Audio Receiver<br />
* <s>[http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD]</s> (with [http://homepage.ntlworld.ie/p.mc.quillan/FLAC_V0.7.zip plugin])<br />
* <s>[http://www.skipjam.com/ SkipJam]</s>'s networked audio/video devices<br />
* [http://www.sonos.com/ Sonos Digital Music System]<br />
* Slim Devices' <s>[http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_transporter.html Transporter]</s> and [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox] networked audio players<br />
* <s>[http://www.z500series.com/ Zensonic Z500 Networked DVD Media Player]</s><br />
* Ziova's <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs510.php CS510]</s> and <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs505.php CS505]</s> network media players<br />
<br />
==== Car stereo ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/kenwood_music_keg.php Kenwood Music Keg]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/index.php PhatBox]</s><br />
<br />
==== Portable ====<br />
* [[Apple iPod]] with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* Bluedot's <s>[http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/2006/07/bluedot_pmp_runs_linux_loves.php BMP-1430]</s><br />
* Green Apple's portable media player: <s>[http://www.apod.com.cn/show_products.asp?photoID=437 AP3000]</s><br />
* [[iAudio M3]], M5 and X5<br />
* [[iRiver]] iHP-120/iHP-140 with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[Iwod G10]]<br />
* [[Rio Karma]]<br />
* TrekStor's [http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=66 Vibez]<br />
<br />
=== Software ===<br />
==== Players ====<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo]<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net Cog] — for Mac OS X<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[JRiver Media Center]]<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP]<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]]<br />
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ MPlayer]<br />
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV]<br />
* [http://www.quinnware.com/ QCD] ([http://www.quinnware.com/list_plugins.php?type=input plugin])<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with <s>[http://www.illiminable.com/ogg/ Illiminable's directshow filters]</s> or <s>[http://corecodec.org/projects/coreflac CoreFLAC]</s>)<br />
* [http://xine.sourceforge.net/ Xine]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/ XMplay]<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Windows) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.uninformative.com/flacattack/ Flacattack]</s><br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* <s>[http://www.unifront.boereck.de/ UniversalFront]</s> by Böreck<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
* <s>[http://www.webearce.com.ar/ MAREO]</s> by Kwanbis<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Mac) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC]</s><br />
* [http://www.sbooth.org/Max/ Max]<br />
* <s>[http://members.rogers.com/beamsplitter/ RipBeak]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21952 xACT]</s><br />
<br />
==== Converters ====<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] Music Manager / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* <s>[http://www.germanixsoft.de/ GX:Transcoder]</s> Music converter<br />
<br />
==== Editors ====<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]]<br />
* [http://www.goldwave.com/ GoldWave]<br />
<br />
==== CD writers/rippers ====<br />
* [http://www.ahead.de Ahead Nero Burning Rom]<br />
* [http://arson.sourceforge.net/ Arson]<br />
* [http://www.burnatonce.com/ burnatonce]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* [http://www.cdwave.com/ CD Wave]<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] CD ripper/writer<br />
* [http://cdburnerxp.se/ CDburner XP] CD writer<br />
<br />
==== Taggers ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/Tag.zip Case's Tag]</s> command line tagger<br />
* [http://www.jtclipper.eu/thegodfather/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://sbooth.org/Tag/ Tag] — for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] Tagger / Music manager (Including Multiple and Linked Album Art support)<br />
<br />
==== Other tools ====<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]<br />
* [http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]<br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] - tool to multiplex FLAC streams inside the Matroska container<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance, also to calculate [[ReplayGain]] values for FLAC files lacking such<br />
<br />
...and many more; see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#software FLAC software section] and [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html#extras download section] for a more comprehensive list.<br />
<br />
== Frequently asked questions ==<br />
''Question:'' Does the compression level affect decompression speed?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': No.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': In truth, the compression level does affect the decompression speed, but the difference between the various compress levels can barely be measured and is too small to be noticed, even on low-end machines.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Question:'' What is the best compression level for encoding my music?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': The default setting, 5.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': Encoding at the default setting will give the best balance between compression and encoding speed. Encoding at 8 can more than quadruple the encoding time, while having an insignificant effect on compression.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
* [[Lossless comparison]]<br />
<br />
== Externals links ==<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/ FLAC website]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html FLAC download]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/format.html Detailed description of the FLAC format]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html FLAC documentation]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html FLAC FAQ]<br />
* [http://people.ucsc.edu/~rswilson/flactest Omion's FLAC "File Size vs. Decoding Speed" test] - a very thorough test on [[Free Lossless Audio Codec#Frequently Asked Questions|the influence of the chosen encoding level on the decoding speed of FLAC]]; the only one so far to have covered FLAC's --super-secret-totally-impractical-compression-level to this extent as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Free_Lossless_Audio_CodecFree Lossless Audio Codec2012-10-20T21:05:36Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Converters */ GX:Transcoder ? , There a better Converters.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = FLAC<br />
| logo = [[Image:FLAC logo.gif]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = Popular open source patent free lossless compression scheme.<br />
| maintainer = Josh Coalson, Xiph Community <br />
| recommended_encoder = FLAC encoder<br />
| recommended_text = FLAC v1.2.1<br />
| website = http://flac.sourceforge.net/<br />
}}<br />
'''Free Lossless Audio Codec''' ('''FLAC''') is a codec for lossless audiocompression.<br />
Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to [[MP3]], but [[lossless]], meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, if supported) just like you would an MP3 file.<br />
<br />
== General aspects of the format ==<br />
FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, UNIX (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of:<br />
* the stream format<br />
* reference encoders and decoders in library form<br />
* flac, a command-line program to encode and decode FLAC files<br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for FLAC files<br />
* input plugins for various music players<br />
<br />
When it's said that FLAC is ''free'', it means more than just that it is available at no cost. It means that the specification of the format is fully open to the public to be used for any purpose, although the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance. It also means that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any known patent. And it means that all the source code is available under open-source licenses. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.<br />
<br />
Some claim FLAC is the most widely used lossless compression format on UNIX systems, though it seems more likely that shn retains that honor on all OS platforms. FLAC files also can be placed inside an Ogg container using libOggFLAC and libOggFLAC++.<br />
<br />
== Features ==<br />
* '''Lossless:''' The encoding of audio (PCM) data incurs no loss of information, and the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to what went into the encoder. Each frame contains a 16-bit CRC of the frame data for detecting transmission errors. The integrity of the audio data is further insured by storing an MD5 signature of the original unencoded audio data in the file header, which can be compared against later during decoding or testing.<br />
* '''Fast:''' FLAC is asymmetric in favor of decode speed. Decoding requires only integer arithmetic, and is much less compute-intensive than for most perceptual codecs. Real-time decode performance is easily achievable on even modest hardware.<br />
* '''Hardware support:''' Because of FLAC's free reference implementation and low decoding complexity, FLAC is currently the only lossless codec that has any kind of hardware support.<br />
* '''Streamable:''' Each FLAC frame contains enough data to decode that frame. FLAC does not even rely on previous or following frames. FLAC uses sync codes and CRCs (similar to MPEG and other formats), which, along with framing, allow decoders to pick up in the middle of a stream with a minimum of delay.<br />
* '''Seekable:''' FLAC supports fast sample-accurate seeking. Not only is this useful for playback, it makes FLAC files suitable for use in editing applications.<br />
* '''Flexible metadata:''' New metadata blocks can be defined and implemented in future versions of FLAC without breaking older streams or decoders. Currently there are metadata types for tags, cue sheets, and seek tables. Applications can write their own APPLICATION metadata once they register an ID.<br />
* '''Suitable for archiving:''' FLAC is an open format, and there is no generation loss if you need to convert your data to another format in the future. In addition to the frame CRCs and MD5 signature, flac has a verify option that decodes the encoded stream in parallel with the encoding process and compares the result to the original, aborting with an error if there is a mismatch.<br />
* '''Convenient CD archiving:''' FLAC has a ''cue sheet'' metadata block for storing a CD table of contents and all track and index points. For instance, you can rip a CD to a single file, then import the CD's extracted cue sheet while encoding to yield a single file representation of the entire CD. If your original CD is damaged, the cue sheet can be exported later in order to burn an exact copy.<br />
* '''Error resistant:''' Because of FLAC's framing, stream errors limit the damage to the frame in which the error occurred, typically a small fraction of a second worth of data. Contrast this with some other lossless codecs, in which a single error destroys the remainder of the stream.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Portable to many systems<br />
* Source open and freely licenced<br />
* Hardware support (PhatBox, Kenwood MusicKeg, Rio Karma, etc. See below)<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Extremely fast decoding<br />
* Supports multichannel and high resolution streams<br />
* Supports [[ReplayGain]]<br />
* Supports cue-sheet (with some limitations)<br />
* Gaining wide use as successor to [[Shorten]]<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Compresses less efficiently than other popular modern compressors ([[Monkey's Audio]], [[OptimFROG]])<br />
* Higher compression modes slow, for little gain over the default setting.<br />
<br />
== Hardware and software that support FLAC ==<br />
For a more comprehensive list see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html FLAC links page].<br />
<br />
=== Hardware ===<br />
==== Home stereo ====<br />
* [http://www.request.com/us/ AudioReQuest] music servers<br />
* <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/ Avega Systems]</s>' wireless <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/_documents/Oyster_Specifications.pdf Oyster]</s> loudspeakers<br />
* Digital Techniques' "iStereo" <s>[http://www.digitaltechniques.com/M300A_Overview.html M300A Digital Music Player]<br />
* Escient's <s>[http://www.escient.com/ FireBall servers (E2-40/160/300, DVDM-300)]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.hermstedt.com/english/hifidelio/hifidelio.html Hifidelio]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.imuse.us/ iMuse]</s> audio/video media servers<br />
* Meda Systems' <s>[http://www.medainc.com/ Bravo servers]</s><br />
* The <s>[http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/show_floor/product_locator/product_details.asp?prodid=5181 MS300 Music Server]</s> by McIntosh Laboratory<br />
* Olive's [http://www.olive.us/ Symphony] wireless digital music center<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/homeplayer/index.php PhatNoise Home Digital Media Player]</s><br />
* [http://www.numark.com/ Numark]'s DJ equipment (HDX and CDX turntables, HDMIX mixer)<br />
* <s>[http://www.mock.com/receiver/ Rio Reciever]</s> and Dell Digital Audio Receiver<br />
* <s>[http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD]</s> (with [http://homepage.ntlworld.ie/p.mc.quillan/FLAC_V0.7.zip plugin])<br />
* <s>[http://www.skipjam.com/ SkipJam]</s>'s networked audio/video devices<br />
* [http://www.sonos.com/ Sonos Digital Music System]<br />
* Slim Devices' <s>[http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_transporter.html Transporter]</s> and [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox] networked audio players<br />
* <s>[http://www.z500series.com/ Zensonic Z500 Networked DVD Media Player]</s><br />
* Ziova's <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs510.php CS510]</s> and <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs505.php CS505]</s> network media players<br />
<br />
==== Car stereo ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/kenwood_music_keg.php Kenwood Music Keg]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/index.php PhatBox]</s><br />
<br />
==== Portable ====<br />
* [[Apple iPod]] with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* Bluedot's <s>[http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/2006/07/bluedot_pmp_runs_linux_loves.php BMP-1430]</s><br />
* Green Apple's portable media player: <s>[http://www.apod.com.cn/show_products.asp?photoID=437 AP3000]</s><br />
* [[iAudio M3]], M5 and X5<br />
* [[iRiver]] iHP-120/iHP-140 with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[Iwod G10]]<br />
* [[Rio Karma]]<br />
* TrekStor's [http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=66 Vibez]<br />
<br />
=== Software ===<br />
==== Players ====<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo]<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net Cog] — for Mac OS X<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[JRiver Media Center]]<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP]<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]]<br />
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ MPlayer]<br />
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV]<br />
* [http://www.quinnware.com/ QCD] ([http://www.quinnware.com/list_plugins.php?type=input plugin])<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with <s>[http://www.illiminable.com/ogg/ Illiminable's directshow filters]</s> or <s>[http://corecodec.org/projects/coreflac CoreFLAC]</s>)<br />
* [http://xine.sourceforge.net/ Xine]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/ XMplay]<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Windows) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.uninformative.com/flacattack/ Flacattack]</s><br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* <s>[http://www.unifront.boereck.de/ UniversalFront]</s> by Böreck<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
* <s>[http://www.webearce.com.ar/ MAREO]</s> by Kwanbis<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Mac) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC]</s><br />
* [http://www.sbooth.org/Max/ Max]<br />
* <s>[http://members.rogers.com/beamsplitter/ RipBeak]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21952 xACT]</s><br />
<br />
==== Converters ====<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] Music Manager / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* <s>[http://www.germanixsoft.de/ GX:Transcoder]</s> Music converter<br />
<br />
==== Editors ====<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]]<br />
* [http://www.goldwave.com/ GoldWave]<br />
<br />
==== CD writers/rippers ====<br />
* [http://www.ahead.de Ahead Nero Burning Rom]<br />
* [http://arson.sourceforge.net/ Arson]<br />
* [http://www.burnatonce.com/ burnatonce]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* [http://www.cdwave.com/ CD Wave]<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] CD ripper/writer<br />
* [http://cdburnerxp.se/ CDburner XP] CD writer<br />
<br />
==== Taggers ====<br />
* [http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/Tag.zip Case's Tag] command line tagger<br />
* [http://users.otenet.gr/~jtcliper/tgf/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://sbooth.org/Tag/ Tag] — for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] Tagger / Music manager (Including Multiple and Linked Album Art support)<br />
<br />
==== Other tools ====<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]<br />
* [http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]<br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] - tool to multiplex FLAC streams inside the Matroska container<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance, also to calculate [[ReplayGain]] values for FLAC files lacking such<br />
<br />
...and many more; see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#software FLAC software section] and [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html#extras download section] for a more comprehensive list.<br />
<br />
== Frequently asked questions ==<br />
''Question:'' Does the compression level affect decompression speed?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': No.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': In truth, the compression level does affect the decompression speed, but the difference between the various compress levels can barely be measured and is too small to be noticed, even on low-end machines.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Question:'' What is the best compression level for encoding my music?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': The default setting, 5.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': Encoding at the default setting will give the best balance between compression and encoding speed. Encoding at 8 can more than quadruple the encoding time, while having an insignificant effect on compression.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
* [[Lossless comparison]]<br />
<br />
== Externals links ==<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/ FLAC website]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html FLAC download]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/format.html Detailed description of the FLAC format]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html FLAC documentation]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html FLAC FAQ]<br />
* [http://people.ucsc.edu/~rswilson/flactest Omion's FLAC "File Size vs. Decoding Speed" test] - a very thorough test on [[Free Lossless Audio Codec#Frequently Asked Questions|the influence of the chosen encoding level on the decoding speed of FLAC]]; the only one so far to have covered FLAC's --super-secret-totally-impractical-compression-level to this extent as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Free_Lossless_Audio_CodecFree Lossless Audio Codec2012-10-20T21:03:15Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Frontends (Mac) */ Frontends (mac) , (dead/broken) links.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = FLAC<br />
| logo = [[Image:FLAC logo.gif]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = Popular open source patent free lossless compression scheme.<br />
| maintainer = Josh Coalson, Xiph Community <br />
| recommended_encoder = FLAC encoder<br />
| recommended_text = FLAC v1.2.1<br />
| website = http://flac.sourceforge.net/<br />
}}<br />
'''Free Lossless Audio Codec''' ('''FLAC''') is a codec for lossless audiocompression.<br />
Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to [[MP3]], but [[lossless]], meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, if supported) just like you would an MP3 file.<br />
<br />
== General aspects of the format ==<br />
FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, UNIX (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of:<br />
* the stream format<br />
* reference encoders and decoders in library form<br />
* flac, a command-line program to encode and decode FLAC files<br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for FLAC files<br />
* input plugins for various music players<br />
<br />
When it's said that FLAC is ''free'', it means more than just that it is available at no cost. It means that the specification of the format is fully open to the public to be used for any purpose, although the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance. It also means that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any known patent. And it means that all the source code is available under open-source licenses. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.<br />
<br />
Some claim FLAC is the most widely used lossless compression format on UNIX systems, though it seems more likely that shn retains that honor on all OS platforms. FLAC files also can be placed inside an Ogg container using libOggFLAC and libOggFLAC++.<br />
<br />
== Features ==<br />
* '''Lossless:''' The encoding of audio (PCM) data incurs no loss of information, and the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to what went into the encoder. Each frame contains a 16-bit CRC of the frame data for detecting transmission errors. The integrity of the audio data is further insured by storing an MD5 signature of the original unencoded audio data in the file header, which can be compared against later during decoding or testing.<br />
* '''Fast:''' FLAC is asymmetric in favor of decode speed. Decoding requires only integer arithmetic, and is much less compute-intensive than for most perceptual codecs. Real-time decode performance is easily achievable on even modest hardware.<br />
* '''Hardware support:''' Because of FLAC's free reference implementation and low decoding complexity, FLAC is currently the only lossless codec that has any kind of hardware support.<br />
* '''Streamable:''' Each FLAC frame contains enough data to decode that frame. FLAC does not even rely on previous or following frames. FLAC uses sync codes and CRCs (similar to MPEG and other formats), which, along with framing, allow decoders to pick up in the middle of a stream with a minimum of delay.<br />
* '''Seekable:''' FLAC supports fast sample-accurate seeking. Not only is this useful for playback, it makes FLAC files suitable for use in editing applications.<br />
* '''Flexible metadata:''' New metadata blocks can be defined and implemented in future versions of FLAC without breaking older streams or decoders. Currently there are metadata types for tags, cue sheets, and seek tables. Applications can write their own APPLICATION metadata once they register an ID.<br />
* '''Suitable for archiving:''' FLAC is an open format, and there is no generation loss if you need to convert your data to another format in the future. In addition to the frame CRCs and MD5 signature, flac has a verify option that decodes the encoded stream in parallel with the encoding process and compares the result to the original, aborting with an error if there is a mismatch.<br />
* '''Convenient CD archiving:''' FLAC has a ''cue sheet'' metadata block for storing a CD table of contents and all track and index points. For instance, you can rip a CD to a single file, then import the CD's extracted cue sheet while encoding to yield a single file representation of the entire CD. If your original CD is damaged, the cue sheet can be exported later in order to burn an exact copy.<br />
* '''Error resistant:''' Because of FLAC's framing, stream errors limit the damage to the frame in which the error occurred, typically a small fraction of a second worth of data. Contrast this with some other lossless codecs, in which a single error destroys the remainder of the stream.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Portable to many systems<br />
* Source open and freely licenced<br />
* Hardware support (PhatBox, Kenwood MusicKeg, Rio Karma, etc. See below)<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Extremely fast decoding<br />
* Supports multichannel and high resolution streams<br />
* Supports [[ReplayGain]]<br />
* Supports cue-sheet (with some limitations)<br />
* Gaining wide use as successor to [[Shorten]]<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Compresses less efficiently than other popular modern compressors ([[Monkey's Audio]], [[OptimFROG]])<br />
* Higher compression modes slow, for little gain over the default setting.<br />
<br />
== Hardware and software that support FLAC ==<br />
For a more comprehensive list see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html FLAC links page].<br />
<br />
=== Hardware ===<br />
==== Home stereo ====<br />
* [http://www.request.com/us/ AudioReQuest] music servers<br />
* <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/ Avega Systems]</s>' wireless <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/_documents/Oyster_Specifications.pdf Oyster]</s> loudspeakers<br />
* Digital Techniques' "iStereo" <s>[http://www.digitaltechniques.com/M300A_Overview.html M300A Digital Music Player]<br />
* Escient's <s>[http://www.escient.com/ FireBall servers (E2-40/160/300, DVDM-300)]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.hermstedt.com/english/hifidelio/hifidelio.html Hifidelio]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.imuse.us/ iMuse]</s> audio/video media servers<br />
* Meda Systems' <s>[http://www.medainc.com/ Bravo servers]</s><br />
* The <s>[http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/show_floor/product_locator/product_details.asp?prodid=5181 MS300 Music Server]</s> by McIntosh Laboratory<br />
* Olive's [http://www.olive.us/ Symphony] wireless digital music center<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/homeplayer/index.php PhatNoise Home Digital Media Player]</s><br />
* [http://www.numark.com/ Numark]'s DJ equipment (HDX and CDX turntables, HDMIX mixer)<br />
* <s>[http://www.mock.com/receiver/ Rio Reciever]</s> and Dell Digital Audio Receiver<br />
* <s>[http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD]</s> (with [http://homepage.ntlworld.ie/p.mc.quillan/FLAC_V0.7.zip plugin])<br />
* <s>[http://www.skipjam.com/ SkipJam]</s>'s networked audio/video devices<br />
* [http://www.sonos.com/ Sonos Digital Music System]<br />
* Slim Devices' <s>[http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_transporter.html Transporter]</s> and [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox] networked audio players<br />
* <s>[http://www.z500series.com/ Zensonic Z500 Networked DVD Media Player]</s><br />
* Ziova's <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs510.php CS510]</s> and <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs505.php CS505]</s> network media players<br />
<br />
==== Car stereo ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/kenwood_music_keg.php Kenwood Music Keg]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/index.php PhatBox]</s><br />
<br />
==== Portable ====<br />
* [[Apple iPod]] with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* Bluedot's <s>[http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/2006/07/bluedot_pmp_runs_linux_loves.php BMP-1430]</s><br />
* Green Apple's portable media player: <s>[http://www.apod.com.cn/show_products.asp?photoID=437 AP3000]</s><br />
* [[iAudio M3]], M5 and X5<br />
* [[iRiver]] iHP-120/iHP-140 with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[Iwod G10]]<br />
* [[Rio Karma]]<br />
* TrekStor's [http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=66 Vibez]<br />
<br />
=== Software ===<br />
==== Players ====<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo]<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net Cog] — for Mac OS X<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[JRiver Media Center]]<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP]<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]]<br />
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ MPlayer]<br />
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV]<br />
* [http://www.quinnware.com/ QCD] ([http://www.quinnware.com/list_plugins.php?type=input plugin])<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with <s>[http://www.illiminable.com/ogg/ Illiminable's directshow filters]</s> or <s>[http://corecodec.org/projects/coreflac CoreFLAC]</s>)<br />
* [http://xine.sourceforge.net/ Xine]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/ XMplay]<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Windows) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.uninformative.com/flacattack/ Flacattack]</s><br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* <s>[http://www.unifront.boereck.de/ UniversalFront]</s> by Böreck<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
* <s>[http://www.webearce.com.ar/ MAREO]</s> by Kwanbis<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Mac) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC]</s><br />
* [http://www.sbooth.org/Max/ Max]<br />
* <s>[http://members.rogers.com/beamsplitter/ RipBeak]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21952 xACT]</s><br />
<br />
==== Converters ====<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] Music Manager / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.germanixsoft.de/ GX:Transcoder] Music converter<br />
<br />
==== Editors ====<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]]<br />
* [http://www.goldwave.com/ GoldWave]<br />
<br />
==== CD writers/rippers ====<br />
* [http://www.ahead.de Ahead Nero Burning Rom]<br />
* [http://arson.sourceforge.net/ Arson]<br />
* [http://www.burnatonce.com/ burnatonce]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* [http://www.cdwave.com/ CD Wave]<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] CD ripper/writer<br />
* [http://cdburnerxp.se/ CDburner XP] CD writer<br />
<br />
==== Taggers ====<br />
* [http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/Tag.zip Case's Tag] command line tagger<br />
* [http://users.otenet.gr/~jtcliper/tgf/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://sbooth.org/Tag/ Tag] — for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] Tagger / Music manager (Including Multiple and Linked Album Art support)<br />
<br />
==== Other tools ====<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]<br />
* [http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]<br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] - tool to multiplex FLAC streams inside the Matroska container<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance, also to calculate [[ReplayGain]] values for FLAC files lacking such<br />
<br />
...and many more; see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#software FLAC software section] and [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html#extras download section] for a more comprehensive list.<br />
<br />
== Frequently asked questions ==<br />
''Question:'' Does the compression level affect decompression speed?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': No.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': In truth, the compression level does affect the decompression speed, but the difference between the various compress levels can barely be measured and is too small to be noticed, even on low-end machines.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Question:'' What is the best compression level for encoding my music?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': The default setting, 5.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': Encoding at the default setting will give the best balance between compression and encoding speed. Encoding at 8 can more than quadruple the encoding time, while having an insignificant effect on compression.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
* [[Lossless comparison]]<br />
<br />
== Externals links ==<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/ FLAC website]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html FLAC download]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/format.html Detailed description of the FLAC format]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html FLAC documentation]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html FLAC FAQ]<br />
* [http://people.ucsc.edu/~rswilson/flactest Omion's FLAC "File Size vs. Decoding Speed" test] - a very thorough test on [[Free Lossless Audio Codec#Frequently Asked Questions|the influence of the chosen encoding level on the decoding speed of FLAC]]; the only one so far to have covered FLAC's --super-secret-totally-impractical-compression-level to this extent as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Free_Lossless_Audio_CodecFree Lossless Audio Codec2012-10-20T20:58:42Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Frontends (Windows) */ Frontend (dead/broken) links.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = FLAC<br />
| logo = [[Image:FLAC logo.gif]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = Popular open source patent free lossless compression scheme.<br />
| maintainer = Josh Coalson, Xiph Community <br />
| recommended_encoder = FLAC encoder<br />
| recommended_text = FLAC v1.2.1<br />
| website = http://flac.sourceforge.net/<br />
}}<br />
'''Free Lossless Audio Codec''' ('''FLAC''') is a codec for lossless audiocompression.<br />
Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to [[MP3]], but [[lossless]], meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, if supported) just like you would an MP3 file.<br />
<br />
== General aspects of the format ==<br />
FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, UNIX (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of:<br />
* the stream format<br />
* reference encoders and decoders in library form<br />
* flac, a command-line program to encode and decode FLAC files<br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for FLAC files<br />
* input plugins for various music players<br />
<br />
When it's said that FLAC is ''free'', it means more than just that it is available at no cost. It means that the specification of the format is fully open to the public to be used for any purpose, although the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance. It also means that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any known patent. And it means that all the source code is available under open-source licenses. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.<br />
<br />
Some claim FLAC is the most widely used lossless compression format on UNIX systems, though it seems more likely that shn retains that honor on all OS platforms. FLAC files also can be placed inside an Ogg container using libOggFLAC and libOggFLAC++.<br />
<br />
== Features ==<br />
* '''Lossless:''' The encoding of audio (PCM) data incurs no loss of information, and the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to what went into the encoder. Each frame contains a 16-bit CRC of the frame data for detecting transmission errors. The integrity of the audio data is further insured by storing an MD5 signature of the original unencoded audio data in the file header, which can be compared against later during decoding or testing.<br />
* '''Fast:''' FLAC is asymmetric in favor of decode speed. Decoding requires only integer arithmetic, and is much less compute-intensive than for most perceptual codecs. Real-time decode performance is easily achievable on even modest hardware.<br />
* '''Hardware support:''' Because of FLAC's free reference implementation and low decoding complexity, FLAC is currently the only lossless codec that has any kind of hardware support.<br />
* '''Streamable:''' Each FLAC frame contains enough data to decode that frame. FLAC does not even rely on previous or following frames. FLAC uses sync codes and CRCs (similar to MPEG and other formats), which, along with framing, allow decoders to pick up in the middle of a stream with a minimum of delay.<br />
* '''Seekable:''' FLAC supports fast sample-accurate seeking. Not only is this useful for playback, it makes FLAC files suitable for use in editing applications.<br />
* '''Flexible metadata:''' New metadata blocks can be defined and implemented in future versions of FLAC without breaking older streams or decoders. Currently there are metadata types for tags, cue sheets, and seek tables. Applications can write their own APPLICATION metadata once they register an ID.<br />
* '''Suitable for archiving:''' FLAC is an open format, and there is no generation loss if you need to convert your data to another format in the future. In addition to the frame CRCs and MD5 signature, flac has a verify option that decodes the encoded stream in parallel with the encoding process and compares the result to the original, aborting with an error if there is a mismatch.<br />
* '''Convenient CD archiving:''' FLAC has a ''cue sheet'' metadata block for storing a CD table of contents and all track and index points. For instance, you can rip a CD to a single file, then import the CD's extracted cue sheet while encoding to yield a single file representation of the entire CD. If your original CD is damaged, the cue sheet can be exported later in order to burn an exact copy.<br />
* '''Error resistant:''' Because of FLAC's framing, stream errors limit the damage to the frame in which the error occurred, typically a small fraction of a second worth of data. Contrast this with some other lossless codecs, in which a single error destroys the remainder of the stream.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Portable to many systems<br />
* Source open and freely licenced<br />
* Hardware support (PhatBox, Kenwood MusicKeg, Rio Karma, etc. See below)<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Extremely fast decoding<br />
* Supports multichannel and high resolution streams<br />
* Supports [[ReplayGain]]<br />
* Supports cue-sheet (with some limitations)<br />
* Gaining wide use as successor to [[Shorten]]<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Compresses less efficiently than other popular modern compressors ([[Monkey's Audio]], [[OptimFROG]])<br />
* Higher compression modes slow, for little gain over the default setting.<br />
<br />
== Hardware and software that support FLAC ==<br />
For a more comprehensive list see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html FLAC links page].<br />
<br />
=== Hardware ===<br />
==== Home stereo ====<br />
* [http://www.request.com/us/ AudioReQuest] music servers<br />
* <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/ Avega Systems]</s>' wireless <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/_documents/Oyster_Specifications.pdf Oyster]</s> loudspeakers<br />
* Digital Techniques' "iStereo" <s>[http://www.digitaltechniques.com/M300A_Overview.html M300A Digital Music Player]<br />
* Escient's <s>[http://www.escient.com/ FireBall servers (E2-40/160/300, DVDM-300)]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.hermstedt.com/english/hifidelio/hifidelio.html Hifidelio]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.imuse.us/ iMuse]</s> audio/video media servers<br />
* Meda Systems' <s>[http://www.medainc.com/ Bravo servers]</s><br />
* The <s>[http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/show_floor/product_locator/product_details.asp?prodid=5181 MS300 Music Server]</s> by McIntosh Laboratory<br />
* Olive's [http://www.olive.us/ Symphony] wireless digital music center<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/homeplayer/index.php PhatNoise Home Digital Media Player]</s><br />
* [http://www.numark.com/ Numark]'s DJ equipment (HDX and CDX turntables, HDMIX mixer)<br />
* <s>[http://www.mock.com/receiver/ Rio Reciever]</s> and Dell Digital Audio Receiver<br />
* <s>[http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD]</s> (with [http://homepage.ntlworld.ie/p.mc.quillan/FLAC_V0.7.zip plugin])<br />
* <s>[http://www.skipjam.com/ SkipJam]</s>'s networked audio/video devices<br />
* [http://www.sonos.com/ Sonos Digital Music System]<br />
* Slim Devices' <s>[http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_transporter.html Transporter]</s> and [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox] networked audio players<br />
* <s>[http://www.z500series.com/ Zensonic Z500 Networked DVD Media Player]</s><br />
* Ziova's <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs510.php CS510]</s> and <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs505.php CS505]</s> network media players<br />
<br />
==== Car stereo ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/kenwood_music_keg.php Kenwood Music Keg]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/index.php PhatBox]</s><br />
<br />
==== Portable ====<br />
* [[Apple iPod]] with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* Bluedot's <s>[http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/2006/07/bluedot_pmp_runs_linux_loves.php BMP-1430]</s><br />
* Green Apple's portable media player: <s>[http://www.apod.com.cn/show_products.asp?photoID=437 AP3000]</s><br />
* [[iAudio M3]], M5 and X5<br />
* [[iRiver]] iHP-120/iHP-140 with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[Iwod G10]]<br />
* [[Rio Karma]]<br />
* TrekStor's [http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=66 Vibez]<br />
<br />
=== Software ===<br />
==== Players ====<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo]<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net Cog] — for Mac OS X<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[JRiver Media Center]]<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP]<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]]<br />
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ MPlayer]<br />
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV]<br />
* [http://www.quinnware.com/ QCD] ([http://www.quinnware.com/list_plugins.php?type=input plugin])<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with <s>[http://www.illiminable.com/ogg/ Illiminable's directshow filters]</s> or <s>[http://corecodec.org/projects/coreflac CoreFLAC]</s>)<br />
* [http://xine.sourceforge.net/ Xine]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/ XMplay]<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Windows) ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.uninformative.com/flacattack/ Flacattack]</s><br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* <s>[http://www.unifront.boereck.de/ UniversalFront]</s> by Böreck<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
* <s>[http://www.webearce.com.ar/ MAREO]</s> by Kwanbis<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Mac) ====<br />
* [http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC]<br />
* [http://www.sbooth.org/Max/ Max]<br />
* [http://members.rogers.com/beamsplitter/ RipBeak]<br />
* [http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21952 xACT]<br />
<br />
==== Converters ====<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] Music Manager / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.germanixsoft.de/ GX:Transcoder] Music converter<br />
<br />
==== Editors ====<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]]<br />
* [http://www.goldwave.com/ GoldWave]<br />
<br />
==== CD writers/rippers ====<br />
* [http://www.ahead.de Ahead Nero Burning Rom]<br />
* [http://arson.sourceforge.net/ Arson]<br />
* [http://www.burnatonce.com/ burnatonce]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* [http://www.cdwave.com/ CD Wave]<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] CD ripper/writer<br />
* [http://cdburnerxp.se/ CDburner XP] CD writer<br />
<br />
==== Taggers ====<br />
* [http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/Tag.zip Case's Tag] command line tagger<br />
* [http://users.otenet.gr/~jtcliper/tgf/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://sbooth.org/Tag/ Tag] — for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] Tagger / Music manager (Including Multiple and Linked Album Art support)<br />
<br />
==== Other tools ====<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]<br />
* [http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]<br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] - tool to multiplex FLAC streams inside the Matroska container<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance, also to calculate [[ReplayGain]] values for FLAC files lacking such<br />
<br />
...and many more; see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#software FLAC software section] and [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html#extras download section] for a more comprehensive list.<br />
<br />
== Frequently asked questions ==<br />
''Question:'' Does the compression level affect decompression speed?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': No.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': In truth, the compression level does affect the decompression speed, but the difference between the various compress levels can barely be measured and is too small to be noticed, even on low-end machines.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Question:'' What is the best compression level for encoding my music?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': The default setting, 5.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': Encoding at the default setting will give the best balance between compression and encoding speed. Encoding at 8 can more than quadruple the encoding time, while having an insignificant effect on compression.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
* [[Lossless comparison]]<br />
<br />
== Externals links ==<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/ FLAC website]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html FLAC download]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/format.html Detailed description of the FLAC format]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html FLAC documentation]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html FLAC FAQ]<br />
* [http://people.ucsc.edu/~rswilson/flactest Omion's FLAC "File Size vs. Decoding Speed" test] - a very thorough test on [[Free Lossless Audio Codec#Frequently Asked Questions|the influence of the chosen encoding level on the decoding speed of FLAC]]; the only one so far to have covered FLAC's --super-secret-totally-impractical-compression-level to this extent as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Free_Lossless_Audio_CodecFree Lossless Audio Codec2012-10-20T20:55:44Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Players */ MPC flac filters (dead/broken) links.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = FLAC<br />
| logo = [[Image:FLAC logo.gif]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = Popular open source patent free lossless compression scheme.<br />
| maintainer = Josh Coalson, Xiph Community <br />
| recommended_encoder = FLAC encoder<br />
| recommended_text = FLAC v1.2.1<br />
| website = http://flac.sourceforge.net/<br />
}}<br />
'''Free Lossless Audio Codec''' ('''FLAC''') is a codec for lossless audiocompression.<br />
Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to [[MP3]], but [[lossless]], meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, if supported) just like you would an MP3 file.<br />
<br />
== General aspects of the format ==<br />
FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, UNIX (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of:<br />
* the stream format<br />
* reference encoders and decoders in library form<br />
* flac, a command-line program to encode and decode FLAC files<br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for FLAC files<br />
* input plugins for various music players<br />
<br />
When it's said that FLAC is ''free'', it means more than just that it is available at no cost. It means that the specification of the format is fully open to the public to be used for any purpose, although the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance. It also means that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any known patent. And it means that all the source code is available under open-source licenses. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.<br />
<br />
Some claim FLAC is the most widely used lossless compression format on UNIX systems, though it seems more likely that shn retains that honor on all OS platforms. FLAC files also can be placed inside an Ogg container using libOggFLAC and libOggFLAC++.<br />
<br />
== Features ==<br />
* '''Lossless:''' The encoding of audio (PCM) data incurs no loss of information, and the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to what went into the encoder. Each frame contains a 16-bit CRC of the frame data for detecting transmission errors. The integrity of the audio data is further insured by storing an MD5 signature of the original unencoded audio data in the file header, which can be compared against later during decoding or testing.<br />
* '''Fast:''' FLAC is asymmetric in favor of decode speed. Decoding requires only integer arithmetic, and is much less compute-intensive than for most perceptual codecs. Real-time decode performance is easily achievable on even modest hardware.<br />
* '''Hardware support:''' Because of FLAC's free reference implementation and low decoding complexity, FLAC is currently the only lossless codec that has any kind of hardware support.<br />
* '''Streamable:''' Each FLAC frame contains enough data to decode that frame. FLAC does not even rely on previous or following frames. FLAC uses sync codes and CRCs (similar to MPEG and other formats), which, along with framing, allow decoders to pick up in the middle of a stream with a minimum of delay.<br />
* '''Seekable:''' FLAC supports fast sample-accurate seeking. Not only is this useful for playback, it makes FLAC files suitable for use in editing applications.<br />
* '''Flexible metadata:''' New metadata blocks can be defined and implemented in future versions of FLAC without breaking older streams or decoders. Currently there are metadata types for tags, cue sheets, and seek tables. Applications can write their own APPLICATION metadata once they register an ID.<br />
* '''Suitable for archiving:''' FLAC is an open format, and there is no generation loss if you need to convert your data to another format in the future. In addition to the frame CRCs and MD5 signature, flac has a verify option that decodes the encoded stream in parallel with the encoding process and compares the result to the original, aborting with an error if there is a mismatch.<br />
* '''Convenient CD archiving:''' FLAC has a ''cue sheet'' metadata block for storing a CD table of contents and all track and index points. For instance, you can rip a CD to a single file, then import the CD's extracted cue sheet while encoding to yield a single file representation of the entire CD. If your original CD is damaged, the cue sheet can be exported later in order to burn an exact copy.<br />
* '''Error resistant:''' Because of FLAC's framing, stream errors limit the damage to the frame in which the error occurred, typically a small fraction of a second worth of data. Contrast this with some other lossless codecs, in which a single error destroys the remainder of the stream.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Portable to many systems<br />
* Source open and freely licenced<br />
* Hardware support (PhatBox, Kenwood MusicKeg, Rio Karma, etc. See below)<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Extremely fast decoding<br />
* Supports multichannel and high resolution streams<br />
* Supports [[ReplayGain]]<br />
* Supports cue-sheet (with some limitations)<br />
* Gaining wide use as successor to [[Shorten]]<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Compresses less efficiently than other popular modern compressors ([[Monkey's Audio]], [[OptimFROG]])<br />
* Higher compression modes slow, for little gain over the default setting.<br />
<br />
== Hardware and software that support FLAC ==<br />
For a more comprehensive list see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html FLAC links page].<br />
<br />
=== Hardware ===<br />
==== Home stereo ====<br />
* [http://www.request.com/us/ AudioReQuest] music servers<br />
* <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/ Avega Systems]</s>' wireless <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/_documents/Oyster_Specifications.pdf Oyster]</s> loudspeakers<br />
* Digital Techniques' "iStereo" <s>[http://www.digitaltechniques.com/M300A_Overview.html M300A Digital Music Player]<br />
* Escient's <s>[http://www.escient.com/ FireBall servers (E2-40/160/300, DVDM-300)]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.hermstedt.com/english/hifidelio/hifidelio.html Hifidelio]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.imuse.us/ iMuse]</s> audio/video media servers<br />
* Meda Systems' <s>[http://www.medainc.com/ Bravo servers]</s><br />
* The <s>[http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/show_floor/product_locator/product_details.asp?prodid=5181 MS300 Music Server]</s> by McIntosh Laboratory<br />
* Olive's [http://www.olive.us/ Symphony] wireless digital music center<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/homeplayer/index.php PhatNoise Home Digital Media Player]</s><br />
* [http://www.numark.com/ Numark]'s DJ equipment (HDX and CDX turntables, HDMIX mixer)<br />
* <s>[http://www.mock.com/receiver/ Rio Reciever]</s> and Dell Digital Audio Receiver<br />
* <s>[http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD]</s> (with [http://homepage.ntlworld.ie/p.mc.quillan/FLAC_V0.7.zip plugin])<br />
* <s>[http://www.skipjam.com/ SkipJam]</s>'s networked audio/video devices<br />
* [http://www.sonos.com/ Sonos Digital Music System]<br />
* Slim Devices' <s>[http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_transporter.html Transporter]</s> and [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox] networked audio players<br />
* <s>[http://www.z500series.com/ Zensonic Z500 Networked DVD Media Player]</s><br />
* Ziova's <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs510.php CS510]</s> and <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs505.php CS505]</s> network media players<br />
<br />
==== Car stereo ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/kenwood_music_keg.php Kenwood Music Keg]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/index.php PhatBox]</s><br />
<br />
==== Portable ====<br />
* [[Apple iPod]] with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* Bluedot's <s>[http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/2006/07/bluedot_pmp_runs_linux_loves.php BMP-1430]</s><br />
* Green Apple's portable media player: <s>[http://www.apod.com.cn/show_products.asp?photoID=437 AP3000]</s><br />
* [[iAudio M3]], M5 and X5<br />
* [[iRiver]] iHP-120/iHP-140 with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[Iwod G10]]<br />
* [[Rio Karma]]<br />
* TrekStor's [http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=66 Vibez]<br />
<br />
=== Software ===<br />
==== Players ====<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo]<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net Cog] — for Mac OS X<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[JRiver Media Center]]<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP]<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]]<br />
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ MPlayer]<br />
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV]<br />
* [http://www.quinnware.com/ QCD] ([http://www.quinnware.com/list_plugins.php?type=input plugin])<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with <s>[http://www.illiminable.com/ogg/ Illiminable's directshow filters]</s> or <s>[http://corecodec.org/projects/coreflac CoreFLAC]</s>)<br />
* [http://xine.sourceforge.net/ Xine]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/ XMplay]<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Windows) ====<br />
* [http://www.uninformative.com/flacattack/ Flacattack]<br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* [http://www.unifront.boereck.de/ UniversalFront] by Böreck<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
* [http://www.webearce.com.ar/ MAREO] by Kwanbis<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Mac) ====<br />
* [http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC]<br />
* [http://www.sbooth.org/Max/ Max]<br />
* [http://members.rogers.com/beamsplitter/ RipBeak]<br />
* [http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21952 xACT]<br />
<br />
==== Converters ====<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] Music Manager / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.germanixsoft.de/ GX:Transcoder] Music converter<br />
<br />
==== Editors ====<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]]<br />
* [http://www.goldwave.com/ GoldWave]<br />
<br />
==== CD writers/rippers ====<br />
* [http://www.ahead.de Ahead Nero Burning Rom]<br />
* [http://arson.sourceforge.net/ Arson]<br />
* [http://www.burnatonce.com/ burnatonce]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* [http://www.cdwave.com/ CD Wave]<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] CD ripper/writer<br />
* [http://cdburnerxp.se/ CDburner XP] CD writer<br />
<br />
==== Taggers ====<br />
* [http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/Tag.zip Case's Tag] command line tagger<br />
* [http://users.otenet.gr/~jtcliper/tgf/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://sbooth.org/Tag/ Tag] — for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] Tagger / Music manager (Including Multiple and Linked Album Art support)<br />
<br />
==== Other tools ====<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]<br />
* [http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]<br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] - tool to multiplex FLAC streams inside the Matroska container<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance, also to calculate [[ReplayGain]] values for FLAC files lacking such<br />
<br />
...and many more; see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#software FLAC software section] and [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html#extras download section] for a more comprehensive list.<br />
<br />
== Frequently asked questions ==<br />
''Question:'' Does the compression level affect decompression speed?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': No.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': In truth, the compression level does affect the decompression speed, but the difference between the various compress levels can barely be measured and is too small to be noticed, even on low-end machines.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Question:'' What is the best compression level for encoding my music?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': The default setting, 5.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': Encoding at the default setting will give the best balance between compression and encoding speed. Encoding at 8 can more than quadruple the encoding time, while having an insignificant effect on compression.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
* [[Lossless comparison]]<br />
<br />
== Externals links ==<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/ FLAC website]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html FLAC download]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/format.html Detailed description of the FLAC format]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html FLAC documentation]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html FLAC FAQ]<br />
* [http://people.ucsc.edu/~rswilson/flactest Omion's FLAC "File Size vs. Decoding Speed" test] - a very thorough test on [[Free Lossless Audio Codec#Frequently Asked Questions|the influence of the chosen encoding level on the decoding speed of FLAC]]; the only one so far to have covered FLAC's --super-secret-totally-impractical-compression-level to this extent as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Free_Lossless_Audio_CodecFree Lossless Audio Codec2012-10-20T20:51:51Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Portable */ Portable hardware (dead/broken) links.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = FLAC<br />
| logo = [[Image:FLAC logo.gif]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = Popular open source patent free lossless compression scheme.<br />
| maintainer = Josh Coalson, Xiph Community <br />
| recommended_encoder = FLAC encoder<br />
| recommended_text = FLAC v1.2.1<br />
| website = http://flac.sourceforge.net/<br />
}}<br />
'''Free Lossless Audio Codec''' ('''FLAC''') is a codec for lossless audiocompression.<br />
Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to [[MP3]], but [[lossless]], meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, if supported) just like you would an MP3 file.<br />
<br />
== General aspects of the format ==<br />
FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, UNIX (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of:<br />
* the stream format<br />
* reference encoders and decoders in library form<br />
* flac, a command-line program to encode and decode FLAC files<br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for FLAC files<br />
* input plugins for various music players<br />
<br />
When it's said that FLAC is ''free'', it means more than just that it is available at no cost. It means that the specification of the format is fully open to the public to be used for any purpose, although the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance. It also means that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any known patent. And it means that all the source code is available under open-source licenses. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.<br />
<br />
Some claim FLAC is the most widely used lossless compression format on UNIX systems, though it seems more likely that shn retains that honor on all OS platforms. FLAC files also can be placed inside an Ogg container using libOggFLAC and libOggFLAC++.<br />
<br />
== Features ==<br />
* '''Lossless:''' The encoding of audio (PCM) data incurs no loss of information, and the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to what went into the encoder. Each frame contains a 16-bit CRC of the frame data for detecting transmission errors. The integrity of the audio data is further insured by storing an MD5 signature of the original unencoded audio data in the file header, which can be compared against later during decoding or testing.<br />
* '''Fast:''' FLAC is asymmetric in favor of decode speed. Decoding requires only integer arithmetic, and is much less compute-intensive than for most perceptual codecs. Real-time decode performance is easily achievable on even modest hardware.<br />
* '''Hardware support:''' Because of FLAC's free reference implementation and low decoding complexity, FLAC is currently the only lossless codec that has any kind of hardware support.<br />
* '''Streamable:''' Each FLAC frame contains enough data to decode that frame. FLAC does not even rely on previous or following frames. FLAC uses sync codes and CRCs (similar to MPEG and other formats), which, along with framing, allow decoders to pick up in the middle of a stream with a minimum of delay.<br />
* '''Seekable:''' FLAC supports fast sample-accurate seeking. Not only is this useful for playback, it makes FLAC files suitable for use in editing applications.<br />
* '''Flexible metadata:''' New metadata blocks can be defined and implemented in future versions of FLAC without breaking older streams or decoders. Currently there are metadata types for tags, cue sheets, and seek tables. Applications can write their own APPLICATION metadata once they register an ID.<br />
* '''Suitable for archiving:''' FLAC is an open format, and there is no generation loss if you need to convert your data to another format in the future. In addition to the frame CRCs and MD5 signature, flac has a verify option that decodes the encoded stream in parallel with the encoding process and compares the result to the original, aborting with an error if there is a mismatch.<br />
* '''Convenient CD archiving:''' FLAC has a ''cue sheet'' metadata block for storing a CD table of contents and all track and index points. For instance, you can rip a CD to a single file, then import the CD's extracted cue sheet while encoding to yield a single file representation of the entire CD. If your original CD is damaged, the cue sheet can be exported later in order to burn an exact copy.<br />
* '''Error resistant:''' Because of FLAC's framing, stream errors limit the damage to the frame in which the error occurred, typically a small fraction of a second worth of data. Contrast this with some other lossless codecs, in which a single error destroys the remainder of the stream.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Portable to many systems<br />
* Source open and freely licenced<br />
* Hardware support (PhatBox, Kenwood MusicKeg, Rio Karma, etc. See below)<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Extremely fast decoding<br />
* Supports multichannel and high resolution streams<br />
* Supports [[ReplayGain]]<br />
* Supports cue-sheet (with some limitations)<br />
* Gaining wide use as successor to [[Shorten]]<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Compresses less efficiently than other popular modern compressors ([[Monkey's Audio]], [[OptimFROG]])<br />
* Higher compression modes slow, for little gain over the default setting.<br />
<br />
== Hardware and software that support FLAC ==<br />
For a more comprehensive list see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html FLAC links page].<br />
<br />
=== Hardware ===<br />
==== Home stereo ====<br />
* [http://www.request.com/us/ AudioReQuest] music servers<br />
* <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/ Avega Systems]</s>' wireless <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/_documents/Oyster_Specifications.pdf Oyster]</s> loudspeakers<br />
* Digital Techniques' "iStereo" <s>[http://www.digitaltechniques.com/M300A_Overview.html M300A Digital Music Player]<br />
* Escient's <s>[http://www.escient.com/ FireBall servers (E2-40/160/300, DVDM-300)]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.hermstedt.com/english/hifidelio/hifidelio.html Hifidelio]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.imuse.us/ iMuse]</s> audio/video media servers<br />
* Meda Systems' <s>[http://www.medainc.com/ Bravo servers]</s><br />
* The <s>[http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/show_floor/product_locator/product_details.asp?prodid=5181 MS300 Music Server]</s> by McIntosh Laboratory<br />
* Olive's [http://www.olive.us/ Symphony] wireless digital music center<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/homeplayer/index.php PhatNoise Home Digital Media Player]</s><br />
* [http://www.numark.com/ Numark]'s DJ equipment (HDX and CDX turntables, HDMIX mixer)<br />
* <s>[http://www.mock.com/receiver/ Rio Reciever]</s> and Dell Digital Audio Receiver<br />
* <s>[http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD]</s> (with [http://homepage.ntlworld.ie/p.mc.quillan/FLAC_V0.7.zip plugin])<br />
* <s>[http://www.skipjam.com/ SkipJam]</s>'s networked audio/video devices<br />
* [http://www.sonos.com/ Sonos Digital Music System]<br />
* Slim Devices' <s>[http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_transporter.html Transporter]</s> and [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox] networked audio players<br />
* <s>[http://www.z500series.com/ Zensonic Z500 Networked DVD Media Player]</s><br />
* Ziova's <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs510.php CS510]</s> and <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs505.php CS505]</s> network media players<br />
<br />
==== Car stereo ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/kenwood_music_keg.php Kenwood Music Keg]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/index.php PhatBox]</s><br />
<br />
==== Portable ====<br />
* [[Apple iPod]] with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* Bluedot's <s>[http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/2006/07/bluedot_pmp_runs_linux_loves.php BMP-1430]</s><br />
* Green Apple's portable media player: <s>[http://www.apod.com.cn/show_products.asp?photoID=437 AP3000]</s><br />
* [[iAudio M3]], M5 and X5<br />
* [[iRiver]] iHP-120/iHP-140 with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[Iwod G10]]<br />
* [[Rio Karma]]<br />
* TrekStor's [http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=66 Vibez]<br />
<br />
=== Software ===<br />
==== Players ====<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo]<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net Cog] — for Mac OS X<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[JRiver Media Center]]<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP]<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]]<br />
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ MPlayer]<br />
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV]<br />
* [http://www.quinnware.com/ QCD] ([http://www.quinnware.com/list_plugins.php?type=input plugin])<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with [http://www.illiminable.com/ogg/ Illiminable's directshow filters] or [http://corecodec.org/projects/coreflac CoreFLAC])<br />
* [http://xine.sourceforge.net/ Xine]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/ XMplay]<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Windows) ====<br />
* [http://www.uninformative.com/flacattack/ Flacattack]<br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* [http://www.unifront.boereck.de/ UniversalFront] by Böreck<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
* [http://www.webearce.com.ar/ MAREO] by Kwanbis<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Mac) ====<br />
* [http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC]<br />
* [http://www.sbooth.org/Max/ Max]<br />
* [http://members.rogers.com/beamsplitter/ RipBeak]<br />
* [http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21952 xACT]<br />
<br />
==== Converters ====<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] Music Manager / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.germanixsoft.de/ GX:Transcoder] Music converter<br />
<br />
==== Editors ====<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]]<br />
* [http://www.goldwave.com/ GoldWave]<br />
<br />
==== CD writers/rippers ====<br />
* [http://www.ahead.de Ahead Nero Burning Rom]<br />
* [http://arson.sourceforge.net/ Arson]<br />
* [http://www.burnatonce.com/ burnatonce]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* [http://www.cdwave.com/ CD Wave]<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] CD ripper/writer<br />
* [http://cdburnerxp.se/ CDburner XP] CD writer<br />
<br />
==== Taggers ====<br />
* [http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/Tag.zip Case's Tag] command line tagger<br />
* [http://users.otenet.gr/~jtcliper/tgf/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://sbooth.org/Tag/ Tag] — for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] Tagger / Music manager (Including Multiple and Linked Album Art support)<br />
<br />
==== Other tools ====<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]<br />
* [http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]<br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] - tool to multiplex FLAC streams inside the Matroska container<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance, also to calculate [[ReplayGain]] values for FLAC files lacking such<br />
<br />
...and many more; see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#software FLAC software section] and [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html#extras download section] for a more comprehensive list.<br />
<br />
== Frequently asked questions ==<br />
''Question:'' Does the compression level affect decompression speed?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': No.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': In truth, the compression level does affect the decompression speed, but the difference between the various compress levels can barely be measured and is too small to be noticed, even on low-end machines.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Question:'' What is the best compression level for encoding my music?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': The default setting, 5.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': Encoding at the default setting will give the best balance between compression and encoding speed. Encoding at 8 can more than quadruple the encoding time, while having an insignificant effect on compression.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
* [[Lossless comparison]]<br />
<br />
== Externals links ==<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/ FLAC website]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html FLAC download]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/format.html Detailed description of the FLAC format]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html FLAC documentation]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html FLAC FAQ]<br />
* [http://people.ucsc.edu/~rswilson/flactest Omion's FLAC "File Size vs. Decoding Speed" test] - a very thorough test on [[Free Lossless Audio Codec#Frequently Asked Questions|the influence of the chosen encoding level on the decoding speed of FLAC]]; the only one so far to have covered FLAC's --super-secret-totally-impractical-compression-level to this extent as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Free_Lossless_Audio_CodecFree Lossless Audio Codec2012-10-20T20:49:17Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Car stereo */ Car Stero (dead/broken) links.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = FLAC<br />
| logo = [[Image:FLAC logo.gif]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = Popular open source patent free lossless compression scheme.<br />
| maintainer = Josh Coalson, Xiph Community <br />
| recommended_encoder = FLAC encoder<br />
| recommended_text = FLAC v1.2.1<br />
| website = http://flac.sourceforge.net/<br />
}}<br />
'''Free Lossless Audio Codec''' ('''FLAC''') is a codec for lossless audiocompression.<br />
Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to [[MP3]], but [[lossless]], meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, if supported) just like you would an MP3 file.<br />
<br />
== General aspects of the format ==<br />
FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, UNIX (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of:<br />
* the stream format<br />
* reference encoders and decoders in library form<br />
* flac, a command-line program to encode and decode FLAC files<br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for FLAC files<br />
* input plugins for various music players<br />
<br />
When it's said that FLAC is ''free'', it means more than just that it is available at no cost. It means that the specification of the format is fully open to the public to be used for any purpose, although the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance. It also means that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any known patent. And it means that all the source code is available under open-source licenses. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.<br />
<br />
Some claim FLAC is the most widely used lossless compression format on UNIX systems, though it seems more likely that shn retains that honor on all OS platforms. FLAC files also can be placed inside an Ogg container using libOggFLAC and libOggFLAC++.<br />
<br />
== Features ==<br />
* '''Lossless:''' The encoding of audio (PCM) data incurs no loss of information, and the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to what went into the encoder. Each frame contains a 16-bit CRC of the frame data for detecting transmission errors. The integrity of the audio data is further insured by storing an MD5 signature of the original unencoded audio data in the file header, which can be compared against later during decoding or testing.<br />
* '''Fast:''' FLAC is asymmetric in favor of decode speed. Decoding requires only integer arithmetic, and is much less compute-intensive than for most perceptual codecs. Real-time decode performance is easily achievable on even modest hardware.<br />
* '''Hardware support:''' Because of FLAC's free reference implementation and low decoding complexity, FLAC is currently the only lossless codec that has any kind of hardware support.<br />
* '''Streamable:''' Each FLAC frame contains enough data to decode that frame. FLAC does not even rely on previous or following frames. FLAC uses sync codes and CRCs (similar to MPEG and other formats), which, along with framing, allow decoders to pick up in the middle of a stream with a minimum of delay.<br />
* '''Seekable:''' FLAC supports fast sample-accurate seeking. Not only is this useful for playback, it makes FLAC files suitable for use in editing applications.<br />
* '''Flexible metadata:''' New metadata blocks can be defined and implemented in future versions of FLAC without breaking older streams or decoders. Currently there are metadata types for tags, cue sheets, and seek tables. Applications can write their own APPLICATION metadata once they register an ID.<br />
* '''Suitable for archiving:''' FLAC is an open format, and there is no generation loss if you need to convert your data to another format in the future. In addition to the frame CRCs and MD5 signature, flac has a verify option that decodes the encoded stream in parallel with the encoding process and compares the result to the original, aborting with an error if there is a mismatch.<br />
* '''Convenient CD archiving:''' FLAC has a ''cue sheet'' metadata block for storing a CD table of contents and all track and index points. For instance, you can rip a CD to a single file, then import the CD's extracted cue sheet while encoding to yield a single file representation of the entire CD. If your original CD is damaged, the cue sheet can be exported later in order to burn an exact copy.<br />
* '''Error resistant:''' Because of FLAC's framing, stream errors limit the damage to the frame in which the error occurred, typically a small fraction of a second worth of data. Contrast this with some other lossless codecs, in which a single error destroys the remainder of the stream.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Portable to many systems<br />
* Source open and freely licenced<br />
* Hardware support (PhatBox, Kenwood MusicKeg, Rio Karma, etc. See below)<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Extremely fast decoding<br />
* Supports multichannel and high resolution streams<br />
* Supports [[ReplayGain]]<br />
* Supports cue-sheet (with some limitations)<br />
* Gaining wide use as successor to [[Shorten]]<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Compresses less efficiently than other popular modern compressors ([[Monkey's Audio]], [[OptimFROG]])<br />
* Higher compression modes slow, for little gain over the default setting.<br />
<br />
== Hardware and software that support FLAC ==<br />
For a more comprehensive list see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html FLAC links page].<br />
<br />
=== Hardware ===<br />
==== Home stereo ====<br />
* [http://www.request.com/us/ AudioReQuest] music servers<br />
* <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/ Avega Systems]</s>' wireless <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/_documents/Oyster_Specifications.pdf Oyster]</s> loudspeakers<br />
* Digital Techniques' "iStereo" <s>[http://www.digitaltechniques.com/M300A_Overview.html M300A Digital Music Player]<br />
* Escient's <s>[http://www.escient.com/ FireBall servers (E2-40/160/300, DVDM-300)]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.hermstedt.com/english/hifidelio/hifidelio.html Hifidelio]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.imuse.us/ iMuse]</s> audio/video media servers<br />
* Meda Systems' <s>[http://www.medainc.com/ Bravo servers]</s><br />
* The <s>[http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/show_floor/product_locator/product_details.asp?prodid=5181 MS300 Music Server]</s> by McIntosh Laboratory<br />
* Olive's [http://www.olive.us/ Symphony] wireless digital music center<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/homeplayer/index.php PhatNoise Home Digital Media Player]</s><br />
* [http://www.numark.com/ Numark]'s DJ equipment (HDX and CDX turntables, HDMIX mixer)<br />
* <s>[http://www.mock.com/receiver/ Rio Reciever]</s> and Dell Digital Audio Receiver<br />
* <s>[http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD]</s> (with [http://homepage.ntlworld.ie/p.mc.quillan/FLAC_V0.7.zip plugin])<br />
* <s>[http://www.skipjam.com/ SkipJam]</s>'s networked audio/video devices<br />
* [http://www.sonos.com/ Sonos Digital Music System]<br />
* Slim Devices' <s>[http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_transporter.html Transporter]</s> and [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox] networked audio players<br />
* <s>[http://www.z500series.com/ Zensonic Z500 Networked DVD Media Player]</s><br />
* Ziova's <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs510.php CS510]</s> and <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs505.php CS505]</s> network media players<br />
<br />
==== Car stereo ====<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/kenwood_music_keg.php Kenwood Music Keg]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/index.php PhatBox]</s><br />
<br />
==== Portable ====<br />
* [[Apple iPod]] with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* Bluedot's [http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/2006/07/bluedot_pmp_runs_linux_loves.php BMP-1430]<br />
* Green Apple's portable media player: [http://www.apod.com.cn/show_products.asp?photoID=437 AP3000]<br />
* [[iAudio M3]], M5 and X5<br />
* [[iRiver]] iHP-120/iHP-140 with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[Iwod G10]]<br />
* [[Rio Karma]]<br />
* TrekStor's [http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=66 Vibez]<br />
<br />
=== Software ===<br />
==== Players ====<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo]<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net Cog] — for Mac OS X<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[JRiver Media Center]]<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP]<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]]<br />
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ MPlayer]<br />
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV]<br />
* [http://www.quinnware.com/ QCD] ([http://www.quinnware.com/list_plugins.php?type=input plugin])<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with [http://www.illiminable.com/ogg/ Illiminable's directshow filters] or [http://corecodec.org/projects/coreflac CoreFLAC])<br />
* [http://xine.sourceforge.net/ Xine]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/ XMplay]<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Windows) ====<br />
* [http://www.uninformative.com/flacattack/ Flacattack]<br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* [http://www.unifront.boereck.de/ UniversalFront] by Böreck<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
* [http://www.webearce.com.ar/ MAREO] by Kwanbis<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Mac) ====<br />
* [http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC]<br />
* [http://www.sbooth.org/Max/ Max]<br />
* [http://members.rogers.com/beamsplitter/ RipBeak]<br />
* [http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21952 xACT]<br />
<br />
==== Converters ====<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] Music Manager / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.germanixsoft.de/ GX:Transcoder] Music converter<br />
<br />
==== Editors ====<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]]<br />
* [http://www.goldwave.com/ GoldWave]<br />
<br />
==== CD writers/rippers ====<br />
* [http://www.ahead.de Ahead Nero Burning Rom]<br />
* [http://arson.sourceforge.net/ Arson]<br />
* [http://www.burnatonce.com/ burnatonce]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* [http://www.cdwave.com/ CD Wave]<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] CD ripper/writer<br />
* [http://cdburnerxp.se/ CDburner XP] CD writer<br />
<br />
==== Taggers ====<br />
* [http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/Tag.zip Case's Tag] command line tagger<br />
* [http://users.otenet.gr/~jtcliper/tgf/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://sbooth.org/Tag/ Tag] — for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] Tagger / Music manager (Including Multiple and Linked Album Art support)<br />
<br />
==== Other tools ====<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]<br />
* [http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]<br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] - tool to multiplex FLAC streams inside the Matroska container<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance, also to calculate [[ReplayGain]] values for FLAC files lacking such<br />
<br />
...and many more; see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#software FLAC software section] and [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html#extras download section] for a more comprehensive list.<br />
<br />
== Frequently asked questions ==<br />
''Question:'' Does the compression level affect decompression speed?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': No.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': In truth, the compression level does affect the decompression speed, but the difference between the various compress levels can barely be measured and is too small to be noticed, even on low-end machines.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Question:'' What is the best compression level for encoding my music?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': The default setting, 5.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': Encoding at the default setting will give the best balance between compression and encoding speed. Encoding at 8 can more than quadruple the encoding time, while having an insignificant effect on compression.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
* [[Lossless comparison]]<br />
<br />
== Externals links ==<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/ FLAC website]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html FLAC download]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/format.html Detailed description of the FLAC format]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html FLAC documentation]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html FLAC FAQ]<br />
* [http://people.ucsc.edu/~rswilson/flactest Omion's FLAC "File Size vs. Decoding Speed" test] - a very thorough test on [[Free Lossless Audio Codec#Frequently Asked Questions|the influence of the chosen encoding level on the decoding speed of FLAC]]; the only one so far to have covered FLAC's --super-secret-totally-impractical-compression-level to this extent as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Free_Lossless_Audio_CodecFree Lossless Audio Codec2012-10-20T20:47:37Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Home stereo */ Hardware Links (dead/broken). Strike Thru.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = FLAC<br />
| logo = [[Image:FLAC logo.gif]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = Popular open source patent free lossless compression scheme.<br />
| maintainer = Josh Coalson, Xiph Community <br />
| recommended_encoder = FLAC encoder<br />
| recommended_text = FLAC v1.2.1<br />
| website = http://flac.sourceforge.net/<br />
}}<br />
'''Free Lossless Audio Codec''' ('''FLAC''') is a codec for lossless audiocompression.<br />
Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to [[MP3]], but [[lossless]], meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, if supported) just like you would an MP3 file.<br />
<br />
== General aspects of the format ==<br />
FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, UNIX (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of:<br />
* the stream format<br />
* reference encoders and decoders in library form<br />
* flac, a command-line program to encode and decode FLAC files<br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for FLAC files<br />
* input plugins for various music players<br />
<br />
When it's said that FLAC is ''free'', it means more than just that it is available at no cost. It means that the specification of the format is fully open to the public to be used for any purpose, although the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance. It also means that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any known patent. And it means that all the source code is available under open-source licenses. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.<br />
<br />
Some claim FLAC is the most widely used lossless compression format on UNIX systems, though it seems more likely that shn retains that honor on all OS platforms. FLAC files also can be placed inside an Ogg container using libOggFLAC and libOggFLAC++.<br />
<br />
== Features ==<br />
* '''Lossless:''' The encoding of audio (PCM) data incurs no loss of information, and the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to what went into the encoder. Each frame contains a 16-bit CRC of the frame data for detecting transmission errors. The integrity of the audio data is further insured by storing an MD5 signature of the original unencoded audio data in the file header, which can be compared against later during decoding or testing.<br />
* '''Fast:''' FLAC is asymmetric in favor of decode speed. Decoding requires only integer arithmetic, and is much less compute-intensive than for most perceptual codecs. Real-time decode performance is easily achievable on even modest hardware.<br />
* '''Hardware support:''' Because of FLAC's free reference implementation and low decoding complexity, FLAC is currently the only lossless codec that has any kind of hardware support.<br />
* '''Streamable:''' Each FLAC frame contains enough data to decode that frame. FLAC does not even rely on previous or following frames. FLAC uses sync codes and CRCs (similar to MPEG and other formats), which, along with framing, allow decoders to pick up in the middle of a stream with a minimum of delay.<br />
* '''Seekable:''' FLAC supports fast sample-accurate seeking. Not only is this useful for playback, it makes FLAC files suitable for use in editing applications.<br />
* '''Flexible metadata:''' New metadata blocks can be defined and implemented in future versions of FLAC without breaking older streams or decoders. Currently there are metadata types for tags, cue sheets, and seek tables. Applications can write their own APPLICATION metadata once they register an ID.<br />
* '''Suitable for archiving:''' FLAC is an open format, and there is no generation loss if you need to convert your data to another format in the future. In addition to the frame CRCs and MD5 signature, flac has a verify option that decodes the encoded stream in parallel with the encoding process and compares the result to the original, aborting with an error if there is a mismatch.<br />
* '''Convenient CD archiving:''' FLAC has a ''cue sheet'' metadata block for storing a CD table of contents and all track and index points. For instance, you can rip a CD to a single file, then import the CD's extracted cue sheet while encoding to yield a single file representation of the entire CD. If your original CD is damaged, the cue sheet can be exported later in order to burn an exact copy.<br />
* '''Error resistant:''' Because of FLAC's framing, stream errors limit the damage to the frame in which the error occurred, typically a small fraction of a second worth of data. Contrast this with some other lossless codecs, in which a single error destroys the remainder of the stream.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Portable to many systems<br />
* Source open and freely licenced<br />
* Hardware support (PhatBox, Kenwood MusicKeg, Rio Karma, etc. See below)<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Extremely fast decoding<br />
* Supports multichannel and high resolution streams<br />
* Supports [[ReplayGain]]<br />
* Supports cue-sheet (with some limitations)<br />
* Gaining wide use as successor to [[Shorten]]<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Compresses less efficiently than other popular modern compressors ([[Monkey's Audio]], [[OptimFROG]])<br />
* Higher compression modes slow, for little gain over the default setting.<br />
<br />
== Hardware and software that support FLAC ==<br />
For a more comprehensive list see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html FLAC links page].<br />
<br />
=== Hardware ===<br />
==== Home stereo ====<br />
* [http://www.request.com/us/ AudioReQuest] music servers<br />
* <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/ Avega Systems]</s>' wireless <s>[http://www.avegasystems.com/_documents/Oyster_Specifications.pdf Oyster]</s> loudspeakers<br />
* Digital Techniques' "iStereo" <s>[http://www.digitaltechniques.com/M300A_Overview.html M300A Digital Music Player]<br />
* Escient's <s>[http://www.escient.com/ FireBall servers (E2-40/160/300, DVDM-300)]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.hermstedt.com/english/hifidelio/hifidelio.html Hifidelio]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.imuse.us/ iMuse]</s> audio/video media servers<br />
* Meda Systems' <s>[http://www.medainc.com/ Bravo servers]</s><br />
* The <s>[http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/show_floor/product_locator/product_details.asp?prodid=5181 MS300 Music Server]</s> by McIntosh Laboratory<br />
* Olive's [http://www.olive.us/ Symphony] wireless digital music center<br />
* <s>[http://www.phatnoise.com/products/homeplayer/index.php PhatNoise Home Digital Media Player]</s><br />
* [http://www.numark.com/ Numark]'s DJ equipment (HDX and CDX turntables, HDMIX mixer)<br />
* <s>[http://www.mock.com/receiver/ Rio Reciever]</s> and Dell Digital Audio Receiver<br />
* <s>[http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD]</s> (with [http://homepage.ntlworld.ie/p.mc.quillan/FLAC_V0.7.zip plugin])<br />
* <s>[http://www.skipjam.com/ SkipJam]</s>'s networked audio/video devices<br />
* [http://www.sonos.com/ Sonos Digital Music System]<br />
* Slim Devices' <s>[http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_transporter.html Transporter]</s> and [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox] networked audio players<br />
* <s>[http://www.z500series.com/ Zensonic Z500 Networked DVD Media Player]</s><br />
* Ziova's <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs510.php CS510]</s> and <s>[http://www.ziova.com/cs505.php CS505]</s> network media players<br />
<br />
==== Car stereo ====<br />
* [http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/kenwood_music_keg.php Kenwood Music Keg]<br />
* [http://www.phatnoise.com/products/digitalmediaplayers/index.php PhatBox]<br />
<br />
==== Portable ====<br />
* [[Apple iPod]] with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* Bluedot's [http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/2006/07/bluedot_pmp_runs_linux_loves.php BMP-1430]<br />
* Green Apple's portable media player: [http://www.apod.com.cn/show_products.asp?photoID=437 AP3000]<br />
* [[iAudio M3]], M5 and X5<br />
* [[iRiver]] iHP-120/iHP-140 with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[Iwod G10]]<br />
* [[Rio Karma]]<br />
* TrekStor's [http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=66 Vibez]<br />
<br />
=== Software ===<br />
==== Players ====<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo]<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net Cog] — for Mac OS X<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[JRiver Media Center]]<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP]<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]]<br />
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ MPlayer]<br />
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV]<br />
* [http://www.quinnware.com/ QCD] ([http://www.quinnware.com/list_plugins.php?type=input plugin])<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with [http://www.illiminable.com/ogg/ Illiminable's directshow filters] or [http://corecodec.org/projects/coreflac CoreFLAC])<br />
* [http://xine.sourceforge.net/ Xine]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/ XMplay]<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Windows) ====<br />
* [http://www.uninformative.com/flacattack/ Flacattack]<br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* [http://www.unifront.boereck.de/ UniversalFront] by Böreck<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
* [http://www.webearce.com.ar/ MAREO] by Kwanbis<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Mac) ====<br />
* [http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC]<br />
* [http://www.sbooth.org/Max/ Max]<br />
* [http://members.rogers.com/beamsplitter/ RipBeak]<br />
* [http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21952 xACT]<br />
<br />
==== Converters ====<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] Music Manager / Audio Player / CD Writer<br />
* [http://www.germanixsoft.de/ GX:Transcoder] Music converter<br />
<br />
==== Editors ====<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]]<br />
* [http://www.goldwave.com/ GoldWave]<br />
<br />
==== CD writers/rippers ====<br />
* [http://www.ahead.de Ahead Nero Burning Rom]<br />
* [http://arson.sourceforge.net/ Arson]<br />
* [http://www.burnatonce.com/ burnatonce]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* [http://www.cdwave.com/ CD Wave]<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] CD ripper/writer<br />
* [http://cdburnerxp.se/ CDburner XP] CD writer<br />
<br />
==== Taggers ====<br />
* [http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/Tag.zip Case's Tag] command line tagger<br />
* [http://users.otenet.gr/~jtcliper/tgf/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://sbooth.org/Tag/ Tag] — for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com MediaMonkey] - [[MediaMonkey]] Tagger / Music manager (Including Multiple and Linked Album Art support)<br />
<br />
==== Other tools ====<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]<br />
* [http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]<br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] - tool to multiplex FLAC streams inside the Matroska container<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html#metaflac metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance, also to calculate [[ReplayGain]] values for FLAC files lacking such<br />
<br />
...and many more; see the [http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#software FLAC software section] and [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html#extras download section] for a more comprehensive list.<br />
<br />
== Frequently asked questions ==<br />
''Question:'' Does the compression level affect decompression speed?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': No.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': In truth, the compression level does affect the decompression speed, but the difference between the various compress levels can barely be measured and is too small to be noticed, even on low-end machines.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Question:'' What is the best compression level for encoding my music?<br />
<br />
''Short Answer'': The default setting, 5.<br />
<br />
''Long Answer'': Encoding at the default setting will give the best balance between compression and encoding speed. Encoding at 8 can more than quadruple the encoding time, while having an insignificant effect on compression.<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
* [[Lossless comparison]]<br />
<br />
== Externals links ==<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/ FLAC website]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html FLAC download]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/format.html Detailed description of the FLAC format]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation.html FLAC documentation]<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html FLAC FAQ]<br />
* [http://people.ucsc.edu/~rswilson/flactest Omion's FLAC "File Size vs. Decoding Speed" test] - a very thorough test on [[Free Lossless Audio Codec#Frequently Asked Questions|the influence of the chosen encoding level on the decoding speed of FLAC]]; the only one so far to have covered FLAC's --super-secret-totally-impractical-compression-level to this extent as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=VLC_media_playerVLC media player2012-10-20T18:40:56Z<p>109.149.14.19: Version Number , Update.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{title|VLC Media Player}}<br />
{{Infobox Software<br />
| name = VLC Media Player<br />
| logo =<br />
| screenshot =<br />
| caption = Cross-platform media player<br />
| maintainer = VLC team<br />
| stable_release = 2.0.4 (Twoflower)<br />
| preview_release = -<br />
| operating_system = Cross-platform<br />
| use = Media Player<br />
| license = GNU<br />
| website = http://www.videolan.org/<br />
}}<br />
<br />
=Introduction=<br />
'''VLC''' is a software project, which produces free and open source software for multimedia, released under the GNU General Public License.<br />
<br />
==Features==<br />
<br />
== Features ==<br />
* VLC is popular for its ability to play the video content of incomplete, unfinished, or damaged video downloads before the files have been fully downloaded. (For example, files still downloading via [[BitTorrent (protocol)|BitTorrent]], [[eMule]], or [[Gnutella]]). It also plays [[m2t]] MPEG Transport Streams (.TS) files while they are still being digitized from an [[HDV]] camera via a [[FireWire]] cable, making it possible to monitor the video as it is being played. This is because it is a packet-based player. <br />
* The player also has the ability to use libcdio to access [[.iso]] files so that the user can play files on a [[disk image]], even if the user's operating system does not have the capability of working directly with .iso images.<br />
* VLC supports all codecs and all file formats supported by [[FFmpeg]]. This means that [[VOB|DVD Video]] and [[MPEG-4]] playback as well as support for [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] (MKV) file formats work "out of the box". However, this feature is not unique to VLC, as any player using the FFmpeg libraries, including [[MPlayer]] and [[xine-lib]]-based players, can play those formats without need for external codecs. VLC also supports codecs that are not included in FFmpeg.<br />
* VLC is one of the [[free software]] and [[open source]] DVD players that ignores [[DVD region code#Software DVD players|DVD region coding]], making it a region free player, even on locked RPC-2 firmware.<br />
* VLC media player has some filters that can distort, rotate, split, [[deinterlace]], mirror videos, create display walls, or add a logo overlay. It can also produce video output as [[ASCII art]].<br />
* VLC media player can play [[High-definition video|high definition]] recordings of [[D-VHS]] tapes duplicated to a computer using CapDVHS.exe. This offers another way to archive all D-VHS tapes with the DRM copy freely tag.<br />
* Using a [[FireWire]] connection from cable boxes to computers, VLC can stream live, unencrypted content to a monitor or HDTV.<br />
* VLC media player can display the playing video as the [[Computer wallpaper|desktop wallpaper]], like [[Windows DreamScene]], but this feature is not currently available on [[Linux]].<br />
* VLC media player can do screencasts and record the desktop.<br />
* On Microsoft Windows, VLC also supports the Direct Media Object (DMO) framework and can therefore make use of some third-party [[Dynamic-link library|DLLs]].<br />
* VLC can be installed and run directly from a flash or other external drive.<br />
* VLC can be extended through scripting. It uses the [[Lua (programming language)|Lua]] scripting language.<br />
<br />
==Screenshots==<br />
*[http://images.videolan.org/vlc/screenshots/0.9.2/osx-0.9.2-ASS-softsubs.jpg OS X] this is a screenshot of VLC in Mac OS X opening matroshka+subtitles<br />
*[http://images.videolan.org/vlc/screenshots/0.9.2/vista_colorthreshold.jpg Vista] this is a screenshot of script of Vista VLC interface and filters<br />
*[http://images.videolan.org/vlc/screenshots/0.9.2/qt-info.jpg KDE debian] this is a screenshot of VLC in Use during compiz cube.<br />
<br />
==Supported formats==<br />
*[http://www.videolan.org/vlc/features.html Supported formats]<br />
<br />
==Supported platforms==<br />
<br />
* Cross-Platform<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
<br />
*[http://www.videolan.org/ official website]<br />
*[http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ Download VLC]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Software]]<br />
[[Category:Media Players]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=WMP_Tag_Support_ExtenderWMP Tag Support Extender2012-10-20T17:44:38Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Guide & Howtos */ LosslessAudioBlog (dead links)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Software Infobox<br />
| name = Windows Media Player Tag Support Extender<br />
| logo =<br />
| screenshot = [http://wmptagext.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html Screenshot]<br />
| caption = WMP plug-in extending tag capabilities<br />
| maintainer = MaB_fr <br />
| stable_release = 1.4<br />
| preview_release = none <br />
| operating_system = Windows<br />
| use = WMP plug-in<br />
| license = Public domain + source<br />
| website = [http://wmptagext.sourceforge.net/ wmptagext.sourceforge.net]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''Windows Media Player Tag Support Extender''' (WMPTSE) is a plug-in to [[Windows Media Player]] to allow more [[tags]] support than the default [[WMA]] + [[ID3]] within the player.<br />
<br />
It supports version 9.x, 10.x and 11.0 of [[Windows Media Player]].<br />
<br />
The current version (1.3) supports [[Vorbis comment]], [[APEv2]] and [[FLAC]] and [[MPEG4]].<br />
<br />
== Supported Tag Formats ==<br />
* [[FLAC]]<br />
* [[APE]]<br />
* [[Vorbis comment]] - READ-ONLY<br />
* [[MPEG4]] - READ-ONLY<br />
<br />
Additional tagging formats may be supported through a plug-in API (known as [[WMPTSE API]])<br />
<br />
== Supported Filetypes ==<br />
* [[FLAC]] - Free Lossless Audio Codec(*.flac)<br />
* [[APE]] - Monkey's Audio (*.ape)<br />
* [[MPC]] - MusePack (*.mpc)<br />
* [[WavPack]] (*.wv)<br />
* [[OptimFROG]] (*.ofr)<br />
* [[Ogg Vorbis]] - Ogg files (*.ogg) - READ-ONLY<br />
* [[AAC]] - Advanced Audio Coding (*.aac) - READ-ONLY<br />
* [[M4A]],[[MP4]] - MPEG4 Audio (*.m4a) - READ-ONLY<br />
<br />
== Extensibility ==<br />
WMPTSE provide options to add tagging based on file extension.<br />
<br />
It allows tagging in files who usually don't support it, such as exotic (but useful) tagging of [[AC3]], [[DTS]] and [[LPCM]] files, or less useful like .txt, JPEG file tagging and more.<br />
<br />
Tag support is pluggable. Each "tag support dll" responds to the [[WMPTSE API]].<br />
<br />
== Guide & Howtos ==<br />
* [[WMPTSE - How to change the plug-in properties]]<br />
* [[WMPTSE - How to add support for a filetype]]<br />
* <s>[http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/wmpmce-lossless-guide/ The complete Media Center + WMPTSE guide]</s> (from <s>[http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ LosslessAudioBlog]</s>)<br />
* [[WMPTSE - How to add support for a tag format]]<br />
<br />
== Price ==<br />
The sofware is free.<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* [http://wmptagext.sourceforge.net/ WMPTSE homepage]<br />
* [http://wmptagext.sourceforge.net/download.html WMPTSE download page]<br />
* [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?s=e03ece01d79f55a3f390268762345f0f&showtopic=38400&st=275 HydrogenAudio thread]<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Software]]<br />
[[Category:Media Players]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=QDesignQDesign2012-10-20T17:36:35Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* External Links */ ReallyRareWares & QDesign links (dead link)</p>
<hr />
<div>The QDesign Music Codec was originally [http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/lbpack.html LBpack], by Dmitry Shmunk. QDesign corporation bought the codec and hired the developer to create what would become the official audio compression in Apple's [[QuickTime]] v3.<br />
<br />
The codec's official name is "RaveSound", according to [http://www.qdesign.com/news/archives/01_06_98.htm this] press release. It's commonly called QDesign Codec or QDMC. It is one of the most agressive codecs known - meaning it compresses quite well at very low bitrates, but its aggressiveness introduces too many artifacts at higher bitrates.<br />
<br />
The personal version comes with QuickTime Pro and allows encoding at bitrates up to 48kbps. The professional version allows bitrates up to 128kbps.<br />
<br />
Apple is now steering away from proprietary codecs like Sorenson Video and QDesign, and focusing on standards ([[MPEG-4]]). So, it's unlikely that QDMC will last long.<br />
<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
<br />
* <s>[http://www.qdesign.com/Products/about_products/qdmc_OSX.htm QDMC's site]</s> at QDesign.com<br />
* <s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/ ReallyRareWares]</s> hosts QDesign encoders<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=VQFVQF2012-10-20T17:33:42Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Links */ ReallyRareWares & twinVQ (dead links)</p>
<hr />
<div>TwinVQ is an audio encoding technology developed at NTT (Nippon Telephone and Telegraph). It uses an unique technology called Vector Quantization (VQ) for encoding.<br />
<br />
The format using the TwinVQ technology is called VQF. There are several limitations in this format: 2 channels at most, no VBR, extremely slow, few support. It can pretty safely be considered dead these days.<br />
<br />
TwinVQ, on the other hand, is still alive as part of the MPEG4 audio standard, being featured at extremely small bitrates (8-16kbps).<br />
<br />
At some point during late nineties, Yamaha bought the VQF technology from NTT and created their own encoder, SoundVQ.<br />
<br />
It has features like batch encoding and recording from line-in. Quality in high quality mode is reasonable, but encoding is extremely slow. Also, it only works for 90 days then expires.<br />
<br />
Yamaha discontinued offering their SoundVQ software line after the obvious failure of the format in becoming popular.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Links==<br />
<br />
<s>[http://www.twinvq.org/english/index_en.html NTT's TwinVQ page]</s><br />
<br />
<s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/nttvqf.html NTT TwinVQ encoder at ReallyRareWares]</s><br />
<br />
<s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/soundvq.html Yamaha SoundVQ encoder at ReallyRareWares]</s><br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2012-10-20T17:32:43Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Oddball Formats */ ReallyRareWares (dead link)</p>
<hr />
<div>The '''lossless comparison page''' aims to gather information about lossless codecs available so users can make an informed decision as to what lossless codec to choose for their needs.<br />
<br />
== Introduction ==<br />
Given the enormous amount of [[lossless]] audio compressor choices available, it is a very difficult task to choose the one most suited for each person's needs.<br />
<br />
Several people only take into consideration compression performance when choosing a codec. But as the following table and article shows, there are several other features worth taking into consideration when making that choice.<br />
<br />
For example, users wanting good multiplatform compatibility and robustness (E.G, people sharing live recordings) would favour [[WavPack]] or [[FLAC]]. Another user, looking for the very highest compression available, would go with [[OptimFROG]]. Someone wanting portable support would use [[FLAC]] or [[ALAC]], and so on.<br />
<br />
En fin, this is not a matter worth getting too worked up about. If you later find out the codec you chose isn't the best for your needs, you can just transcompress to another format, without risk of losing quality.<br />
<br />
'''Note:''' for latest comparison of lossless compression, scroll down to the [[Lossless comparison#External links|Links section of this page]].<br />
<br />
== Comparison Table ==<br />
<!-- Do NOT add links to the table. It's cluttered and colourful enough as it is. Please add them to the article itself if needed. Thanks --><br />
<br />
{| cellspacing="2" style="text-align:center; border:1px solid blue;"<br />
|width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | FLAC<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | WavPack<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | TAK<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | Monkey's<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | OptimFROG<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | ALAC<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | WMA<br />
|-<br />
|align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Encoding speed<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
|-<br />
|align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Decoding speed<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
|-<br />
|align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Compression*<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 58.70%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 58.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.50%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.70%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 58.50%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.30%<br />
|-<br />
|align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Flexibility**<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | bad<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | bad<br />
|-<br />
|style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp;<br />
|-<br />
|align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Error handling<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp;<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
|align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Seeking<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
|align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3/APE<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | APEv2 (exp.)<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3/APE<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3/APE<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ASF<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | ReplayGain<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | sort of<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | RIFF chunks<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp;<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp;<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Streaming<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Pipe support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Open source<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes (third-party)<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Multichannel<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | High resolution<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Linux Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
|}<br />
<br />
''(table continued below)''<br />
<br />
{| cellspacing="2" style="text-align:center; border:1px solid blue;"<br />
|width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | Shorten<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | LA<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | TTA<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | LPAC<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | MPEG-4 ALS<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | MPEG-4 SLS<br />
| width="95px" style="background: #00FFFF" | Real Lossless<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Encoding speed<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | slow <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Decoding speed<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Compression*<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | 63.50%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 53.50%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.10%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.20%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.10%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ?<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0% <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Flexibility**<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | bad<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | bad<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | bad<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | bad<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | bad <br />
|-<br />
|! style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp;<br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Error handling<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp; <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Seeking<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Tagging<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3v1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | proprietary <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Hardware support<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no <br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | bad<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | bad<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | bad<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | bad <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | ReplayGain<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | RIFF chunks<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp;<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp;<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp; <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Streaming<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp;<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Pipe support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp;<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp;<br />
| style="background: #FFFFFF" | &nbsp;<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Open source<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | Multichannel<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | High resolution<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no <br />
|-<br />
| align="left" style="background: #FFFF99" | OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Linux/Sol<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux <br />
|}<br />
<br />
<nowiki>*</nowiki> The Compression ratio is calculated with the division of compressed size by uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better.<br />
<br />
Encoding speed, Decoding speed and Compression ratio are based on each encoder's default settings.<br />
<br />
<nowiki>**</nowiki> Flexibility refers to the amount of encoding choices offered to the users (Fast/low compression, Slow/high compression and everything inbetween)<br />
<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ==<br />
http://www.apple.com/itunes/import.html <br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
=== ALAC pros ===<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* [[Open source]] (encoding and decoding via FFmpeg and [[CueTools|CUETools]], decoding only via [http://craz.net/programs/itunes/alac.html a standalone decoder])<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Excellent hardware-software-lossy format integration with [[iTunes]]/iPod.<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
<br />
=== ALAC cons ===<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
<br />
=== ALAC Other features ===<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
* Can be used with the AirPort Express gadget<br />
<br />
<br />
== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ==<br />
http://flac.sourceforge.net/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
=== FLAC pros ===<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Rio Karma|Karma]], Phatbox, etc.)<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support (FLAC tags)<br />
* Supports [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* [[ReplayGain]] compatible<br />
<br />
=== FLAC cons ===<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
<br />
=== FLAC Other features ===<br />
* Supports embedded CUE sheets (with [http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html#general__no_cuesheet_tags limitations])<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<br />
<br />
<br />
== LosslessAudio (LA) ==<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/<br />
<br />
[[LA]] is a lossless codec developed by Michael Bevin.<br />
<br />
=== LA pros ===<br />
* Very high compression<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3v1]])<br />
* Supports [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Pipe support<br />
<br />
=== LA cons ===<br />
* Closed source<br />
* Very slow encoding and decoding<br />
* Doesn't support [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Bad software support<br />
* Doesn't support [[ReplayGain]]<br />
<br />
'''''It's important to mention that the LA foobar plugin is buggy and doesn't produce lossless streams!'''''<br />
<br />
<br />
== Lossless Predictive Audio Coder (LPAC) ==<br />
* [http://www.nue.tu-berlin.de/menue/mitarbeiter/ehemalige_mitarbeiter/tilman_liebchen/lpac_-_lossless_audio_codec_for_windows_and_linux/ LPAC website]<br />
<br />
[[Lossless Predictive Audio Coder]] (LPAC) is a lossless codec developed by Tilman Liebchen. Development of it has been halted in favour of development of [[MPEG-4]] ALS.<br />
<br />
=== LPAC pros ===<br />
* Reasonable compression ratios<br />
* [[High resolution]] audio support<br />
* Supports [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
=== LPAC cons ===<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No error robustness<br />
* Slow seeking<br />
* No tagging<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Doesn't support [[ReplayGain]]<br />
<br />
== Monkey's Audio (APE) ==<br />
http://www.monkeysaudio.com/<br />
<br />
[[Monkey's Audio]] is a very efficient lossless compressor developed by Matt Ashland.<br />
<br />
=== APE pros ===<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* High efficiency<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3v1]], [[APE tags]])<br />
* [[High resolution]] audio support<br />
* Supports [[RIFF]] chunks (only in the GUI encoder)<br />
* Pipe support (only in a [http://www.etree.org/shnutils/shntool/ special] version)<br />
<br />
=== APE cons ===<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No error robustness<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks]<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<br />
* Doesn't support [[ReplayGain]]<br />
<br />
=== APE Other features ===<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
* Supports APL image link files (similar to CUE sheets)<br />
<br />
== MPEG-4 SLS ==<br />
MPEG-4 SLS allows audio encoding from lossless scalable to [[AAC]].<br />
<br />
=== SLS pros ===<br />
* Transcoding to standard AAC or any higher lossy bitrate at the speed of copying a file<br />
* Scalable decoding from lossless, to any bitrate down to the AAC core track<br />
* Best lossless compression available when you count the AAC track (~5% gain over any other lossless compression + AAC)<br />
* [[High resolution]] audio support<br />
* Multi channel audio support<br />
* [[Open source]] (MPEG-4 Reference code)<br />
* Embedded in standard MP4 files, so supports same tagging and ReplayGain features as AAC does.<br />
<br />
=== SLS cons ===<br />
* No usable software available yet<br />
* Pure lossless compression not the best there is<br />
* Seems to be slow in encoding and decoding, but we have to wait for released software<br />
<br />
=== SLS Other features ===<br />
* Transform based lossless codec with optional LC AAC core track<br />
<br />
<br />
== OptimFROG (OFR) ==<br />
http://losslessaudiocompression.com/<br />
<br />
[[OptimFROG]] is a lossless format developed by Florin Ghido to become the champion in audio compression.<br />
<br />
=== OFR pros ===<br />
* Very high compression<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Supports [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]], [[APE tags]])<br />
* Supports [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* [[ReplayGain]] compatible<br />
<br />
=== OFR cons ===<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Quite slow decoding<br />
<br />
=== OFR Other features ===<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
<br />
== RealAudio Lossless (RAL) ==<br />
http://www.realnetworks.com/products/codecs/realaudio.html<br />
<br />
RealAudio lossless is the lossless codec developed by Real Networks for their multimedia portfolio<br />
<br />
=== RAL pros ===<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (proprietary)<br />
<br />
=== RAL cons ===<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] and [[high resolution]] audio support<br />
* Little software support (Real Player)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Compression efficiency not on par with other lossless codecs<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* No pipe support<br />
* Doesn't support [[ReplayGain]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Shorten (SHN) ==<br />
http://www.etree.org/shnutils/shorten/<br />
<br />
[[Shorten]] is a very old and featureless lossless codec developed by Tony Robinson at SoftSound.<br />
<br />
=== SHN pros ===<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Supports [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Pipe support<br />
<br />
=== SHN cons ===<br />
* Quite inefficient<br />
* No [[multichannel]] or [[high resolution]] audio support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* No error robustness<br />
* Not streamable<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* No native tagging<br />
* Doesn't support [[ReplayGain]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== True Audio (TTA) ==<br />
http://www.true-audio.com/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a new lossless codec developed by a team of russian programmers.<br />
<br />
=== TTA pros ===<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Hardware support (obscure DVD player)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]])<br />
* [[ReplayGain]] compatible<br />
* Error robustness<br />
<br />
=== TTA cons ===<br />
* No streaming support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* No pipe support<br />
<br />
=== TTA Other features ===<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
<br />
== WavPack (WV) ==<br />
http://www.wavpack.com/<br />
<br />
[[WavPack]] is a fast and featureful lossless codec developed by David Bryant.<br />
<br />
=== WV pros ===<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Hardware support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3v1]], [[APE tags]])<br />
* Supports [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Ability to create self extracting files for Win32 platform<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Good software support<br />
* [[ReplayGain]] compatible<br />
<br />
=== WV cons ===<br />
* Limited hardware player support<br />
<br />
=== WV Other features ===<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Supports embedded CUE sheets<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
* Can encode in both symmetrical and assymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
<br />
== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ==<br />
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/9series/codecs/audio.aspx<br />
<br />
WMA Lossless is the lossless codec developed by Microsoft to be featured in their Windows Media codec portfolio.<br />
<br />
=== WMAL pros ===<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Hardware support (All Microsoft Zunes though older models may need firmware updates, also supported by some non-Microsoft devices like the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigabeat Gigabeat V and S line from Toshiba].<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s.<br />
* Tagging support (proprietary)<br />
* Pipe support<br />
<br />
=== WMAL cons ===<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Doesn't support [[ReplayGain]]<br />
<br />
=== WMAL Other features ===<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
<br />
== Oddball Formats ==<br />
There are several old lossless formats that aren't being featured in the article above. Reasons are: lack of widespread support, lack of features, bad efficiency and, most importantly, it seems no one is really interested in them.<br />
<br />
Most of those would have disappeared by now, but they are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/ ReallyRareWares]</s><br />
<br />
=== Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) ===<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/ada.html</s><br />
<br />
=== Bonk ===<br />
* http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk<br />
<br />
=== Marian's a-Pac ===<br />
* http://www.marian.de/en/downloads#APAC<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/apac.html</s><br />
<br />
=== AudioZip ===<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/audiozip.html</s><br />
<br />
=== Dakx WAV ===<br />
* <s>http://www.dakx.com/</s><br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/daxwav.html</s><br />
<br />
=== Entis Lab MIO ===<br />
* <s>http://www.entis.gr.jp/eri/frame.html</s><br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/mio.html</s><br />
<br />
=== LiteWave ===<br />
* <s>http://www.clearjump.com/products/LiteWave.html</s><br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/litewave.html</s><br />
<br />
=== Pegasus SPS ===<br />
* http://www.krishnasoft.com/sps.htm<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/pegasussps.html</s><br />
<br />
=== RK Audio (RKAU) ===<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/split2000.html</s><br />
<br />
=== Sonarc ===<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/sonarc.html</s><br />
<br />
=== VocPack ===<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/vocpack.html</s><br />
<br />
=== WavArc ===<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/wavarc.html</s><br />
<br />
=== WaveZip/MUSICompress ===<br />
* <s>http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/sndspace/</s><br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/wavezip.html</s><br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
=== Other lossless compressions comparisons ===<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* <s>[http://uclc.info/LossLess.pdf Johan De Bock's speed oriented comparison]</s> - best choices speedwise are indicated in green, mostly electronic music (last updated 2006-07-22)<br />
* <s>[http://web.inter.nl.net/users/hvdh/lossless/lossless.htm Hans Heijden's]</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/ Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/josef/ Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul] (last update 2006-05-29)<br />
* [http://www.bobulous.org.uk/misc/lossless_audio_2006.html Bobulous' lossless audio comparison] — a look at six lossless formats in terms of speed and file size (last updated 2006-05-22)<br />
* <s>[http://uclc.info/lossless_audio_compression_test.htm Johan De Bock's size oriented comparison]</s> - aimed only at the maximum compression setting for each codec (based on a somewhat limited set of samples, however) (last updated 2006-05-19)<br />
* <s>[http://guruboolez.free.fr/lossless/ Guruboolez']</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/comparison.htm Speek's] (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
<br />
=== More on lossless compressions ===<br />
* <s>[http://losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog]</s> - by windmiller, is a reliable and complete source of news about lossless compression.<br />
* Go to the [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=33226 Hydrogenaudio thread] to discuss this article.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Compaact!Compaact!2012-10-20T17:27:29Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* External links */ Strike thru on (dead links)</p>
<hr />
<div>Compaact! is one of the newest [[AAC]] encoders. Like [[Nero AAC]], compaact! is not free, however it does offer an impressive feature set. Roberto Amorim's last [[AAC]] test showed that at 128kbps, Compaact! is tied with both the [[FAAC]] and Coding Technologies (Real) encoders. Compaact! features both the LC and Main Object Types, [[CBR]], [[VBR]], [[Multichannel]], high resolution (24bit/96kHz) encoding, and command line support.<br />
<br />
For portable encoding, try -q5 to -q6. For music archive purposes, try -q7 to -q8.<br />
<br />
Compaact! development has been recently [http://www.zplane.de/showPage.php?SPRACHE=UK&PAGE=news discontinued], therefore, we have probably seen the last of it.<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
<br />
* <s>[http://www.compaact.com/aacPage.php?SPRACHE=UK&PAGE=compaact Compaact website]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/test/ Roberto's listening tests]</s><br />
* <s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/compaact.html Compaact! download and history]</s> at ReallyRareWares<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Software]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=GogoGogo2012-10-20T17:19:48Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Additional Reading */ ReallyRareWares & other Gogo link (dead link), Strike Thru.</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Gogo''' is a fork from the [[LAME]] [[MP3]] encoder, with the most CPU-intensive routines rewritten in assembler. That makes Gogo one of the fastest MP3 encoders with reasonable quality.<br />
<br />
It was developed by a team of Japanese programmers.<br />
<br />
==Screenshots==<br />
<br />
<center>[[Image:Gogo3.13.png|frame|center|Gogo Mp3 Encoder]]</center><br />
<br />
<br />
==Additional Reading==<br />
<br />
*[http://www.marinecat.net/free/windows/mct_free.htm One of Gogo's home pages]<br />
*<s>[http://homepage2.nifty.com/kei-i/ Another home page]</s><br />
*<s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/wingogo.html Gogo 2.39c download at ReallyRareWares]</s><br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]<br />
[[Category:MP3]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=AAC_encodersAAC encoders2012-10-20T16:39:58Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* PsyTEL */ ReallyRareWares old link, Strike Thru.</p>
<hr />
<div>These are some known [[AAC]] encoder implementations.<br />
<br />
==[[Nero AAC]]==<br />
<br />
A commercial implementation of both LC AAC and HE AAC, Nero AAC is produced by Nero AG as part of their Nero Digital line of products. It is generally percieved to have the highest quality VBR LC AAC implementation (although [[QuickTime AAC]] beats it in CBR mode at 128kbps). The codec can also create HEv1/v2 AAC streams for extremely low bitrates and supports multi-channel surround sound encoding. As of May 2006, Nero AAC is available for free as a command line tool called "Nero Digital Audio" [http://www.nero.com/nerodigital/eng/down-ndaudio.php here].<br />
<br />
===Recommended Nero AAC Presets===<br />
<br />
NOTE: Once a preset has been selected, the "Encoding Quality" option should be changed to the "Fast" mode. Despite the name implying worse quality then high, a test undertaken by guruboolez shows that the "Fast" mode offers significant quality advantages over the "High" (see the test [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=29924 here]). In the forthcoming release of Nero AAC 3.0 (or a release soon afterwards), the "Fast" mode will become the default and the high quality mode will be removed.<br />
<br />
====High Quality====<br />
<br />
: - VBR/Stereo - Streaming, 100-120 Kb/s (LC AAC) / Actual bitrate ~150kbps<br />
<br />
====Portable====<br />
<br />
: - VBR/Stereo - Internet, 90-100 Kb/s (LC AAC) / Actual bitrate ~128kbps<br />
<br />
====Small Filesize====<br />
<br />
: - VBR/Stereo - Portable, 50-70 Kb/s (HE AAC) / Actual bitrate ~90kbps<br />
<br />
<br />
The High Quality preset is for the archival of music, while the Small Filesize preset is for internet/streaming purposes.<br />
<br />
More information can be found in the [ftp://ftp6.nero.com/infosheets/Nero_Digital/db_nerodigital5.pdf Nero Digital PDF] and on the [http://www.nerodigital.com/ Nero Digital Website].<br />
<br />
==iTunes AAC==<br />
<br />
Another proprietary AAC implementation, [[iTunes]] AAC is known to be one of the highest quality medium-bitrate [[CBR]] LC AAC encoders.<br />
<br />
The codec is available for free through the [[iTunes]] Digital Jukebox.<br />
<br />
More information can be found about Apple's AAC implementation on their [http://www.apple.com/quicktime/technologies/aac/ AAC Audio information page].<br />
<br />
The current recommended high quality encoding setting is 160kbps, or 128kbps for portable use.<br />
<br />
<br />
The iTunes AAC encoder can be externally envoked via a command line tool created by Otto42 called [http://www.rarewares.org/files/aac/iTunesEncode46.zip iTunesEncode], which can be found at [http://www.rarewares.org/ RareWares] in the AAC section. This allows for the generation of iTunes AAC files from audio formats not inherently supported by iTunes using the format conversion functionality found in programs such as [[foobar2000]].<br />
<br />
==FAAC==<br />
<br />
[[FAAC]] is a free LC AAC encoder under the Lesser GPL license. Its quality has improved drastically over the last few years and FAAC is nowadays a viable alternative to the commercial encoders (although, at 128kbps or lower bitrates, not at the same quality level as some of them, according to Guruboolez's [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=29924 last listening test]).<br />
<br />
The default quality setting is -q 100 -c 16000 (~120kbps average bitrate), for better quality encodings use -q 150 -c 22000 (~175kbps average bitrate).<br />
<br />
More information can be found at [http://www.audiocoding.com/ AudioCoding].<br />
<br />
==HHI/zPlane (Compaact!)==<br />
<br />
Compaact is one of the newest AAC encoders. Like Nero AAC, compaact is not free, however it does offer an impressive feature set. Roberto Amorim's last AAC test showed that at 128kbps, Compaact! is tied with both the FAAC and Coding Technologies (Real) encoders. Compaact! features both the LC and Main Object Types, [[CBR]], [[VBR]], [[Multichannel]], high resolution (24bit/96kHz) encoding, and command line support. Development on Compaact has stopped. <br />
<br />
For portable encoding, try -q5 to -q6. For music archive purposes, try -q7 to -q8.<br />
<br />
More information can be found at the [http://www.compaact.com/aacPage.php?SPRACHE=UK&PAGE=compaact Compaact website].<br />
<br />
==PsyTEL==<br />
<br />
The creation of Ivan Dimkovic (who now works on Nero AAC), PsyTEL AAC was one of the first AAC encoders. Its multichannel support has bugs that make it unusable, but its stereo mode had the best quality available in its day. Since the implementation of Nero AAC, this codec has become obsolete. It's is now outclassed by both Nero AAC and [[iTunes]] - both offer higher quality and are much faster encoders.<br />
<br />
The PsyTEL encoder can be found in the AAC section of <s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/ ReallyRareWares]</s>.<br />
<br />
===Usability (Psytel aacenc/fastenc)===<br />
<br />
; -tape<br />
; -radio<br />
; -internet<br />
; -streaming<br />
; -normal<br />
; -extreme<br />
; -archive<br />
; -ultra<br />
<br />
For music encoding. The quality ranges from -tape (lowest [[VBR]] quality) to -ultra (highest VBR quality). Ultra is considered overkill for most audio tracks, i.e: shouldn't be used except for extremely difficult music signals. Example: aacenc -extreme -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
===Encoder switches (Psytel aacenc/fastenc)===<br />
<br />
; -if <br />
: Input filename. The name of the track to be encoded (must be a [[WAV]] file)<br />
<br />
; -of <br />
: Output filename. May be omitted, because encoder will automatically create the output file name from the input file name.<br />
<br />
; -br <br />
: Bitrate switch ([[CBR]] mode). Sets the number of bits utilized per second for the encoding process. Example: aacenc -br 192 -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -vbrhi <br />
: High quality [[VBR]] mode. Can be used with -br switch to select base BitRate. If -br is not specified, it takes as default 64kbps/channel. Example: aacenc -br 192 -vbrhi -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -vr <br />
: Lower quality [[VBR]] mode. Recommended for internet streaming. Example: aacenc -vr -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -c <br />
: LowPassFilter cut-off (in Hertz). Not recommended. Example: aacenc -br 128 -c 15995 -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -qual <br />
: Encoder quality level (1 to 9). 9 is usually taken as default, but you can use smaller numbers if you need high speed and high quality isn't essential. Example: aacenc -br 192 -qual 9 -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -adif <br />
: Use adif instead of adts (default) headers. For compatibility with some decoder software and hardware players. Example: aacenc -br 192 -adif -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -nh <br />
: No headers (raw iso aac stream). For decoder compatibility. Example: aacenc -br 192 -nh -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -profile "x" <br />
: Choose iso aac encoding profile:<br />
:: 0 - low complexity (default, recommended)<br />
:: 1 - main (not recommended, buggy)<br />
:: 2 - main ltp (mpeg-4 only)<br />
<br />
: Only lc profile is playable on hardware players so far. Example: aacenc -br 192 -profile 2 -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -ihsc <br />
: Improved human speech coding. Best for human voice encoding. Not recommended for low Bitrates or [CBR] coding. Example: aacenc -vbrhi -br 192 -ihsc -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -low_ath <br />
: Tells encoder to use highest sensitivity threshold of audibility. Not recommended on Bitrates lower than 192kbps. Example: aacenc -br 192 -low_ath -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -pns <br />
: (perceptual noise substitution) - Improves the quality at very low Bitrates. Should be used only at 64kbps or less. Example: aacenc -br 56 -pns -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
==Imagine==<br />
<br />
Imagine Technology provided an [[MPEG-4]] LC AAC plugin for [[Adobe Audition]]. This plugin provided file input and output for the MPEG-4 AAC specification, defined in ISO/IEC 14496-3. After Imagine was bought by Ingenient Technologies, they stopped marketing the Audition plugin.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Coding Technologies==<br />
<br />
Coding Technologies (CT) is a Swedish/German company that works close to FhG IIS in development and research of new audio compression techniques.<br />
<br />
Thet have distinguished themselves in development of parametric coding methods, such as [[SBR]] and Parametric Stereo. SBR is the technology behind the quality boost in MP3pro and HE AAC/AACplus.<br />
<br />
They have licensed their encoding and decoding tools to several companies - E.G, Real Networks and Magix.<br />
<br />
Does exist an encoder, [[Aacplusenc]], which is based on the Coding Technologies reference code<br />
<br />
==FhG==<br />
<br />
[http://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/amm/techinf/aac/ Audio & Multimedia MPEG-2 AAC]<br />
<br />
<br />
==Emuzed==<br />
<br />
Emuzed develops and sells various products and technologies for the PC multimedia and embedded multimedia markets. They have ported and optimized codecs for MPEG-4 ASP and AAC LC for a chip vendor preparing to offer bundled multimedia hardware and software. More info can be found at their [http://www.emuzed.com/encoders.html encoders & decoders] page.<br />
<br />
<br />
==NEC==<br />
<br />
NEC Corporation has developed an LC AAC decoding algorithm for mobile devices. They have also developed a codec named MPEG-4 AAC Ext.1, which they claim decreases bitrate while maintaining the same audio quality. The new MPEG-4 AAC Ext.1 coding technology also features high compatibility with current MPEG-4 AAC. For more information, see [http://www.neceurope.com/release.asp?parentid=671&Area=1 NEC's press release].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Panasonic==<br />
<br />
Panasonic has developed an HE AAC codec together with NEC and Coding Technologies as described in <br />
[http://www.telos-systems.com/techtalk/hosted/m4-in-30100%20(M4IF_HE_AAC_paper).pdf this MPEG Industry Forum paper].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Real/Helix Producer==<br />
<br />
RealNetworks has incorporated Coding Technologies/FhG's MPEG-4 AAC / aacPlus™ technology and software within RealNetworks’ software products. As a result, in the newest version of RealProducer 10, AAC has replaced [[ATRAC]]3 as the high bitrate audio codec, and that software can encode AAC files wrapped in the [[MP4]] container. In addition, the Producer SDK on Windows also includes HE-AAC encoding. More info can be found at [http://www.realnetworks.com/company/press/releases/2004/codingtech.html RealNetworks' press release], as well as Coding Technologies' [http://www.codingtechnologies.com/products/aacPlus.htm aacPlus page].<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=PsyTELPsyTEL2012-10-20T15:07:28Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* See Also */ ReallyRareWares old link, Strike Thru.</p>
<hr />
<div>The creation of Ivan Dimkovic (who now works on Nero AAC), PsyTEL AAC was one of the first AAC encoders. Its <br />
multi-channel support has bugs that make it unusable, but it's 2 channel had the best quality available in its day. <br />
Since the implementation of Nero AAC, this codec has become obselete. It's is now outclassed by both Nero AAC <br />
and iTunes.<br />
<br />
==Usability (Psytel aacenc/fastenc)==<br />
<br />
; -tape<br />
; -radio<br />
; -internet<br />
; -streaming<br />
; -normal<br />
; -extreme<br />
; -archive<br />
; -ultra<br />
<br />
<br />
For music encoding. The quality ranges from -tape (lowest [VBR] quality) to -ultra (highest [VBR] quality). Ultra <br />
is considered overkill for most audio tracks, i.e: shouldn't be used except for extremely difficult music signals. <br />
Example: aacenc -extreme -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
==Encoder switches (Psytel aacenc/fastenc)==<br />
<br />
; -if <br />
: Input filename. The name of the track to be encoded (must be a .wav file)<br />
<br />
; -of <br />
: Output filename. May be omitted, because encoder will automatically set best output file name.<br />
<br />
; -br <br />
: BitRate switch. Sets the number of bits utilized per second for the encoding process. Example: aacenc -br 192 -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -vbrhi <br />
: High quality [VBR] mode. Can be used with -br switch to select base BitRate. If -br is not specified, it takes as default 64kbps/channel. Example: aacenc -br 192 -vbrhi -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -vr <br />
: Lower quality [VBR] mode. Recommended for internet streaming. Example: aacenc -vr -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -c <br />
: LowPassFilter cut-off (in hertz). Not recommended. Example: aacenc -br 128 -c 15995 -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -qual <br />
: Encoder quality level (1 to 9). 9 is usually taken as default, but you can use smaller numbers if you need high speed and high quality isn't essential. Example: aacenc -br 192 -qual 9 -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -adif <br />
: Use adif instead of adts (default) header. For compatibility with some decoder software and hardware players. Example: aacenc -br 192 -adif -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -nh <br />
: No headers (raw iso aac stream). For decoder compatibility, and can improve. Example: aacenc -br 192 -nh -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -profile "x" <br />
: Choose iso aac encoding profile:<br />
:: 0 - low complexity (default, recommended)<br />
:: 1 - main (not recommended, buggy)<br />
:: 2 - main ltp (mpeg-4 only)<br />
<br />
: Only lc profile is playable on hardware players so far. Example: aacenc -br 192 -profile 2 -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -ihsc <br />
: Improved human speech coding. Best for human voice encoding. Not recommended for low Bitrates or [CBR] coding. Example: aacenc -vbrhi -br 192 -ihsc -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -low_ath <br />
: Tells encoder to use highest sensitivity threshold of audibility. Not recommended on Bitrates lower than 192kbps. Example: aacenc -br 192 -low_ath -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
; -pns <br />
: (perceptual noise substitution) - Improves the quality at very low Bitrates. Should be used only at 64kbps or less. Example: aacenc -br 56 -pns -if "audio file.wav"<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
* [[PsyTEL AACenc Guide]]<br />
* <s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/aacenc.html ReallyRareWares]</S><br />
<br />
[[Category:Software]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=WavPackWavPack2012-10-19T16:04:15Z<p>109.149.14.19: Some links Updates.</p>
<hr />
<div>'''WavPack''' is a free, open source [[lossless]] audio compression format developed by David Bryant.<br />
<br />
== Description ==<br />
WavPack (pronounced "wave-pack") allows users to compress (and restore) all [[PCM]] audio formats including 8, 16, and 24-bit ints; 32-bit floats; [[mono]], [[stereo]], and [[multichannel]]; [[sampling rate]]s from 6 to 192 kHz. Like other lossless compression schemes the data reduction varies with the source, but it is generally between 25 % and 50 % for typical popular music and somewhat better than that for classical music and other sources with greater dynamic range.<br />
<br />
WavPack also incorporates a unique "hybrid" mode that provides all the advantages of lossless compression with an additional bonus. Instead of creating a single file, this mode creates both a relatively small, high-quality lossy file that can be used all by itself, and a "correction" file that (when combined with the lossy file) provides full lossless restoration. For some users this means never having to choose between lossless and lossy compression!<br />
<br />
== Feature Summary ==<br />
* Fast and efficient encoding and decoding<br />
* [[Open source]], released under a BSDish license<br />
* Multiplatform<br />
* Hardware support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3v1]], [[APE]])<br />
* Supports [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Supports embedded CUE sheets<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
* Ability to create self extracting files for Win32 platform<br />
* [[ReplayGain]] compatible<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
David Bryant started development on WavPack in mid-1998, with the release of version 1.0. This first version compressed and decompressed audio losslessly, nothing else, but by then it already featured one of the best efficiency versus speed ratio among lossless encoders.<br />
<br />
Very soon after the release of version 1.0, Bryant released v. 2.0, which featured lossy encoding (using only quantization for data reduction – no psychoacoustic process was applied to the stream).<br />
<br />
In 1999, the developer released version 3.0, which featured novelties such as a fast mode (with reduced compression ratio), compression of RAW files and error detection using CRC checksums.<br />
<br />
WavPack development is still going on, and a major feature added in late 3.x versions is the hybrid mode, where the encoder generates a lossy file + a correction file, so that both can be decompressed back to the original PCM stream.<br />
<br />
WavPack 4 has been recently released. It included important changes, such as fast seeking, multichannel support, high resolution audio support, etc. turning it into one of the most full featured and modern lossless audio compressors.<br />
<br />
== Software support ==<br />
=== Players ===<br />
* NullSoft [[Winamp]] (plugin with ReplayGain & Media Library support) and Winamp-compatible players<br />
* [[foobar2000]] Advanced Audio Player (official encoding/decoding addon, with ReplayGain & Cuesheets support)<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer] (official plugin, supports encoding)<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with [http://corewavpack.corecodec.org/ CoreWavPack] directshow filter)<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo] Audio Player (plugin with ReplayGain support)<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/xmplay.html XMplay] (official plugin)<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net/ Cog] Audio player for MacOS X.<br />
* [[XMMS]] (with Kuniklo's plugin)<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP] (official plugin)<br />
* [http://mpxplay.sourceforge.net/ MPXplay] for DOS!<br />
* [http://aqualung.sourceforge.net/ Aqualung] for GNU/Linux<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html VLC Player]<br />
* Cowon [http://www.jetaudio.com/ JetAudio Player]<br />
<br />
=== Frontends ===<br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/wavpack.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
<br />
=== Converters ===<br />
'''Note:''' ''Several players, like Cowon JetAudio, foobar2000 and VUplayer, can also convert from other formats to WavPack)''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer (official addon)<br />
* Cowon [http://www.jetaudio.com/ JetAudio Player]<br />
<br />
=== Editors ===<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]] and Cool Edit (filter with 32-bit floats & extra info save support)<br />
<br />
=== CD writers/rippers ===<br />
* [http://www.nero.com/eng/ Nero]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* Cowon [http://www.jetaudio.com/ JetAudio Player]<br />
<br />
=== Taggers ===<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://www.jtclipper.eu/thegodfather/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [[Tag.exe|Case's Tag]] command line tagger<br />
<br />
=== Other tools ===<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]<br />
* [http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]<br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] – tool to multiplex WavPack streams inside the Matroska container<br />
''It's worth mentioning the [[Matroska]] guys decided to concentrate on WavPack as the lossless compressor of choice for their container. Quite an honor... :-)''<br />
<br />
== Hardware Support ==<br />
* iRiver iHP-120/iHP-140 with the open source [http://www.rockbox.org Rockbox firmware]<br />
* [http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD] (with [http://www.wavpack.com/downloads.html plugin])<br />
<br />
== Technology description ==<br />
To ensure high-speed operation, WavPack uses a very simple predictor that is implemented entirely in integer math. In its "fast" mode the prediction is simply the arithmetic extrapolation of the previous two samples. For example, if the previous two samples were -10 and 20, then the prediction would be 50. For the default mode a simple adaptive factor is added to weigh the influence of the earlier sample on the prediction. In our example the resulting prediction could then vary between 20 for no influence to 50 for full influence. This weight factor is constantly updated based on the audio data's changing spectral characteristics, which is why it is called "adaptive".<br />
<br />
The prediction generated is then subtracted from the actual sample to be encoded to generate the error value. In mono mode this value is sent directly to the coder. However, stereo signals tend to have some correlation between the two channels that can be further exploited. Therefore, two error values are calculated that represent the difference and average of the left and right error values. In the "fast" mode of operation these two new values are simply sent to the coder instead of the left and right values. In the default mode, the difference value is always sent to the coder along with one of the other three values (average, left, or right). An adaptive algorithm continuously determines the most efficient of the three to send based on the changing balance of the channels.<br />
<br />
The developer has developed a unique data encoder for WavPack that he believes is better than Rice coding in two different areas. It is impossible to encode more efficiently than Rice coding because it represents the optimal bit coding (sometimes known as the Huffman code) for this type of data. WavPack's encoder is slightly less efficient than this, but only by about 0.15 bits/sample (or less than 1% for 16-bit data). The first advantage of WavPack's coder is that it does not require the data to be buffered ahead of encoding, instead it converts each sample directly to bitcodes. This is more computationally efficient and it is better in some applications where coding delay is critical. The second advantage is that it is easily adaptable to lossy encoding because all significant bits (except the implied "one" MSB) are transmitted directly. In this way it is possible to only transmit, for example, the 3 most significant bits (with sign) of each sample. In fact, it is possible to transmit only the sign and implied MSB for each sample with an average of only 3.65 bits/sample.<br />
<br />
This coding scheme is used to implement the "lossy" mode of WavPack. In the "fast" mode the output of the non-adaptive decorrelator is simply rounded to the nearest codable value for the specified number of bits. In the default mode the adaptive decorrelator is used (which reduces the average noise about 1 dB) and also both the current and the next sample are considered in choosing the better of the two available codes (which reduces noise another 1 dB).<br />
<br />
The developer has decided to not use any floating-point arithmetic in WavPack's data path because he believes that integer operations are less susceptible to subtle chip to chip variations that could corrupt the lossless nature of the compression, the Pentium floating point bug being a blatant example of this. It is possible that a lossless compressor that used floating-point math could generate different output when running on that faulty Pentium. Even disregarding actual bugs, floating-point math is complicated enough that there could be subtle differences between "correct" implementations that could cause trouble for this type of application. To further ensure confidence in the integrity of WavPack's compression, the encoder includes a 32-bit error detection code to the generated streams.<br />
<br />
WavPack source code is very portable. It has been compiled on several Unices (Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Compaq Tru64, HP-UX...) as well as Windows, DOS and OpenVMS. It works on architectures such as x86, ARM, PowerPC, SPARC, DEC Alpha, PA-RISC, MIPS, Motorola 68k...<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* [http://www.wavpack.com/ Official website]<br />
* [http://www.rarewares.org/lossless.html Unofficial multiplatform versions] at RareWares<br />
* <s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/wavpack.html Historical versions]</s> at ReallyRareWares<br />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]] by Rjamorim<br />
* [[EAC_and_WavPack | Configuring EAC and Wavpack]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=TTATTA2012-10-19T11:51:14Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Addtional Reading */ Project link retired , Strike Thru.</p>
<hr />
<div>'''TTA''' (True Audio) audio codec is a free, simple real-time [[lossless]] audio encoder/decoder, based on adaptive prognostic filters which has shown satisfactory results comparing to majority of modern analogs.<br />
<br />
==TTA Compressor==<br />
<br />
* Down to 30-60% [[lossless]] audio data compression<br />
* Real-time encoding/decoding algorithm<br />
* Fast decoding and encoding<br />
* Multiplatform<br />
* Open source code and documentation<br />
* Hardware support<br />
<br />
TTA performs [[lossless]] compression on multichannel 8, 16 and 24 bit data of the [[WAV]] audio files. Being "lossless" means that no data/quality is lost in the compression - when uncompressed, the data will be identical to the original. The compression ratios of TTA depend on the type of music file being compressed, but the compression size will generally range between 30% - 70% of the original. TTA format supports both [[ID3]]v1 and [[ID3]]v2 information tags.<br />
<br />
==The Project==<br />
<br />
The TTA project provides:<br />
<br />
* Free and simple data format<br />
* Plugins for the most popular media players<br />
* TTA DirectShow filters<br />
* Tau Producer - GUI based compressor for Windows<br />
* Set of the C/C++ TTA development libraries<br />
<br />
==Addtional Reading==<br />
* [http://www.true-audio.com True Audio Software Project]<br />
* <s>[http://tta.corecodec.org/ Project @ Corecodec.Org]</s><br />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]] by Rjamorim<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=ShortenShorten2012-10-19T11:44:05Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Addtional Reading */ Removed Home link (dead link).</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Shorten''' is one of the oldest [[Lossless]] audio formats. It was created by Tony Robinson in the mid-nineties.<br />
<br />
It lacks several features like seekability (although there is a "hack" that adds seek support), [[Streaming|streamability]], support for [[Multichannel]] and high [[Sampling rate|sampling rates]], tagging, ...<br />
<br />
The reason why it became very popular is that it was the first open source lossless compressor. It gained huge momentum years ago because of this, and to this day it's the most popular format for lossless audio encoding, being used mostly at live recordings (bootlegs) trading communities.<br />
<br />
== Addtional Reading ==<br />
* [http://www.etree.org/shncom.html Extra-official Shorten website] at etree<br />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]] by Rjamorim<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Monkey%27s_AudioMonkey's Audio2012-10-19T11:38:46Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* External links */ Monkey's Audio: Comparison (broken link). Strike Thru.</p>
<hr />
<div>=Introduction=<br />
Monkey's Audio (APE) is a free [[lossless]] audio compression format with a highly competitive compression algorithm, and is used primarily by Windows users. Although software is available for Linux, Monkey's Audio is not as popular among this operating system's users. Monkey's Audio suffers from slow decompression speeds as compared to other lossless audio codecs.<br />
<br />
Monkey's Audio uses a combination of traditional lossless compression tactics ([[linear prediction]] and [[channel coupling]]) and a simple [[Neural network]]. To store the output values of its prediction step it uses [[Range coding]], modified to work well with more or less continuous values.<br />
<br />
Monkey's Audio's main competitor is [[FLAC]], which has more features than Monkey's Audio (streaming support, for example) and hardware support to its advantage, though its efficiency in compression is not as great.<br />
<br />
Monkey's Audio is released under a "custom" license that allows you to do pretty much anything with the source code, on the provision that you ask the author for permission.<br />
<br />
==Related Articles==<br />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]] by Rjamorim<br />
* [[EAC_and_Monkeys_Audio | Configuring EAC and Monkey's Audio]]<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* [http://www.monkeysaudio.com/ Monkey's Audio: Homepage]<br />
* <s>[http://www.monkeysaudio.com/comparison.html Monkey's Audio: Comparison]</s><br />
* [http://www.bebits.com/app/3318 Monkey's Audio Package] for BeOS<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=OptimFROGOptimFROG2012-10-19T11:15:36Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* Addtional Reading */ compression benchmark & Ghido links, Updated.</p>
<hr />
<div>OptimFROG is a free [[lossless]] audio codec, known by its very high compression ratios.<br />
OptimFROG is developed by Florin Ghido.<br />
<br />
OptimFROG usually obtains the best lossless audio compression ratios on comparisons against other lossless encoders (practically a tie with the current champion [[LA]]). It has Windows and Linux versions, fully-featured input plug-ins for the foobar2000, Winamp2, Winamp3, dBpowerAMP, XMPlay and XMMS audio players (with bitstream error resilience, [[ID3v1|ID3v1.1]] and [[APEv2]] read tagging support), optimal support for all integer [[PCM]] [[WAV]] formats up to 32 bits and an extensible streamable (error tolerant) compressed format. <br />
<br />
One of its downsides is that there is no source code available, nor format specifications. Another downside is that it is relatively slow at both encoding and decoding.<br />
<br />
OptimFROG uses a new audio compression technology, the generalized stereo decorrelation concept, which was first introduced with OptimFROG 4.0b in December 2001. At the time of its introduction, the new technology yielded significant better (~1.5%) compression than existing state of the art lossless audio compressors.<br />
<br />
== Playback ==<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
<br />
<br />
==Addtional Reading==<br />
* [http://www.losslessaudio.org/ Ghido's Data Compression Page]<br />
* [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/comparison.htm compression benchmark of many lossless codecs]<br />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]] by Rjamorim<br />
<br />
[[Category: Codecs]]<br />
[[Category: Lossless]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=WavPackWavPack2012-10-19T11:08:46Z<p>109.149.14.19: /* External links */ ReallyRareWares (dead link) , Strike Thru.</p>
<hr />
<div>'''WavPack''' is a free, open source [[lossless]] audio compression format developed by David Bryant.<br />
<br />
== Description ==<br />
WavPack (pronounced "wave-pack") allows users to compress (and restore) all [[PCM]] audio formats including 8, 16, and 24-bit ints; 32-bit floats; [[mono]], [[stereo]], and [[multichannel]]; [[sampling rate]]s from 6 to 192 kHz. Like other lossless compression schemes the data reduction varies with the source, but it is generally between 25 % and 50 % for typical popular music and somewhat better than that for classical music and other sources with greater dynamic range.<br />
<br />
WavPack also incorporates a unique "hybrid" mode that provides all the advantages of lossless compression with an additional bonus. Instead of creating a single file, this mode creates both a relatively small, high-quality lossy file that can be used all by itself, and a "correction" file that (when combined with the lossy file) provides full lossless restoration. For some users this means never having to choose between lossless and lossy compression!<br />
<br />
== Feature Summary ==<br />
* Fast and efficient encoding and decoding<br />
* [[Open source]], released under a BSDish license<br />
* Multiplatform<br />
* Hardware support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3v1]], [[APE]])<br />
* Supports [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Supports embedded CUE sheets<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
* Ability to create self extracting files for Win32 platform<br />
* [[ReplayGain]] compatible<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
David Bryant started development on WavPack in mid-1998, with the release of version 1.0. This first version compressed and decompressed audio losslessly, nothing else, but by then it already featured one of the best efficiency versus speed ratio among lossless encoders.<br />
<br />
Very soon after the release of version 1.0, Bryant released v. 2.0, which featured lossy encoding (using only quantization for data reduction – no psychoacoustic process was applied to the stream).<br />
<br />
In 1999, the developer released version 3.0, which featured novelties such as a fast mode (with reduced compression ratio), compression of RAW files and error detection using CRC checksums.<br />
<br />
WavPack development is still going on, and a major feature added in late 3.x versions is the hybrid mode, where the encoder generates a lossy file + a correction file, so that both can be decompressed back to the original PCM stream.<br />
<br />
WavPack 4 has been recently released. It included important changes, such as fast seeking, multichannel support, high resolution audio support, etc. turning it into one of the most full featured and modern lossless audio compressors.<br />
<br />
== Software support ==<br />
=== Players ===<br />
* NullSoft [[Winamp]] (plugin with ReplayGain & Media Library support) and Winamp-compatible players<br />
* [[foobar2000]] Advanced Audio Player (official encoding/decoding addon, with ReplayGain & Cuesheets support)<br />
* [http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.htm VUPlayer] (official plugin, supports encoding)<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with [http://corewavpack.corecodec.org/ CoreWavPack] directshow filter)<br />
* [http://koti.welho.com/hylinen/apollo/ Apollo] Audio Player (plugin with ReplayGain support)<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/xmplay.html XMplay] (official plugin)<br />
* [http://cogosx.sourceforge.net/ Cog] Audio player for MacOS X.<br />
* [[XMMS]] (with Kuniklo's plugin)<br />
* [http://fondriest.frederic.free.fr/realisations/lamip/ LAMIP] (official plugin)<br />
* [http://mpxplay.net/ MPXplay] for DOS!<br />
* [http://aqualung.sourceforge.net/ Aqualung] for GNU/Linux<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html VLC Player]<br />
* Cowon [http://www.jetaudio.com/ JetAudio Player]<br />
<br />
=== Frontends ===<br />
* Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/wavpack.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek)<br />
* [http://www.unifront.boereck.de/ UniversalFront] by Böreck<br />
* [http://home.vxu.se/mdati00/frontah/ Frontah] by Madah<br />
* [http://www.webearce.com.ar/ MAREO] by Kwanbis<br />
<br />
=== Converters ===<br />
'''Note:''' ''Several players, like Cowon JetAudio, foobar2000 and VUplayer, can also convert from other formats to WavPack)''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/ dBpowerAMP] Music Converter / Audio Player / CD Writer (official addon)<br />
* [http://www.board-24.de/ GX:Transcoder] Music converter<br />
* Cowon [http://www.jetaudio.com/ JetAudio Player]<br />
<br />
=== Editors ===<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]] and Cool Edit (filter with 32-bit floats & extra info save support)<br />
<br />
=== CD writers/rippers ===<br />
* [http://www.ahead.de Ahead Nero Burning Rom]<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net Burrrn] Audio CD burner<br />
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] CD Ripper<br />
* [http://cdexos.sourceforge.net CDex] CD ripper<br />
* Cowon [http://www.jetaudio.com/ JetAudio Player]<br />
<br />
=== Taggers ===<br />
* [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html Mp3tag] Universal Tag Editor<br />
* [http://users.otenet.gr/~jtcliper/tgf/ The GodFather] Tagger / Music manager<br />
* [[Tag.exe|Case's Tag]] command line tagger<br />
<br />
=== Other tools ===<br />
* [http://www.burrrn.net/mrq/ Mr. QuestionMan]<br />
* [http://www.bitattack.ro/ai/ Audio Identifier]<br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] – tool to multiplex WavPack streams inside the Matroska container<br />
''It's worth mentioning the [[Matroska]] guys decided to concentrate on WavPack as the lossless compressor of choice for their container. Quite an honor... :-)''<br />
<br />
== Hardware Support ==<br />
* iRiver iHP-120/iHP-140 with the open source [http://www.rockbox.org Rockbox firmware]<br />
* [http://www.rokulabs.com/products/photobridge/features.php Roku PhotoBridge HD] (with [http://www.wavpack.com/downloads.html plugin])<br />
<br />
== Technology description ==<br />
To ensure high-speed operation, WavPack uses a very simple predictor that is implemented entirely in integer math. In its "fast" mode the prediction is simply the arithmetic extrapolation of the previous two samples. For example, if the previous two samples were -10 and 20, then the prediction would be 50. For the default mode a simple adaptive factor is added to weigh the influence of the earlier sample on the prediction. In our example the resulting prediction could then vary between 20 for no influence to 50 for full influence. This weight factor is constantly updated based on the audio data's changing spectral characteristics, which is why it is called "adaptive".<br />
<br />
The prediction generated is then subtracted from the actual sample to be encoded to generate the error value. In mono mode this value is sent directly to the coder. However, stereo signals tend to have some correlation between the two channels that can be further exploited. Therefore, two error values are calculated that represent the difference and average of the left and right error values. In the "fast" mode of operation these two new values are simply sent to the coder instead of the left and right values. In the default mode, the difference value is always sent to the coder along with one of the other three values (average, left, or right). An adaptive algorithm continuously determines the most efficient of the three to send based on the changing balance of the channels.<br />
<br />
The developer has developed a unique data encoder for WavPack that he believes is better than Rice coding in two different areas. It is impossible to encode more efficiently than Rice coding because it represents the optimal bit coding (sometimes known as the Huffman code) for this type of data. WavPack's encoder is slightly less efficient than this, but only by about 0.15 bits/sample (or less than 1% for 16-bit data). The first advantage of WavPack's coder is that it does not require the data to be buffered ahead of encoding, instead it converts each sample directly to bitcodes. This is more computationally efficient and it is better in some applications where coding delay is critical. The second advantage is that it is easily adaptable to lossy encoding because all significant bits (except the implied "one" MSB) are transmitted directly. In this way it is possible to only transmit, for example, the 3 most significant bits (with sign) of each sample. In fact, it is possible to transmit only the sign and implied MSB for each sample with an average of only 3.65 bits/sample.<br />
<br />
This coding scheme is used to implement the "lossy" mode of WavPack. In the "fast" mode the output of the non-adaptive decorrelator is simply rounded to the nearest codable value for the specified number of bits. In the default mode the adaptive decorrelator is used (which reduces the average noise about 1 dB) and also both the current and the next sample are considered in choosing the better of the two available codes (which reduces noise another 1 dB).<br />
<br />
The developer has decided to not use any floating-point arithmetic in WavPack's data path because he believes that integer operations are less susceptible to subtle chip to chip variations that could corrupt the lossless nature of the compression, the Pentium floating point bug being a blatant example of this. It is possible that a lossless compressor that used floating-point math could generate different output when running on that faulty Pentium. Even disregarding actual bugs, floating-point math is complicated enough that there could be subtle differences between "correct" implementations that could cause trouble for this type of application. To further ensure confidence in the integrity of WavPack's compression, the encoder includes a 32-bit error detection code to the generated streams.<br />
<br />
WavPack source code is very portable. It has been compiled on several Unices (Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Compaq Tru64, HP-UX...) as well as Windows, DOS and OpenVMS. It works on architectures such as x86, ARM, PowerPC, SPARC, DEC Alpha, PA-RISC, MIPS, Motorola 68k...<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* [http://www.wavpack.com/ Official website]<br />
* [http://www.rarewares.org/lossless.html Unofficial multiplatform versions] at RareWares<br />
* <s>[http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/wavpack.html Historical versions]</s> at ReallyRareWares<br />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]] by Rjamorim<br />
* [[EAC_and_WavPack | Configuring EAC and Wavpack]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>109.149.14.19https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=LosslessLossless2012-10-19T10:53:19Z<p>109.149.14.19: More Oddball & Eternal links (dead/broken), Stike Thru.</p>
<hr />
<div>Compression is '''lossless''' when decoding the compressed data gives a result which is identical bit-by-bit to the uncompressed original.<br />
<br />
Generic file compression formats, like ZIP or RAR, are lossless. However, trying to compress raw audio with those generally results in files which are only slightly- if at all- smaller than the originals. Lossless audio formats take advantage of knowledge about real-world audio data to provide compression ratios averaging around 50% on most music.<br />
<br />
[[Lossy]] encoders only attempt to approximate the sound of the original waveform rather than preserving all the information present in it. Losslessly compressed audio will therefore unavoidably be larger than audio compressed with any reasonable [[lossy]] encoder. However, this disadvantage is offset by lossless files' ability to be [[transcoding|transcoded]] to other lossless formats without any quality degradation.<br />
<br />
== Popular lossless formats ==<br />
* [[Apple Lossless]] ([[ALAC]])<br />
* [[Free Lossless Audio Codec]] (FLAC)<br />
* [[Lossless Audio]] (LA)<br />
* [[Lossless Predictive Audio Compression]] (LPAC)<br />
* [[Meridian Lossless Packing]] (MLP)<br />
* [[Monkey's Audio]] (APE)<br />
* [[OptimFROG]]<br />
* [[RK Audio]] (RKAU)<br />
* [[Shorten]] (SHN)<br />
* [[TAK]]<br />
* [[TTA]]<br />
* [[WavPack]]<br />
* [[Windows Media Audio|WMA lossless]]<br />
<br />
== Oddball Formats ==<br />
There are several old lossless formats that aren't really deserving of having an article all for themselves. Reasons are: lack of widespread support, lack of features, bad efficiency and, most importantly, it seems noone is really interested in them.<br />
<br />
Most of those would have disappeared by now, but they are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s [<s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/</s> ReallyRareWares ]<br />
<br />
; Advanced Digital Audio (ADA)<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/ada.html</s><br />
<br />
; Marian's a-Pac<br />
* http://www.marian.de/en/downloads#APAC<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/apac.html</s><br />
<br />
; AudioZip<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/audiozip.html</s><br />
<br />
; Dakx WAV<br />
* <s>http://www.dakx.com/</s><br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/daxwav.html</s><br />
<br />
; Entis Lab MIO<br />
* <s>http://www.entis.gr.jp/eri/frame.html</s><br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/mio.html</s><br />
<br />
; LiteWave<br />
* <s>http://www.clearjump.com/products/LiteWave.html</s><br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/litewave.html</s><br />
<br />
; Pegasus SPS<br />
* http://www.krishnasoft.com/sps.htm<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/pegasussps.html</s><br />
<br />
; RKaudio<br />
* <s>http://www.msoftware.co.nz/downloads_page.php</s><br />
* <s>http://rksoft.virtualave.net/rkau.html</s><br />
<br />
; Split2000<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/split2000.html</s><br />
<br />
; Sonarc<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/sonarc.html</s><br />
<br />
; VocPack<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/vocpack.html</s><br />
<br />
; WavArc<br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/wavarc.html</s><br />
<br />
; WaveZip/MUSICompress<br />
* <s>http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/sndspace/</s><br />
* <s>http://www.rjamorim.com/rrw/wavezip.html</s><br />
<br />
Note that currently '''no single format can be considered best for all applications'''. Rather, the best format depends on the ''intended use'', as well as a number of other factors (such as licensing and file structure). For example, Shorten and FLAC are widely used for sharing live music because of their cross-platform support and speed. Monkey's Audio is popular among Windows users for its superior compression ratio.<br />
<br />
== Comparisons ==<br />
''Note the specific assumptions and limitations of each comparison; in particular, results are sensitive to the music selected'''<br />
<br />
; <s>http://web.inter.nl.net/users/hvdh/lossless/lossless.htm</s> : Includes an interesting graph of encode/decode speeds vs. file size on the All Albums page<br />
<br />
; [[Lossless comparison]] : A comparision focusing more on codec features and less on absolute encoding efficiency. Also features a table comparing most popular codecs based on their features.<br />
<br />
; http://members.home.nl/w.speek/comparison.htm : Performance Comparison of Lossless Audio Compressors - Compares file size, encode speed, decode speed for [[APE]], [[FLAC]], [[LPAC]], [[WavPack]], Shorten ([[SHN]]), [[RKAU]], [[OptimFROG]], [[LA]], [[WMA | WMA Lossless]]. Updated 5-2003<br />
<br />
; http://www.bobulous.org.uk/misc/lossless_audio_2006.html : Lossless audio formats - A comparison of the rip-and-encode speed and album file size of six different lossless formats: [[WAV|uncompressed Wave]], [[FLAC]], [[WavPack]], [[SHN|Shorten]], [[APE|Monkey's Audio]], and [[OptimFROG]]. First published on 22nd May 2006.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
* <s>[http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog]</s> Lossless Audio News & Information Site.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]</div>109.149.14.19