https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Nuclearist&feedformat=atomHydrogenaudio Knowledgebase - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T23:24:14ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.22.7https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2017-06-10T11:16:50Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Oddball formats */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and taken from [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but it will still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not, when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by Thomas Becker.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' WV Other features '''<br />
* Can compress the Direct-Stream Digital (DSD) audio recording format<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Supports embedded CUE sheets<br />
* Accept audio files bigger than 4GB<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
* Can encode in both symmetrical and asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/<br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) is the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* [http://www.nue.tu-berlin.de/menue/mitarbeiter/ehemalige_mitarbeiter/tilman_liebchen/lpac_-_lossless_audio_codec_for_windows_and_linux/ LPAC]<br />
* Marian's a-Pac<br />
* [http://mp3hd-toolkit.soft32.com/ mp3HD (MPEG-1 Audio Layer III HD)]<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish/Tarkin<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/WaveZip/ WaveZip]/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Much information about oddball formats including comparison of them. (last updated 2005-10-21) <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2017-06-09T15:17:32Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Oddball formats */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and taken from [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but it will still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not, when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by Thomas Becker.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' WV Other features '''<br />
* Can compress the Direct-Stream Digital (DSD) audio recording format<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Supports embedded CUE sheets<br />
* Accept audio files bigger than 4GB<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
* Can encode in both symmetrical and asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/<br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) is the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* [http://www.nue.tu-berlin.de/menue/mitarbeiter/ehemalige_mitarbeiter/tilman_liebchen/lpac_-_lossless_audio_codec_for_windows_and_linux/ LPAC]<br />
* Marian's a-Pac<br />
* mp3HD (MPEG-1 Audio Layer III HD)<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish/Tarkin<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/WaveZip/ WaveZip]/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Much information about oddball formats including comparison of them. (last updated 2005-10-21) <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=LosslessLossless2017-06-09T14:59:37Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Oddball Formats */</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 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 <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA)<br />
* AudioZip<br />
* Dakx WAV<br />
* Entis Lab MIO<br />
* LiteWave<br />
* Marian's a-Pac<br />
* mp3HD<br />
* Pegasus SPS<br />
* RKaudio<br />
* Split2000<br />
* Sonarc<br />
* VocPack<br />
* WavArc<br />
* WaveZip/MUSICompress<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 />
; [[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 />
* Lossless audio formats [http://www.bobulous.org.uk/misc/lossless_audio_2006.html here] - 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 />
[[Category:Codecs|*]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2017-01-12T19:16:50Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Oddball formats */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and taken from [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but it will still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not, when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by Thomas Becker.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' WV Other features '''<br />
* Can compress the Direct-Stream Digital (DSD) audio recording format<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Supports embedded CUE sheets<br />
* Accept audio files bigger than 4GB<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
* Can encode in both symmetrical and asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/<br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) is the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* [http://www.nue.tu-berlin.de/menue/mitarbeiter/ehemalige_mitarbeiter/tilman_liebchen/lpac_-_lossless_audio_codec_for_windows_and_linux/ LPAC]<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish/Tarkin<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/WaveZip/ WaveZip]/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Much information about oddball formats including comparison of them. (last updated 2005-10-21) <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2017-01-12T19:13:50Z<p>Nuclearist: /* LA */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and taken from [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but it will still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not, when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by Thomas Becker.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' WV Other features '''<br />
* Can compress the Direct-Stream Digital (DSD) audio recording format<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Supports embedded CUE sheets<br />
* Accept audio files bigger than 4GB<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
* Can encode in both symmetrical and asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/<br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) is the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/WaveZip/ WaveZip]/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Much information about oddball formats including comparison of them. (last updated 2005-10-21) <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=MusepackMusepack2016-12-22T17:08:35Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = Musepack<br />
| logo = [[Image:Musepack_logo.png|Official Musepack logo]]<br />
| type = lossy<br />
| purpose = Living audio compression<br />
| maintainer = Andree Buschmann / Frank Klemm<br />
| recommended_encoder = mpcenc.exe 1.30.0<br />
| recommended_text = Musepack SV8 (2009-04-02)<br />
| website = https://musepack.net<br />
}}<br />
<br />
= 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/Tablets, see [https://www.musepack.net/index.php?pg=pro Program Overview]<br />
* Portable playback on digital audio players with Rockbox support, see http://www.rockbox.org<br />
* Support & development forum at https://forum.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 />
<br />
== Technical links ==<br />
* [http://trac.musepack.net/musepack/wiki Specifications]<br />
* [https://musepack.net/index.php?pg=src Source code]<br />
* reference: Frank Klemm [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/musepack/klemm/www.personal.uni-jena.de/~pfk/mpp/audiocoder_english.html mirror]<br />
<br />
== Listening test involving MPC ==<br />
* [[Listening Tests]] page<br />
* [https://bernholdtech.blogspot.de/2013/03/Nine-different-audio-encoders-100-pass-recompression-test.html Nine different audio encoders 100-pass recompression test]<br />
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codec_listening_test Codec listening test + results on Wikipedia.org]<br />
* <s> ff123's 128kbit/s group listening test</s><br />
* <s> ff123's second 128kbit/s group listening test</s><br />
* <s> 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>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=OptimFROGOptimFROG2016-12-21T22:40:52Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = OptimFROG<br />
| logo = [[File:Frog.gif]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = "reduce at maximum the size of audio files"<br />
| maintainer = Florin Ghido<br />
| recommended_encoder = OptimFROG 5.100 (2016-09-02)<br />
| website = http://losslessaudio.org/<br />
}}<br />
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>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=File:Frog.gifFile:Frog.gif2016-12-21T22:40:01Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=WavPackWavPack2016-12-21T22:29:57Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Software Infobox<br />
| name = WavPack<br />
| logo = [[Image:Wavpacklogo.png|280px|Official WavPack logo]]<br />
| screenshot =<br />
| caption = Hybrid Lossless Audio Compression<br />
| maintainer = David Bryant<br />
| stable_release = 5.0.0 (2016-12-06)<br />
| preview_release = None<br />
| operating_system = Windows, Mac OS/X, Linux/BSD/Unix<br />
| use = Encoder/Decoder<br />
| license = BSD license<br />
| website = http://www.wavpack.com/<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''WavPack''' is a royalty-free, open source and [[lossless]] or high-quality lossy 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, 24 and 32-bit ints; 32-bit floats; DSD audio; [[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 30 % and 70 % 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 />
* Audio files > 4GB<br />
* Multiplatform<br />
* Hardware support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* DSD compression<br />
* Hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3v1]], [[APE tags]])<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 released in 2004. 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 />
WavPack 5 finally released on 6th December, 2016. <br />
Now it accepts audio files bigger than 4 GB and can compress the Direct-Stream Digital (DSD) audio recording format.<br />
Including handling with many new file formats like Sony Wave64 or Philips DSDIFF makes WavPack to an "universal audio archiving solution".<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.php VUPlayer] (official plugin, supports encoding)<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=103693 CoreWavPack] directshow filter)<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 Windows [http://www.wavpack.com/WavPack_frontend.zip WavPack frontend] (by Speekenbrink)<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.easeaudioconverter.com/wavpack.htm Ease Audio Converter] (Shareware / NOT Freeware)<br />
* [http://media.io/ Online Audio Converter]<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 />
* [[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://mr-questionman.en.uptodown.com/windows Mr. QuestionMan]<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 />
->[http://www.wavpack.com/#Software WavPack Software Section]<br />
<br />
== Hardware Support ==<br />
* iRiver iHP-120/iHP-140 with the open source [http://www.rockbox.org Rockbox firmware]<br />
* Roku PhotoBridge HD (with [http://www.wavpack.com/downloads.html#binaries plugin])<br />
->[http://www.wavpack.com/index.html#Hardware WavPack Hardware Section]<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 />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]]<br />
* [[EAC_and_WavPack | Configuring EAC and WavPack]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_AudioLossless Audio2016-12-21T22:07:32Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Addtional Reading */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Lossless Audio''' ('''LA''') is a [[lossless]] audio compressor developed by Michael Bevin.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Compresses files better than almost any other current lossless encoder<br />
* Available for Windows (win32) and Linux/x86 (binaries only).<br />
* [[XMMS]] + [[Winamp]] plugin available<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Very slow encode and decode (realtime on 700–800 MHz CPU)<br />
* No source code or format specification available.<br />
<br />
'''''It's worth mentioning that the LA [[foobar2000]] plugin doesn't produce bit-identical streams, and the author has shown no interest in fixing this issue!'''''<br />
<br />
== Addtional Reading ==<br />
* <s>[http://www.lossless-audio.com/ Lossless Audio website] </s><br />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]] by Rjamorim<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Open_sourceOpen source2016-12-21T22:05:55Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>In software applications, being Open Source usually means the applications' source codes are freely available to any one that wants to have them for whatever reason.<br />
<br />
Such sources are often distributed using an [http://www.opensource.org/licenses/ OSI-approved] license; usually GPL, LGPL or BSD. But other, non-OSI-approved licenses do exist, like the one used for [[Monkey's Audio]] sources.<br />
<br />
Any programmer can freely modify such sources and release the modifications, with some catches depending on the license chosen by the copyright holder. For example, the GPL demands that modifications are released under the same license, and the Qt license forbids people of creating code branches.<br />
<br />
More information about Open-source software => https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=WavPackWavPack2016-12-21T22:02:36Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Software Infobox<br />
| name = WavPack<br />
| logo = [[Image:Wavpacklogo.png|280px|Official WavPack logo]]<br />
| screenshot =<br />
| caption = Hybrid Lossless Audio Compression<br />
| maintainer = David Bryant<br />
| stable_release = 5.0.0 (2016-12-06)<br />
| preview_release = None<br />
| operating_system = Windows, Mac OS/X, Linux/BSD/Unix<br />
| use = Encoder/Decoder<br />
| license = BSD license<br />
| website = http://www.wavpack.com/<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''WavPack''' is a royalty-free, open source and [[lossless]] or high-quality lossy (in "hybrid" mode) 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 tags]])<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 released in 2004. 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 />
WavPack 5 finally released on 6th December, 2016. <br />
Now it accepts audio files bigger than 4 GB and can compress DSD (Direct Stream Digital) audio recordings.<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.php VUPlayer] (official plugin, supports encoding)<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=103693 CoreWavPack] directshow filter)<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 Windows [http://www.wavpack.com/WavPack_frontend.zip WavPack frontend] (by Speekenbrink)<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.easeaudioconverter.com/wavpack.htm Ease Audio Converter] (Shareware / NOT Freeware)<br />
* [http://media.io/ Online Audio Converter]<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 />
* [[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://mr-questionman.en.uptodown.com/windows Mr. QuestionMan]<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 />
->[http://www.wavpack.com/#Software WavPack Software Section]<br />
<br />
== Hardware Support ==<br />
* iRiver iHP-120/iHP-140 with the open source [http://www.rockbox.org Rockbox firmware]<br />
* Roku PhotoBridge HD (with [http://www.wavpack.com/downloads.html#binaries plugin])<br />
->[http://www.wavpack.com/index.html#Hardware WavPack Hardware Section]<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 />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]]<br />
* [[EAC_and_WavPack | Configuring EAC and WavPack]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=TTATTA2016-12-21T22:01:04Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = The True Audio<br />
| logo = [[Image:TTA-logo.png|Official TTA logo]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = The True Audio (TTA) codec<br />
| maintainer = Aleksander Djuric / Pavel Zhilin / Tamir Barak / Noam Koenigstein / Kazuki Oikawa<br />
| recommended_encoder = TTA Lossless Audio Codec<br />
| recommended_text = tta-2.3 (2015-02-24)<br />
| website = http://tausoft.org/wiki/True_Audio_Codec_Overview<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''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 and also [[APEv2]].<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 />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]] <br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=TAKTAK2016-12-21T21:58:35Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = Tom's lossless Audio Kompressor<br />
| logo =<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = (T)om's verlustfreier (A)udio(k)ompressor<br />
| maintainer = Thomas Becker<br />
| recommended_encoder = TAK encoder<br />
| recommended_text = TAK v2.3.0 (2013-06-18)<br />
| website = [http://thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html ThBeck.de/Tak/Tak.html] ''(German)''<br />
}}<br />
<br />
== Description ==<br />
'''Tom's lossless Audio Kompressor''' ('''TAK''') is a lossless audio compressor which promises compression performance similar to [[Monkey's Audio]] “High” and decompression speed similar to [[Free Lossless Audio Codec|FLAC]].<br />
<br />
=== Features ===<br />
* High compression<br />
* Fast compression and decompression speed<br />
* Streaming support (necessary headers for decompressing the audio are written to the stream every 2 seconds)<br />
* Piping support for encoding<br />
* Error tolerance (single bit error will never affect more than 250 ms)<br />
* Error detection (each frame protected by a 24-bit checksum (CRC))<br />
* High-resolution (up to 24-bit/channel) audio support<br />
* Support for up to 192 Khz Audio<br />
* Seeking without seek table<br />
* APEv2 tags supported at end of file<br />
<br />
=== Pros ===<br />
* Fast encoding speed (while providing better compression TAK encodes as fast as [[Free Lossless Audio Codec|FLAC]] -8 in TAK's “Insane” and several times faster in “Turbo” mode)<br />
* Fast decompression speed (on par with FLAC / [[WavPack]])<br />
* Good compression levels (on par with [[Monkey's Audio]] High)<br />
* Error Robustness<br />
* Fast Seeking<br />
<br />
=== Cons ===<br />
* Closed Source<br />
* No hardware support<br />
<br />
<br />
== Software support ==<br />
=== Windows ===<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/vlc VLC Media Player] - Can: transcode from/play (no encoding); since at least version 2.2.0<br />
* [http://thbeck.de/Download/TAK_2.3.0.zip TAK 2.3.0] - Official release which consists of a CLI, a GUI, a [[Winamp]] plugin, the SDK, and the decoding library.<br />
* [http://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_input_tak TAK Decoder 0.4.7] - Plugin for [[foobar2000]] (supports tagging and [[ReplayGain]]).<br />
* [http://www.liviocavallo.altervista.org/ dsfTAKSource 0.0.1.6] - DirectShow source filter which uses the official decoding library to play TAK-files in Windows Media Player, Media Player Classic - Home Cinema, Zoom Player and alike.<br />
* [http://reino.degeelebosch.nl/ DC-Bass Source Mod 1.5.2.0] - DirectShow source filter which uses the official decoding library to play TAK-files, amongst many others, in any DirectShow media player (as mentioned above).<br />
* [http://code.google.com/p/lavfilters/ LAV Filters] - Set of open-source DirectShow filters which uses [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=96976&view=findpost&p=810355 FFMpeg's reverse-engineered decoder] to play TAK-files in any DirectShow media player.<br />
* [http://sourceforge.net/projects/mpcbe/ Media Player Classic - BE] - DirectShow media player with an internal TAK source filter which uses FFMpeg's reverse-engineered decoder to play TAK-files. The internal TAK source filter also supports embedded cue-sheets.<br />
* [[Mp3tag]] – universal tag editor with support for TAK<br />
* [http://etree.org/shnutils/shntool/ shntool] (since version 3.0.6)<br />
* [http://picard.musicbrainz.org/ MusicBrainz Picard] (since version 0.11)<br />
=== Linux ===<br />
* ffmpeg can demux, decode and parse TAK since commit d7a473926504e2acfa6ae3bead0938e1f4e03441:[http://git.videolan.org/?p=ffmpeg.git;a=commit;h=d7a473926504e2acfa6ae3bead0938e1f4e03441]. First official release that supports TAK decoding is 1.1.<br />
* The GUI program (Tak.exe) and the command-line program (Takc.exe) work with [http://www.winehq.org/ Wine].<br />
* [http://caudec.net/ caudec] is a command-line tool that can encode and decode TAK files, using the official binary (Takc.exe) with Wine (see: [http://caudec.net/documentation/windowscodecs/ installation instructions]). Caudec can also test file integrity and compute (and tag) Replaygain data. While it hasn't been tested at the time of writing, it is possible that TAK support in caudec works on OS X as well.<br />
* [http://picard.musicbrainz.org/ MusicBrainz Picard] (since version 0.11)<br />
<br />
== Hardware support ==<br />
* None<br />
<br />
<br />
== Recommended Settings ==<br />
* Default compression: “-p2” (formerly ''Normal'') is the most attractive setting, providing an excellent compromise between compression and encoding speed. (At compression levels close to [[Monkey's Audio]] High (<0.4% difference), it is able to encode more quickly.)<br />
takc -e [input file]<br />
* Highest compression: “-pMax” (same as -p4m) (This will create files which are comparable in size to file created using [[Monkey's Audio]] High. Decompression speed is comparable to [[WavPack]] Normal.)<br />
takc -e -pMax [input file]<br />
* Fastest compression: “-p0” (This will create files which are comparable in size to [[Monkey's Audio]] Fast or [[WavPack]] High. Decompression speed is comparable to [[Free Lossless Audio Codec|FLAC]] 0.)<br />
takc -e -p0 [input file]<br />
<br />
=== TAK Performance Graph ===<br />
[[Image:TAK_performance_graph_1-0-4.png|frame|center|Graph showing encoding and decoding rate against compression, using data from Synthetic Soul's test on TAK 1.0.4<br />(see [[TAK#External Links|External Links]])]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Using TAK ==<br />
=== TAK with [[foobar2000]] ===<br />
* Copy the takc.exe to your [[foobar2000]] directory<br />
* Go to File → Preferences → Tools → Converter<br />
* Set it up as shown:<br />
[[Image:Tak_foobar_converter.png|frame|center|Screenshot of foobar 0.9.5 Converter settings for TAK 1.0.3]]<br />
'''Note:''' replace -p2 with the desired compression level.<br />
<br />
* TAK introduced encoding from STDIN in version 1.0.3, eliminating the need for a temporary file and greatly improving overall compression time. If you are using an earlier version of TAK use the following command line instead:<br />
-e -p2 %s %d<br />
* Use [[APEv2 specification|APEv2]] tagging (will be used as internal tagging)<br />
<br />
=== TAK with EAC ===<br />
Please read the [[EAC and TAK|wiki guide]], which details how to create TAK files with [[Exact Audio Copy|EAC]].<br />
<br />
=== Converting TAK using pipe ===<br />
Takc.exe -d input.tak - | lame.exe -V 6 - output.mp3<br />
Takc.exe -d input.tak - | opusenc.exe --bitrate 64 - output.opus<br />
Takc.exe -d input.tak - | flac.exe -8 - -o output.flac<br />
Takc.exe -d input.tak - | wavpack.exe -hhx - output.wv<br />
<br />
flac.exe -dc input.flac | Takc.exe -e -pMax - output.tak<br />
wvunpack.exe input.wv - | Takc.exe -e -pMax - output.tak<br />
ffmpeg.exe -i input.xxx -f wav - | Takc.exe -e -pMax '''-ihs''' - output.tak<br />
<br />
<br />
== Future Features ==<br />
* Unicode support<br />
* MD5 audio checksums for verification and identification<br />
* A German version<br />
* Embedded cue sheets<br />
* Embedded cover art<br />
* Multichannel audio<br />
<br />
<br />
== Frequently Asked Questions ==<br />
; Is the codec safe for use/definitely lossless?<br />
: Yes, TAK is verified as being lossless, as determined through rigorous testing by the author and satisfied users. To check, convert a WAV to TAK and back and compare the two, for instance using [[Foobar2000:Foobar2000|foobar2000]]'s [[Foobar2000:Components/Binary Comparator (foo_bitcompare)|Binary Comparator]].<br />
; Why should I use TAK?<br />
: TAK offers high ratios of compression but also great decoding speeds.<br />
; What can I compress with TAK?<br />
: TAK 1.0 can compress any integer-format (up to 24 bits per channel) PCM RIFF WAVE file (.WAV). Piping support is implemented as of v1.0.3, so converting lossless files to WAV first is not necessary: users can simply pipe the decompressed output from their decoder of choice directly into TAK's encoder.<br />
; What about hardware support?<br />
: There is none at the moment. However, ''-p0'', ''-p1'' and ''-p2'' are the candidates for most suitable settings for hardware.<br />
; Will the source be opened?<br />
: The official encoder and decoder are currently closed-source. Thomas has expressed an intention to open the source of the decoder at some point in time, stipulating preconditions of its first being further refined, ported to C or C++, and documented. This may or may not lead to releases of other code. However, as of June of 2013, he feels that “a lot of (not very exciting) work is required” until the decoding source would be ready to be published, and that may or may not happen in the foreseeable future. Such questions generally generate more noise than fruitful discussion, so it is best to wait and see what happens. In any case, there is an independently implemented open source decoder available, bundled with ffmpeg.<br />
<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
* [http://thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html] – Official Website ''(german)''<br />
* [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=101386 TAK 2.3.0 Discussion Thread on HA] ''(english)''<br />
* [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=89610 TAK 2.2.0 Discussion Thread on HA] ''(english)''<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/ synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless] – Comparison with Other Codecs (by Synthetic Soul)<br />
* [http://flac.sourceforge.net/comparison.html flac.sourceforge.net/comparison.html] – An Updated Comparison (from FLAC Homepage)<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Free_Lossless_Audio_CodecFree Lossless Audio Codec2016-12-21T21:55:55Z<p>Nuclearist: </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 v1.3.1 (2014-11-25)<br />
| website = http://xiph.org/flac/<br />
}}<br />
'''Free Lossless Audio Codec''' ('''FLAC''') is a codec for lossless audio compression.<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 a lossy file.<br />
<br />
FLAC is supported by default in Android since version 3.1 and in Windows 10.<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 [http://xiph.org/flac/license.html open-source licenses]. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.<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, low decoding complexity and popularity, FLAC has relatively widespread hardware support compared to other lossless formats.<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 />
* Open source and freely licensed<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://xiph.org/flac/links.html FLAC links page].<br />
<br />
=== Hardware ===<br />
==== Car stereo ====<br />
* Kenwood [http://www.kenwood.com/cs/ce/audiofile/index.php?model=KMM KMM series]<br />
* Pioneer [http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/25/121/61/overview.html Car Stereo] (search FLAC)<br />
* JVC [http://mobile.jvc.com/product.jsp?pathId=139 KD-X "Digital Media Receivers" series] (almost all)<br />
* Soundstream [http://soundstream.com/store/car-video/source-units.html Source Units]<br />
* Tesla Model S<br />
* Citroën DS5<br />
<br />
==== Home stereo ====<br />
* Olive's [http://www.olive.us/ Symphony] wireless digital music center<br />
* [http://www.numark.com/ Numark]'s DJ equipment (HDX and CDX turntables, HDMIX mixer)<br />
* [http://www.sonos.com/ Sonos Digital Music System]<br />
* Slim Devices' [http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html Squeezebox] networked audio players<br />
<br />
==== Portable ====<br />
* [[Apple iPod]] with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[iAudio M3]], M5 and X5<br />
* [[iRiver]] iHP-120/iHP-140 with [[Rockbox]] firmware<br />
* [[Iwod G10]]<br />
* [[Rio Karma]]<br />
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SanDisk_Sansa SanDisk Sansa]<br />
* TrekStor's [http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=66 Vibez]<br />
* Devices running Android 3.1+<br />
* [[Pono|Pono Player]]<br />
<br />
=== Software ===<br />
==== Players ====<br />
<br />
'''Windows'''<br />
* [[foobar2000]]<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]]<br />
* [[Winamp]]<br />
*[http://mplayerwin.sourceforge.net/ MPlayer] Console player<br />
* [http://www.cyberlink.com/products/powerdvd-ultra/features_en_US.html?&r=1 PowerDVD]<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [http://www.un4seen.com/ XMPlay]<br />
<br />
'''Mac'''<br />
* [http://coppertino.com/ VOX]<br />
* [http://cogx.org/ Cog]<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
<br />
'''Linux'''<br />
* [http://www.clementine-player.org/ Clementine]<br />
* [http://www.mplayerhq.hu/ MPlayer]<br />
* [http://www.mythtv.org/ MythTV]<br />
* [http://www.videolan.org/ VLC]<br />
* [[XMMS]]<br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Windows) ====<br />
* FLAC frontend - [http://sourceforge.net/projects/flacfrontend/ download] / [http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Download_page discussion] (ktf)<br />
* <s> Custom [http://members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm Windows Frontend] (by Speek) </s><br />
<br />
==== Frontends (Mac) ====<br />
* [http://www.sbooth.org/Max/ Max]<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.freac.org/ fre:ac] Music Converter / CD Writer/Ripper<br />
<br />
==== Editors ====<br />
*[http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Audacity]<br />
* [[Adobe Audition]]<br />
* [http://www.goldwave.com/ GoldWave]<br />
<br />
==== CD writers/rippers ====<br />
* [http://www.nero.com/eng/ Nero]<br />
* [http://arson.sourceforge.net/ Arson]<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://cdburnerxp.se/ CDBurnerXP] CD writer<br />
* [http://www.mediamonkey.com/ MediaMonkey] - CD ripper/writer<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 />
* [http://sbooth.org/Tag/ Tag] - for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)<br />
<br />
* [http://www.synthetic-soul.co.uk/tag/ Case's Tag] - Command line tagger<br />
* [https://xiph.org/flac/documentation_tools_metaflac.html metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance<br />
* [[MediaMonkey]] - Tagger / Music manager (Including multiple and linked album art support)<br />
* [http://www.xdlab.ru/en/ TagScanner] - "The Ultimate Tag Editor"<br />
<br />
==== Other tools ====<br />
* [http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/ mkvtoolnix] - tool to multiplex FLAC streams inside the Matroska container<br />
* [https://xiph.org/flac/documentation_tools_metaflac.html metaflac] - for general metadata (including Vorbis comments) maintenance, also to calculate [[ReplayGain]] values for FLAC files lacking such<br />
<br />
for a more comprehensive list use the '''External Links''' bottom of this page to visit flac's download and link page.<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 />
== External links ==<br />
* [https://xiph.org/flac/ FLAC Homepage] | [https://xiph.org/flac/format.html format description] | [https://xiph.org/flac/documentation.html documentation] | [https://xiph.org/flac/faq.html FAQ] | [https://www.xiph.org/flac/download.html download]<br />
* [http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showforum=67 FLAC discussion]<br />
* [http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=107611 FLAC 1.3.1 discussion]<br />
* [http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=107913 FLAC 1.3.1 non-SSE2 build for older CPUs]<br />
* ktf's [http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=107990 Lossless codec comparison] graphs the influence of the chosen encoding level on the encoding and decoding performance of FLAC 1.3.1 and various other lossless codecs. Omion's older test, "[http://web.archive.org/web/20091108104748/http://people.ucsc.edu/~rswilson/flactest File Size vs. Decoding Speed"], covers the influence of the chosen encoding level on the decoding speed of FLAC 1.2.1.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]<br />
[[Category:Encoder/Decoder]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-12-21T21:53:52Z<p>Nuclearist: /* LA */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and taken from [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but it will still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not, when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by Thomas Becker.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' WV Other features '''<br />
* Can compress the Direct-Stream Digital (DSD) audio recording format<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Supports embedded CUE sheets<br />
* Accept audio files bigger than 4GB<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
* Can encode in both symmetrical and asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
<s>http://www.lossless-audio.com/</s><br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) is the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/WaveZip/ WaveZip]/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Much information about oddball formats including comparison of them. (last updated 2005-10-21) <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Monkey%27s_AudioMonkey's Audio2016-12-21T21:51:44Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Introduction */</p>
<hr />
<div>Monkey's Audio (APE) is a freeware [[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 />
{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = Monkey's Audio <br />
| logo = <br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = A fast and powerful lossless audio compressor<br />
| maintainer = Matt Ashland<br />
| recommended_encoder = MAC 4.18 (2016-08-06)<br />
| website = http://www.monkeysaudio.com/index.html<br />
}}<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] Latest Version: 4.17 (June 8, 2016) <br />
* <s> Monkey's Audio Package for BeOS </s><br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=MAC_4.18_(2016-08-06)MAC 4.18 (2016-08-06)2016-12-21T21:50:19Z<p>Nuclearist: Created page with "http://www.monkeysaudio.com/download.html"</p>
<hr />
<div>http://www.monkeysaudio.com/download.html</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Monkey%27s_AudioMonkey's Audio2016-12-21T21:50:00Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>=Introduction=<br />
Monkey's Audio (APE) is a freeware [[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 />
{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = Monkey's Audio <br />
| logo = <br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = A fast and powerful lossless audio compressor<br />
| maintainer = Matt Ashland<br />
| recommended_encoder = MAC 4.18 (2016-08-06)<br />
| website = http://www.monkeysaudio.com/index.html<br />
}}<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] Latest Version: 4.17 (June 8, 2016) <br />
* <s> Monkey's Audio Package for BeOS </s><br />
<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=OptimFROG_5.100_(2016-09-02)OptimFROG 5.100 (2016-09-02)2016-12-21T21:43:47Z<p>Nuclearist: Created page with "http://losslessaudio.org/Downloads.php"</p>
<hr />
<div>http://losslessaudio.org/Downloads.php</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=OptimFROGOptimFROG2016-12-21T21:43:18Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = OptimFROG<br />
| logo = <br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = "reduce at maximum the size of audio files"<br />
| maintainer = Florin Ghido<br />
| recommended_encoder = OptimFROG 5.100 (2016-09-02)<br />
| website = http://losslessaudio.org/<br />
}}<br />
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>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-12-21T21:21:34Z<p>Nuclearist: /* WavPack (WV) */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and taken from [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but it will still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not, when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by Thomas Becker.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' WV Other features '''<br />
* Can compress the Direct-Stream Digital (DSD) audio recording format<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Supports embedded CUE sheets<br />
* Accept audio files bigger than 4GB<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
* Can encode in both symmetrical and asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/ <br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) is the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/WaveZip/ WaveZip]/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Much information about oddball formats including comparison of them. (last updated 2005-10-21) <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=WavPackWavPack2016-12-13T23:44:43Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Software Infobox<br />
| name = WavPack<br />
| logo = [[Image:Wavpacklogo.png|280px|Official WavPack logo]]<br />
| screenshot =<br />
| caption = Hybrid Lossless Audio Compression<br />
| maintainer = David Bryant<br />
| stable_release = 5.0.0 (6. December 2016)<br />
| preview_release = None<br />
| operating_system = Windows, Mac OS/X, Linux/BSD/Unix<br />
| use = Encoder/Decoder<br />
| license = BSD license<br />
| website = http://www.wavpack.com/<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''WavPack''' is a royalty-free, open source and [[lossless]] or high-quality lossy (in "hybrid" mode) 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 tags]])<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 released in 2004. 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 />
WavPack 5 finally released on 6th December, 2016. <br />
Now it accepts audio files bigger than 4 GB and can compress DSD (Direct Stream Digital) audio recordings.<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.php VUPlayer] (official plugin, supports encoding)<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=103693 CoreWavPack] directshow filter)<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 Windows [http://www.wavpack.com/WavPack_frontend.zip WavPack frontend] (by Speekenbrink)<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.easeaudioconverter.com/wavpack.htm Ease Audio Converter] (Shareware / NOT Freeware)<br />
* [http://media.io/ Online Audio Converter]<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 />
* [[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://mr-questionman.en.uptodown.com/windows Mr. QuestionMan]<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 />
->[http://www.wavpack.com/#Software WavPack Software Section]<br />
<br />
== Hardware Support ==<br />
* iRiver iHP-120/iHP-140 with the open source [http://www.rockbox.org Rockbox firmware]<br />
* Roku PhotoBridge HD (with [http://www.wavpack.com/downloads.html#binaries plugin])<br />
->[http://www.wavpack.com/index.html#Hardware WavPack Hardware Section]<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 />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]]<br />
* [[EAC_and_WavPack | Configuring EAC and WavPack]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-10-06T12:20:06Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Comparison Table */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and taken from [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but it will still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not, when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by Thomas Becker.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<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 asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/ <br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) it the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/WaveZip/ WaveZip]/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Much information about oddball formats including comparison of them. (last updated 2005-10-21) <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-10-06T12:17:41Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Comparison Table */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and taken from [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by Thomas Becker.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<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 asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/ <br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) it the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/WaveZip/ WaveZip]/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Much information about oddball formats including comparison of them. (last updated 2005-10-21) <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_AudioLossless Audio2016-10-04T15:19:59Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Lossless Audio''' ('''LA''') is a [[lossless]] audio compressor developed by Michael Bevin.<br />
<br />
== Pros ==<br />
* Compresses files better than almost any other current lossless encoder<br />
* Available for Windows (win32) and Linux/x86 (binaries only).<br />
* [[XMMS]] + [[Winamp]] plugin available<br />
<br />
== Cons ==<br />
* Very slow encode and decode (realtime on 700–800 MHz CPU)<br />
* No source code or format specification available.<br />
<br />
'''''It's worth mentioning that the LA [[foobar2000]] plugin doesn't produce bit-identical streams, and the author has shown no interest in fixing this issue!'''''<br />
<br />
== Addtional Reading ==<br />
* [http://www.lossless-audio.com/ Lossless Audio website]<br />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]] by Rjamorim<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=EAC_release_historyEAC release history2016-08-18T17:25:49Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Release list */</p>
<hr />
<div>This is an unofficial compilation of release history info for [[Exact Audio Copy]] (EAC). If you spot missing or incomplete info, please fill it in, but don't just copy-paste [http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/en/index.php/resources/whats-new/whats-new/ the What's New page] from the official EAC website (or the WHATSNEW.TXT copy of that text as distributed with EAC).<br />
<br />
==Release list==<br />
===1998===<br />
* 0.1 beta — 1998-06-25; eac.zip<br />
* 0.2 beta — 1998-07-15; eac02b.zip<br />
* 0.3 beta — 1998-07-23; eac03b.zip<br />
* 0.4 beta — 1998-08-16; eac04b.zip<br />
* 0.5 beta — 1998-08-27; eac05b.zip<br />
* 0.6 beta — 1998-10-02; eac06b.zip<br />
* 0.7 beta — 1998-11-05; eac07b.zip<br />
===1999===<br />
* 0.8 beta — 1999-01-29<br />
* 0.81 beta — 1999-02-20; eac081b.zip<br />
* 0.85 beta 1 — 1999-07-30<br />
* 0.85 beta 2 — 1999-08-01<br />
* 0.85 beta 3 — 1999-09-02<br />
* 0.85 beta 4 — 1999-09-03; eac085b.zip<br />
* 0.9 prebeta 1 — 1999-10-08; was only available to prebeta testers<br />
* 0.9 prebeta 2 — 1999-11-11; was only available to prebeta testers<br />
* 0.9 prebeta 3 — 1999-12-23; was only available to prebeta testers<br />
===2000===<br />
* 0.9 prebeta 4 — 2000-03-24; was only available to prebeta testers<br />
* 0.9 prebeta 5 — 2000-05-08; was only available to prebeta testers<br />
* 0.9 prebeta 6 — 2000-08-29<br />
* 0.9 prebeta 7 — 2000-10-10<br />
===2001===<br />
* 0.9 prebeta 8 — 2001-01-26<br />
* 0.9 prebeta 9 — 2001-02-16<br />
* 0.9 prebeta 10 — 2001-06-22<br />
* 0.9 prebeta 11 — 2001-06-27; eac09pb11.zip<br />
===2002===<br />
* 0.9 beta 1 — 2002-01-21<br />
* 0.9 beta 2 — 2002-01-31<br />
* 0.9 beta 3 — 2002-03-06<br />
* 0.9 beta 4 — 2002-05-22<br />
===2003===<br />
* 0.95 prebeta 1 — 2003-04-23<br />
* 0.95 prebeta 2 — 2003-04-30<br />
* 0.95 prebeta 3 — 2003-05-11; eac095pb3.zip<br />
* 0.95 prebeta 4 — 2003-11-18<br />
===2004===<br />
* 0.95 prebeta 5 — 2004-03-09<br />
===2005===<br />
* 0.95 beta 1 — 2005-05-10<br />
* 0.95 beta 2 — 2005-06-01<br />
* 0.95 beta 3 — 2005-08-30<br />
===2006===<br />
* 0.95 beta 4 — 2006-02-21; eac0.95b4.zip or eac0.95b4-cdrdao.zip<br />
===2007===<br />
* 0.99 prebeta 1 — 2007-06-29; eac-0.99pb1.exe<br />
* 0.99 prebeta 2 — 2007-08-16; eac-0.99pb2.exe<br />
* 0.99 prebeta 3 — 2007-08-17; eac-0.99pb3.exe<br />
===2008===<br />
* 0.99 prebeta 4 — 2008-01-31<br />
* 1.0 beta — 2008-11-29; EACBeta.zip; was only available by request<br />
===2009===<br />
* 0.99 prebeta 5 — 2009-05-08; eac-0.99pb5.exe (2490 KB); installation included eBay desktop icon<br />
===2010===<br />
* 0.99 prebeta 5 — 2010-04-05; eac-0.99pb5.exe (4470 KB); new bundle with Ask toolbar instead of eBay icon<br />
* 1.0 beta 1 — 2010-11-22; eac-1.0beta1.exe<br />
===2011===<br />
* 1.0 beta 2 — 2011-05-24; eac-1.0beta2.exe<br />
* 1.0 beta 3 — 2011-09-22; eac-1.0beta3.exe<br />
===2014===<br />
* 1.0 beta 4 - 2014-12-18; eac-1.0beta4.exe<br />
===2015===<br />
* 1.0 beta 5 - 2015-04-04; eac-1.0beta5.exe<br />
* 1.0 beta 6 - 2015-04-09; eac-1.0beta6.exe<br />
* 1.1 - 2015-07-02; eac-1.1.exe<br />
===2016===<br />
* 1.2 - 2016-08-13; eac-1.2.exe</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-08-06T15:12:26Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Oddball formats */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and are taken from the [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by Thomas Becker.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<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 asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/ <br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) it the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/WaveZip/ WaveZip]/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Much information about oddball formats including comparison of them. (last updated 2005-10-21) <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-08-06T15:10:25Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and are taken from the [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by Thomas Becker.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<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 asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/ <br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) it the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* WaveZip/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Much information about oddball formats including comparison of them. (last updated 2005-10-21) <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=WavPackWavPack2016-08-06T15:05:30Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Software Infobox<br />
| name = WavPack<br />
| logo = [[Image:Wavpacklogo.png|280px|Official WavPack logo]]<br />
| screenshot =<br />
| caption = Hybrid Lossless Audio Compression<br />
| maintainer = David Bryant<br />
| stable_release = 4.80.0 (28. March 2016)<br />
| preview_release = [https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,111822.0.html 5.0.0] (4. May 2016)<br />
| operating_system = Windows, Mac OS/X, Linux/BSD/Unix<br />
| use = Encoder/Decoder<br />
| license = BSD license<br />
| website = http://www.wavpack.com/<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''WavPack''' is a royalty-free, open source and [[lossless]] or high-quality lossy (in "hybrid" mode) 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 tags]])<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.php VUPlayer] (official plugin, supports encoding)<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=103693 CoreWavPack] directshow filter)<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 Windows [http://www.wavpack.com/WavPack_frontend.zip WavPack frontend] (by Speekenbrink)<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.easeaudioconverter.com/wavpack.htm Ease Audio Converter] (Shareware / NOT Freeware)<br />
* [http://media.io/ Online Audio Converter]<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 />
* [[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://mr-questionman.en.uptodown.com/windows Mr. QuestionMan]<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 />
->[http://www.wavpack.com/#Software WavPack Software Section]<br />
<br />
== Hardware Support ==<br />
* iRiver iHP-120/iHP-140 with the open source [http://www.rockbox.org Rockbox firmware]<br />
* Roku PhotoBridge HD (with [http://www.wavpack.com/downloads.html#binaries plugin])<br />
->[http://www.wavpack.com/index.html#Hardware WavPack Hardware Section]<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 />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]]<br />
* [[EAC_and_WavPack | Configuring EAC and WavPack]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=MusepackMusepack2016-08-06T15:04:02Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = Musepack<br />
| logo = [[Image:Musepack_logo.png|Official Musepack logo]]<br />
| type = lossy<br />
| purpose = Living audio compression<br />
| maintainer = Andree Buschmann / Frank Klemm<br />
| recommended_encoder = mpcenc.exe 1.30.0<br />
| recommended_text = Musepack SV8 (2. April 2009)<br />
| website = https://musepack.net<br />
}}<br />
<br />
= 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/Tablets, see [https://www.musepack.net/index.php?pg=pro Program Overview]<br />
* Portable playback on digital audio players with Rockbox support, see http://www.rockbox.org<br />
* Support & development forum at https://forum.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 />
<br />
== Technical links ==<br />
* [http://trac.musepack.net/musepack/wiki Specifications]<br />
* [https://musepack.net/index.php?pg=src Source code]<br />
* reference: Frank Klemm [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/musepack/klemm/www.personal.uni-jena.de/~pfk/mpp/audiocoder_english.html mirror]<br />
<br />
== Listening test involving MPC ==<br />
* [[Listening Tests]] page<br />
* [https://bernholdtech.blogspot.de/2013/03/Nine-different-audio-encoders-100-pass-recompression-test.html Nine different audio encoders 100-pass recompression test]<br />
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codec_listening_test Codec listening test + results on Wikipedia.org]<br />
* <s> ff123's 128kbit/s group listening test</s><br />
* <s> ff123's second 128kbit/s group listening test</s><br />
* <s> 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>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Mpcenc.exe_1.30.0Mpcenc.exe 1.30.02016-08-06T14:55:24Z<p>Nuclearist: Created page with "https://musepack.net/index.php?pg=win"</p>
<hr />
<div>https://musepack.net/index.php?pg=win</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=MusepackMusepack2016-08-06T14:55:08Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = Musepack<br />
| logo = [[Image:Musepack_logo.png|Official Musepack logo]]<br />
| type = lossy<br />
| purpose = living audio compression<br />
| maintainer = Andree Buschmann / Frank Klemm<br />
| recommended_encoder = mpcenc.exe 1.30.0<br />
| recommended_text = Musepack SV8 (2. April 2009)<br />
| website = https://musepack.net<br />
}}<br />
<br />
= 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/Tablets, see [https://www.musepack.net/index.php?pg=pro Program Overview]<br />
* Portable playback on digital audio players with Rockbox support, see http://www.rockbox.org<br />
* Support & development forum at https://forum.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 />
<br />
== Technical links ==<br />
* [http://trac.musepack.net/musepack/wiki Specifications]<br />
* [https://musepack.net/index.php?pg=src Source code]<br />
* reference: Frank Klemm [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/musepack/klemm/www.personal.uni-jena.de/~pfk/mpp/audiocoder_english.html mirror]<br />
<br />
== Listening test involving MPC ==<br />
* [[Listening Tests]] page<br />
* [https://bernholdtech.blogspot.de/2013/03/Nine-different-audio-encoders-100-pass-recompression-test.html Nine different audio encoders 100-pass recompression test]<br />
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codec_listening_test Codec listening test + results on Wikipedia.org]<br />
* <s> ff123's 128kbit/s group listening test</s><br />
* <s> ff123's second 128kbit/s group listening test</s><br />
* <s> 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>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=TTATTA2016-08-05T14:08:54Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = The True Audio<br />
| logo = [[Image:TTA-logo.png|Official TTA logo]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = The True Audio (TTA) codec<br />
| maintainer = Aleksander Djuric / Pavel Zhilin / Tamir Barak / Noam Koenigstein / Kazuki Oikawa<br />
| recommended_encoder = TTA Lossless Audio Codec<br />
| recommended_text = tta-2.3 (24. February 2015)<br />
| website = http://tausoft.org/wiki/True_Audio_Codec_Overview<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''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 and also [[APEv2]].<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 />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]] <br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=WavPackWavPack2016-08-05T14:08:22Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Software Infobox<br />
| name = WavPack<br />
| logo = [[Image:Wavpacklogo.png|250px|Official WavPack logo]]<br />
| screenshot =<br />
| caption = Hybrid Lossless Audio Compression<br />
| maintainer = David Bryant<br />
| stable_release = 4.80.0 (28. March 2016)<br />
| preview_release = [https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,111822.0.html 5.0.0] (4. May 2016)<br />
| operating_system = Windows, Mac OS/X, Linux/BSD/Unix<br />
| use = Encoder/Decoder<br />
| license = BSD license<br />
| website = http://www.wavpack.com/<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''WavPack''' is a royalty-free, open source and [[lossless]] or high-quality lossy (in "hybrid" mode) 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 tags]])<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.php VUPlayer] (official plugin, supports encoding)<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=103693 CoreWavPack] directshow filter)<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 Windows [http://www.wavpack.com/WavPack_frontend.zip WavPack frontend] (by Speekenbrink)<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.easeaudioconverter.com/wavpack.htm Ease Audio Converter] (Shareware / NOT Freeware)<br />
* [http://media.io/ Online Audio Converter]<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 />
* [[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://mr-questionman.en.uptodown.com/windows Mr. QuestionMan]<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 />
->[http://www.wavpack.com/#Software WavPack Software Section]<br />
<br />
== Hardware Support ==<br />
* iRiver iHP-120/iHP-140 with the open source [http://www.rockbox.org Rockbox firmware]<br />
* Roku PhotoBridge HD (with [http://www.wavpack.com/downloads.html#binaries plugin])<br />
->[http://www.wavpack.com/index.html#Hardware WavPack Hardware Section]<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 />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]]<br />
* [[EAC_and_WavPack | Configuring EAC and WavPack]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-08-05T14:07:42Z<p>Nuclearist: /* External links */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and are taken from the [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by TBeck.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<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 asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/ <br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) it the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* WaveZip/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Much information about oddball formats including comparison of them. (last updated 2005-10-21) <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-08-05T14:05:43Z<p>Nuclearist: /* External links */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and are taken from the [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by TBeck.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<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 asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/ <br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) it the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* WaveZip/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Much information about oddball formats including comparison of them. <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-08-05T13:58:20Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Oddball formats */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and are taken from the [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by TBeck.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<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 asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/ <br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) it the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/rk_audio_compressor.htm RK Audio (RKAU)] <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* WaveZip/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Lossless audio comparison including oddball formats <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-08-05T13:55:58Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Oddball formats */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and are taken from the [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by TBeck.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<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 asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/ <br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) it the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* RK Audio (RKAU) <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* [http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/wavarc/ WavArc] <br />
* WaveZip/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Lossless audio comparison including oddball formats <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-08-05T13:53:56Z<p>Nuclearist: /* External links */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and are taken from the [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by TBeck.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<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 asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/ <br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) it the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* RK Audio (RKAU) <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* WavArc <br />
* WaveZip/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
*[http://www.firstpr.com.au/audiocomp/lossless/ Lossless Compression of Audio] Lossless audio comparison including oddball formats <br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=TAK_encoderTAK encoder2016-08-05T13:38:44Z<p>Nuclearist: Created page with "http://thbeck.de/Download/TAK_2.3.0.zip"</p>
<hr />
<div>http://thbeck.de/Download/TAK_2.3.0.zip</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=TTA_Lossless_Audio_CodecTTA Lossless Audio Codec2016-08-05T11:00:35Z<p>Nuclearist: Created page with "https://sourceforge.net/projects/tta/files/tta/"</p>
<hr />
<div>https://sourceforge.net/projects/tta/files/tta/</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=TTATTA2016-08-05T11:00:13Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = The True Audio<br />
| logo = [[Image:TTA-logo.png|Official TTA logo]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = The True Audio (TTA) codec<br />
| maintainer = Aleksander Djuric / Pavel Zhilin / Tamir Barak / Noam Koenigstein / Kazuki Oikawa<br />
| recommended_encoder = TTA Lossless Audio Codec<br />
| recommended_text = tta-2.3 (24 February 2015)<br />
| website = http://tausoft.org/wiki/True_Audio_Codec_Overview<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''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 and also [[APEv2]].<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 />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]] <br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=EAC_and_WavPackEAC and WavPack2016-08-05T10:55:15Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>=Software needed=<br />
* [http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/en/index.php/resources/download/ Exact Audio Copy]<br />
* [http://www.wavpack.com/downloads.html WavPack]<br />
<br />
=Installation=<br />
'''Note:''' This guide assumes that EAC is has been configured for secure ripping, if not please follow [[EAC_Drive_Configuration | this]] guide.<br />
* Unzip "wavpack-4.80.0.zip" into the same directory that EAC is in.<br />
<br />
=Configuration=<br />
* Open EAC and insert a CD into the drive.<br />
* Click the '''EAC''' menu and select '''Compression Options'''.<br />
* Click the '''External Compression''' Tab, and put a check box in '''use external program for compression'''.<br />
* Change '''Parameter Passing Scheme''' to '''User Defined Encoder'''.<br />
* Change '''user file extension''' to '''.wv''' if not already that.<br />
* Click the '''Browse''' button and locate the '''wavpack.exe''' that you unzipped earlier.<br />
* Remove the ticks from '''Use CRC check''', '''Add ID3 tag''' and '''check for external programs return code'''.<br />
* In the '''Addtional command line options''' box, copy and paste the string below:<br />
-> If you are using EAC 1.0 beta 2 or newer, then in the '''Additional command line options''' box, copy and paste the following string:<br />
<br />
'''No Tags:'''<br />
<font style="color:green">'''-h'''</font> %source% %dest%<br />
<br />
'''APEv2:'''<br />
<font style="color:green">'''-h'''</font> -w "Artist=%artist%" -w "Title=%title%" -w "Album=%albumtitle%" -w "Year=%year%" -w "Track=%tracknr%" -w "Genre=%genre%" %source% %dest%<br />
<br />
-> If you are using EAC 1.0 beta 1 or earlier, then in the '''Additional command line options''' box, copy and paste the following string:<br />
<br />
'''No Tags:'''<br />
<font style="color:green">'''-h'''</font> %s %d<br />
<br />
'''APEv2:'''<br />
<font style="color:green">'''-h'''</font> -w "Artist=%a" -w "Title=%t" -w "Album=%g" -w "Year=%y" -w "Track=%n" -w "Genre=%m" %s %d<br />
<br />
<font style="color:green">'''Note:''' ''If a user wanted to change compression settings on WavPack the green portion what you would substitute with the new preset.</font> [http://www.wavpack.com/wavpack_doc.html#wavpack -> Manual (WavPack Options)]<br />
* Do not worry what bit rate is shown in the bit rate drop down box, this will be ignored.<br />
<br />
<br />
<center>[[Image:EACandWAVPACK.png|frame|center|WavPack configured with tagging support]]</center><br />
<br />
=Hybrid mode=<br />
If you want to create a correction file while encoding from EAC you will need to adapt your normal command line slightly, to ensure that the correction file ("<name>.wvc") is named the same as the primary file ("<name>.wv"). If you do not follow these guidelines your correction file will be named incorrectly, using the temporary filename that EAC uses while processing.<br />
<br />
Since WavPack 4.1 beta you can specify an additional file path when using the -c switch to request a correction file. This filepath will be used to name the correction file.<br />
<br />
The suggested method to implement this feature is to utilise the '''Use CRC check''' checkbox on the '''External Compression''' dialogue, to specify whether a correction file is required or not. In conjunction, you must also add the following to the end of your command line:<br />
<br />
<pre>%crcenabled%%original%%crcenabled%</pre><br />
<br />
For example:<br />
<br />
<font style="color:green">'''-hb320'''</font> -w "Artist=%artist%" -w "Title=%title%" -w "Album=%albumtitle%" -w "Track=%tracknr%" %source% %dest% %crcenabled%%original%%crcenabled%<br />
<br />
<font style="color:green">'''Note:''' ''If a user wanted to change compression and bitrate settings on WavPack the green portion what you would substitute with the new preset.</font> [http://www.wavpack.com/wavpack_doc.html#wavpack -> Manual (WavPack Options)]<br />
<br />
When you check '''Use CRC check''' and insert the -c switch, and the file path specified by the EAC placeholder %original%, will be included in your command line, creating a correction file with the correct file name. With '''Use CRC check''' unchecked no correction file will be created.<br />
<br />
If you do not want this configurability, simply add:<br />
<br />
<pre>-c %original%</pre><br />
<br />
All encodes will then include a correction file, which is named correctly.<br />
<br />
=Embedding the cue-sheet in an audio image file=<br />
If you prefer to rip to an image file, and want to embed the cuesheet in the image, you can add the following tagging switch to your command line:<br />
<br />
<pre>-w "Cuesheet=@*.cue"</pre><br />
<br />
This uses two of WavPack's features. Firstly, the '@' tells WavPack to set the 'Cuesheet' tag from the '''contents of a file'''. Secondly, the wildcard '*' tells WavPack to find the file itself, given the '.cue' restriction (i.e. "find the first '.cue' file you come across").<br />
<br />
'''PLEASE NOTE:''' This will only work if there is one CUE file in the folder. WavPack will exit because of this command, if you have an existing cuesheet in the folder before starting. The easiest way is simply to ensure that you either move your previous rips beforehand, or rip to a new directory each time.<br />
<br />
Example command-line:<br />
<br />
<pre>-hm -w "Cuesheet=@*.cue" -w "Artist=%artist%" -w "Album=%albumtitle%" -w "Year=%year%" -w "Genre=%genre%" %source% %dest%</pre><br />
<br />
=Additional reading=<br />
* [[Lossless | About Lossless]]<br />
* [[WavPack]]<br />
* [[Exact_Audio_Copy | Exact Audio Copy]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]<br />
[[Category:EAC Guides|WavPack & EAC]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=WavPackWavPack2016-08-04T13:04:51Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Software Infobox<br />
| name = WavPack<br />
| logo = [[Image:Wavpacklogo.png|250px|Official WavPack logo]]<br />
| screenshot =<br />
| caption = Hybrid Lossless Audio Compression<br />
| maintainer = David Bryant<br />
| stable_release = 4.80.0 (28 March 2016)<br />
| preview_release = [https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,111822.0.html 5.0.0] (4 May 2016)<br />
| operating_system = Windows, Mac OS/X, Linux/BSD/Unix<br />
| use = Encoder/Decoder<br />
| license = BSD license<br />
| website = http://www.wavpack.com/<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''WavPack''' is a royalty-free, open source and [[lossless]] or high-quality lossy (in "hybrid" mode) 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 tags]])<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.php VUPlayer] (official plugin, supports encoding)<br />
* [[Windows Media Player]] and other directshow-based players (MPC, TCMP, RadLight) (with [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=103693 CoreWavPack] directshow filter)<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 Windows [http://www.wavpack.com/WavPack_frontend.zip WavPack frontend] (by Speekenbrink)<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.easeaudioconverter.com/wavpack.htm Ease Audio Converter] (Shareware / NOT Freeware)<br />
* [http://media.io/ Online Audio Converter]<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 />
* [[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://mr-questionman.en.uptodown.com/windows Mr. QuestionMan]<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 />
->[http://www.wavpack.com/#Software WavPack Software Section]<br />
<br />
== Hardware Support ==<br />
* iRiver iHP-120/iHP-140 with the open source [http://www.rockbox.org Rockbox firmware]<br />
* Roku PhotoBridge HD (with [http://www.wavpack.com/downloads.html#binaries plugin])<br />
->[http://www.wavpack.com/index.html#Hardware WavPack Hardware Section]<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 />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]]<br />
* [[EAC_and_WavPack | Configuring EAC and WavPack]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=MusepackMusepack2016-08-04T12:58:30Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = Musepack<br />
| logo = [[Image:Musepack_logo.png|Official Musepack logo]]<br />
| type = lossy<br />
| purpose = living audio compression<br />
| maintainer = Andree Buschmann / Frank Klemm<br />
| recommended_encoder = mpcenc.exe 1.30.0<br />
| recommended_text = Musepack SV8 (2 April 2009)<br />
| website = https://musepack.net<br />
}}<br />
<br />
= 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/Tablets, see [https://www.musepack.net/index.php?pg=pro Program Overview]<br />
* Portable playback on digital audio players with Rockbox support, see http://www.rockbox.org<br />
* Support & development forum at https://forum.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 />
<br />
== Technical links ==<br />
* [http://trac.musepack.net/musepack/wiki Specifications]<br />
* [https://musepack.net/index.php?pg=src Source code]<br />
* reference: Frank Klemm [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/musepack/klemm/www.personal.uni-jena.de/~pfk/mpp/audiocoder_english.html mirror]<br />
<br />
== Listening test involving MPC ==<br />
* [[Listening Tests]] page<br />
* [https://bernholdtech.blogspot.de/2013/03/Nine-different-audio-encoders-100-pass-recompression-test.html Nine different audio encoders 100-pass recompression test]<br />
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codec_listening_test Codec listening test + results on Wikipedia.org]<br />
* <s> ff123's 128kbit/s group listening test</s><br />
* <s> ff123's second 128kbit/s group listening test</s><br />
* <s> 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>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=MusepackMusepack2016-08-04T12:39:45Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = Musepack<br />
| logo = [[Image:Musepack_logo.png|Official Musepack logo]]<br />
| type = lossy<br />
| purpose = living audio compression<br />
| maintainer = Andree Buschmann / Frank Klemm<br />
| recommended_encoder = mpcenc.exe 1.30.0<br />
| recommended_text = Musepack SV8<br />
| website = https://musepack.net<br />
}}<br />
<br />
= 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/Tablets, see [https://www.musepack.net/index.php?pg=pro Program Overview]<br />
* Portable playback on digital audio players with Rockbox support, see http://www.rockbox.org<br />
* Support & development forum at https://forum.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 />
<br />
== Technical links ==<br />
* [http://trac.musepack.net/musepack/wiki Specifications]<br />
* [https://musepack.net/index.php?pg=src Source code]<br />
* reference: Frank Klemm [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/musepack/klemm/www.personal.uni-jena.de/~pfk/mpp/audiocoder_english.html mirror]<br />
<br />
== Listening test involving MPC ==<br />
* [[Listening Tests]] page<br />
* [https://bernholdtech.blogspot.de/2013/03/Nine-different-audio-encoders-100-pass-recompression-test.html Nine different audio encoders 100-pass recompression test]<br />
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codec_listening_test Codec listening test + results on Wikipedia.org]<br />
* <s> ff123's 128kbit/s group listening test</s><br />
* <s> ff123's second 128kbit/s group listening test</s><br />
* <s> 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>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-08-04T12:35:35Z<p>Nuclearist: /* True Audio (TTA) */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and are taken from the [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by TBeck.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2 or [[APEv2]])<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<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 asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/ <br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) it the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* RK Audio (RKAU) <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* WavArc <br />
* WaveZip/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Lossless_comparisonLossless comparison2016-08-04T12:34:46Z<p>Nuclearist: /* Comparison Table */</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. Some 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 a 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. 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 />
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="2"<br />
!width="120px"|'''Features'''<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)|FLAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)|ALAC]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#WavPack (WV)|WavPack]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Tom's_verlustfreier_Audiokompressor (TAK)|TAK]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Monkey's_Audio (APE)|Monkey's]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL)|WMAL]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#OptimFROG (OFR)|OptimFROG]]<br />
! width="90px" | [[#True Audio (TTA)|TTA]]<br />
|- <!-- *** Encoding speed is very fast if > 150x, fast if >75x, average if >40x, slow if >20x, very slow if <20x *** --><br />
| Encoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<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: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
|- <!-- *** For decoding speed thresholds are doubled, i.e., very fast if >300x, fast if >150x etc *** --><br />
| Decoding speed{{ref label|speed|A|A}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very fast<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | slow<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | very slow<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | fast<br />
|- <!-- *** Thresholds for compression are at 56% and 58% *** --> <br />
| Compression{{ref label|speed|A|A}}{{ref label|comp|B|B}}<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.0%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.8%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 57.1%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 56.0%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 55.1%<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | 58.4%<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | 54.6%<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 56.6%<br />
|-<br />
| # presets<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 9<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 2<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 5<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | > 10<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | 1<br />
|-<br />
| Error handling{{ref label|error|C|C}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | yes{{ref label|error_ape|D|D}}<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Tagging<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Vorbis tags<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | iTunes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ASF<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | ID3/APEv2<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | ID3v1/2 or APEv2<br />
|-<br />
| Hardware support <br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | limited<br />
|-<br />
| Software support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | very good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
| style="background: #FFCC66" | average<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | good<br />
|-<br />
| Hybrid/lossy<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | LossyWAV<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| RIFF chunks<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 />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
|-<br />
| Streaming<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Open source<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: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| Multichannel<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 />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
| style="background: #FF9900" | no<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | yes<br />
|-<br />
| OS support<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Wine<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
| style="background: #CCFFCC" | Win/Mac<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | Win/Mac/Linux<br />
| style="background: #00FF00" | All<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{|<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|speed|A|A}} Speed and Compression are based on '''each encoder's default settings''' and are taken from the [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html this comparison].<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|comp|B|B}} The Compression ratio is compressed size/uncompressed size * 100. So, lower is better. <br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error|C|C}} Error handling means that a codec can detect a corruption (flipped bit) in a file and warn the user about it, but still decode the rest of the file.<br />
|-<br />
|{{note label|error_ape|D|D}} The official Monkey's Audio decoder does not support decoding through errors, but this may be achieved with FFmpeg or Winamp, though likely not when the "Insane" preset is used.<br />
<br />
== Codecs ==<br />
<br />
These are the most popular lossless codecs, in alphabetical order:<br />
<br />
=== Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) ===<br />
https://alac.macosforge.org/trac<br />
<br />
[[ALAC]] is a codec developed by Apple for usage in [[Apple iPod|iPod]] and AirPort Express.<br />
<br />
'''ALAC pros'''<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 />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Hardware support ([[Apple iPod|iPod]], AirPort Express)<br />
* Software support (iTunes, Quicktime)<br />
* Independent encoder implementation available: ffmpeg<br />
* Streaming support<br />
* Tagging support (QT tags)<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Used by a few online stores<br />
<br />
''' ALAC cons '''<br />
* Limited software support<br />
* No error detection/robustness<ref>[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=33226&view=findpost&p=862031 HA forum post discussing ALAC robustness]</ref><br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Not very efficient<br />
<br />
''' ALAC Other features '''<br />
* Fits in the [[MP4]] container<br />
<br />
=== Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) ===<br />
https://xiph.org/flac/<br />
<br />
[[FLAC]] is a lossless codec developed by Josh Coalson. It's part of the Xiph multimedia portfolio, along with [[Opus]], [[Ogg]], [[Vorbis]], [[Speex]] and [[Theora]].<br />
<br />
''' FLAC pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very good hardware support (Android, Marantz, Sonos, [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html many others])<br />
* Very good software support<br />
* Independent encoder implementations available: flake/ffmpeg, FLACCL<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 />
* Used by a few [http://xiph.org/flac/links.html#music online stores]<br />
<br />
''' FLAC cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Does not handle 32-bit float and there is no encoder that can render to 32-bit integer<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 as standard<br />
* Fits the [[Ogg]] and [[Matroska]] containers<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 />
* High compression<br />
* Fast encoding<br />
* Good software support<br />
* Simple and user friendly. Official GUI provided.<br />
* Java version (multiplatform)<br />
* Error robustness/decoding up to -c3000 (High compression)<ref>http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=98984&st=0&p=821420&#entry821420</ref><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 />
* Problematic license (source provided, no modification or redistribution rights)<br />
* Slow decoding<br />
* No [[multichannel]] support<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (and not [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Limited hardware support (Rockbox, some Cowon players); poor battery life due to complicated decoding (see [http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecMonkeysAudio MP3 player benchmarks])<br />
* Higher compression levels are extremely CPU intensive<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 />
=== OptimFROG (OFR) ===<br />
http://www.losslessaudio.org/<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 />
<br />
''' OFR cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No [[multichannel]] audio support<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Very slow decoding<br />
* Slow encoding<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<br />
<br />
''' OFR Other features '''<br />
* Supports 32bit float streams<br />
* Includes MD5 hashes for quick integrity checking<br />
<br />
=== Tom's verlustfreier Audiokompressor (TAK) ===<br />
http://www.thbeck.de/Tak/Tak.html<br />
<br />
[[TAK]] is a lossless codec developed by TBeck.<br />
<br />
''' TAK pros '''<br />
* Very fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Very high efficiency<br />
* Error robust<br />
* Supports multichannel audio and high resolutions<br />
* Tagging support<br />
* Supports RIFF chunks<br />
* Pipe support <br />
* Streamable<br />
<br />
''' TAK cons '''<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* No hardware support<br />
* Average software support<br />
* Doesn't support Unicode (yet)<br />
<br />
''' TAK Other features '''<br />
* Optional MD5 checksum<br />
<br />
=== True Audio (TTA) ===<br />
http://tta.tausoft.org/<br />
<br />
[[TTA]] is a lossless codec developed by a international team of programmers.<br />
<br />
''' TTA pros '''<br />
* [[Open source]]<br />
* Supports [[multichannel]] audio and [[high resolution]]s<br />
* Tagging support ([[ID3]]v1, ID3v2)<br />
* Embedded CUE sheets support<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Pipe support<br />
* Average compression<br />
* Fast encoding/decoding<br />
* Symmetric algorithm<br />
* Password protection<br />
* Ultra low latency<br />
<br />
''' TTA cons '''<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
* Limited hardware support<br />
<br />
''' TTA Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
* Password protection<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 />
* Fast decoding<br />
* Very fast encoding<br />
* Good efficiency<br />
* Error robustness<br />
* Streaming support<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 />
<br />
''' WV cons '''<br />
* Limited hardware player support ([http://www.rockbox.org/ RockBox])<br />
* More than one tagging method allowed (ambiguity possible)<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 asymmetrical modes.<br />
* Fits the [[Matroska]] container<br />
<br />
=== Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMAL) ===<br />
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff819508(v=vs.85).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 (Microsoft Zune, [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 />
* Rather low efficiency<br />
* Closed source<br />
* No hybrid/lossy mode (but is [[LossyWAV]] compatible)<br />
* Doesn't support [[RIFF]] chunks<br />
<br />
''' WMAL Other features '''<br />
* Fits the [[ASF]] container<br />
<br />
=== Other Formats ===<br />
Aside from the formats mentioned above, there are in fact quite a lot of other lossless formats. To keep the table and list brief and readable, a few formats have not been mentioned.<br />
<br />
====DTS-HD Master Audio====<br />
Similar to the MPEG-4 SLS format, this format has a core track in an older, more widely supported format, DTS. This core lossy track is made lossless by a secondary track with correction data. It is an optional codec in Blu-ray implementations. Its main use is surround sound encoding, and as is the case with MLP, the price of the encoder ensures it is only used in mastering of Blu-ray discs.<br />
<br />
====LA====<br />
http://www.lossless-audio.com/ <br />
<br />
LA features an extremely high compression (on par with OptimFrog highest modes, but a bit faster), but it hasn't been updated for more than 10 years. Furthermore, backward compatibility is not guaranteed, so using it for archiving might pose a few problems. It isn't able to cope with file corruption either, software support is very limited and isn't open source.<br />
<br />
====MLP/Dolby TrueHD====<br />
The [[MLP|MLP codec]] (of which the mathematical basis was used in Dolby TrueHD) it the codec used for DVD-Audio. It was mandatory in any HD-DVD implementation and optional for Blu-Ray in it's Dolby TrueHD form. It is known to support the 'wasted bits' scheme used in LossyWAV. As encoders are very expensive, its use outside DVD/Blu-ray mastering environments is non-existent. Its main use is encoding surround sound data.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 ALS====<br />
MPEG-4 ALS is the successor to LPAC, which it was based on. It has been as a ISO standard and there is a reference encoder/decoder, but like TTA, it does not have features that make it stand out from other codecs, nor backing by a large organisation, so it hasn't much software and no hardware support.<br />
<br />
====MPEG-4 SLS====<br />
MPEG-4 SLS is a special codec, having a AAC core track and a 'correction track'. Also known as HD-AAC, SLS stands for Scalable to Lossless. However, there is to date still no affordable software to play, encode or decode (the lossless part of) SLS files.<br />
<br />
====Shorten====<br />
http://www.etree.org/shncom.html<br />
<br />
Shorten was one of the first widely-used lossless formats, and it still occasionally found on the internet, especially in archives, for example etree.org. It is quite fast in both encoding and decoding, but doesn't compress very much. Furthermore, seeking has a troubled past as well as tagging. It is considered obsolete.<br />
<br />
====Real Lossless====<br />
Part of the Real codec suite, Real Lossless too hasn't any very special features that make it stand out. Just like WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, it was created to fit in a codec suite, but unlike WMA Lossless and Apple Lossless, there is no hardware support and software support is limited. Compression is on par with most other codecs, but it is rather slow to encode.<br />
<br />
====Oddball formats====<br />
There are a few archaic formats of which encoders and decoders are hard to get by. Most of those would have disappeared by now, but some of them are being preserved for posterity at [[User:Rjamorim|rjamorim]]'s <br />
<br />
* Advanced Digital Audio (ADA) <br />
* [http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/bonk Bonk] <br />
* Marian's a-Pac <br />
* AudioZip <br />
* Dakx WAV <br />
* Entis Lab MIO <br />
* LiteWave <br />
* LPAC<br />
* Pegasus SPS <br />
* RK Audio (RKAU) <br />
* Ogg Squish<br />
* Sonarc <br />
* VocPack <br />
* WavArc <br />
* WaveZip/MUSICompress<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Lossless]]<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''' Other lossless compressions comparisons '''<br />
''Sorted based on last '''update''' date.''<br />
<br />
* [http://www.audiograaf.nl/downloads.html Martijn van Beurden's comparison] - tries to compare all codecs and settings with a balanced pool of music (last updated 2015-01-05)<br />
* [http://www.squeezechart.com/audio.html Squeezechart audio] - tests as much codecs as possible, but not all their settings and with a limited test corpus (last updated 2013-10-31)<br />
* [http://synthetic-soul.co.uk/comparison/lossless/index.asp Synthetic Soul's comparison] (last update 2007-07-28)<br />
* <s>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>Hans Heijden's</s> -- used as reference to build the table (last updated 2006-07-07)<br />
* <s>Josef Pohm's comparison, hosted by Synthetic Soul</s> (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>Jhan 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>Gruboolez'</s> -- comparing only classical music (last updated 2005-02-27)<br />
* <s>Speek's</s> (last updated 2005-02-07)<br />
<br />
''' More on lossless compressions '''<br />
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080731103800/http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/ The Lossless Audio Blog], retrieved from archive.org - 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 />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=TTATTA2016-08-04T12:33:27Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = The True Audio<br />
| logo = [[Image:TTA-logo.png|Official TTA logo]]<br />
| type = lossless<br />
| purpose = The True Audio (TTA) codec<br />
| maintainer = Aleksander Djuric / Pavel Zhilin / Tamir Barak / Noam Koenigstein / Kazuki Oikawa<br />
| recommended_encoder = The True Audio encoder<br />
| recommended_text = tta-2.3 (24 February 2015)<br />
| website = http://tausoft.org/wiki/True_Audio_Codec_Overview<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''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 and also [[APEv2]].<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 />
* [[Lossless_comparison|Lossless Codec Comparison]] <br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Codecs]]<br />
[[Category:Lossless]]</div>Nuclearisthttps://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=MusepackMusepack2016-08-04T11:59:45Z<p>Nuclearist: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Codec Infobox<br />
| name = Musepack<br />
| logo = [[Image:Musepack_logo.png|250px|Official Musepack logo]]<br />
| type = lossy<br />
| purpose = living audio compression<br />
| maintainer = Andree Buschmann / Frank Klemm<br />
| recommended_encoder = mpcenc.exe 1.30.0<br />
| recommended_text = Musepack SV8<br />
| website = https://musepack.net<br />
}}<br />
<br />
= 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/Tablets, see [https://www.musepack.net/index.php?pg=pro Program Overview]<br />
* Portable playback on digital audio players with Rockbox support, see http://www.rockbox.org<br />
* Support & development forum at https://forum.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 />
<br />
== Technical links ==<br />
* [http://trac.musepack.net/musepack/wiki Specifications]<br />
* [https://musepack.net/index.php?pg=src Source code]<br />
* reference: Frank Klemm [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/musepack/klemm/www.personal.uni-jena.de/~pfk/mpp/audiocoder_english.html mirror]<br />
<br />
== Listening test involving MPC ==<br />
* [[Listening Tests]] page<br />
* [https://bernholdtech.blogspot.de/2013/03/Nine-different-audio-encoders-100-pass-recompression-test.html Nine different audio encoders 100-pass recompression test]<br />
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codec_listening_test Codec listening test + results on Wikipedia.org]<br />
* <s> ff123's 128kbit/s group listening test</s><br />
* <s> ff123's second 128kbit/s group listening test</s><br />
* <s> 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>Nuclearist