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=== Linux ===
=== Linux ===
* ffmpeg can demux, decode and parse TAK since commit d7a473926504e2acfa6ae3bead0938e1f4e03441:[http://git.videolan.org/?p=ffmpeg.git;a=commit;h=d7a473926504e2acfa6ae3bead0938e1f4e03441]
* 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.


== Hardware support ==
== Hardware support ==

Revision as of 21:53, 7 January 2013

Tom's lossless Audio Kompressor
lossless audio compression.
Developer(s) Thomas Becker
Release TBC
Type Lossless
Recommended encoder TAK v2.2.0
Website ThBeck.de/Tak/Tak.html (german)

Description

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 FLAC.

Features

  • High compression
  • Fast compression and decompression speed
  • Streaming support (necessary headers for decompressing the audio are written to the stream every 2 seconds)
  • Piping support for encoding
  • Error tolerance (single bit error will never affect more than 250 ms)
  • Error detection (each frame protected by a 24-bit checksum (CRC))
  • High-resolution (up to 24-bit/channel) audio support
  • Support for up to 192 Khz Audio
  • Seeking without seek table
  • APEv2 tags supported at end of file

Pros

  • Fast encoding speed (while providing better compression TAK encodes as fast as FLAC -8 in TAK's “Insane” and several times faster in “Turbo” mode)
  • Fast decompression speed (on par with FLAC / WavPack)
  • Good compression levels (on par with Monkey's Audio High)
  • Error Robustness
  • Fast Seeking

Cons

  • Closed Source
  • No hardware support
  • Limited software support


Software support

Windows

  • TAK 2.2.0 (official release which consists of a CLI, a GUI, a Winamp plugin, the SDK, and the decoding library)
  • TAK Decoder 0.4.4 - plugin for foobar2000 (supports tagging and ReplayGain)
  • dsfTAKSource 0.0.1.6 - DirectShow source filter to play TAK-files in Windows Media Player, Media Player Classic - Home Cinema, Zoom Player and alike
  • DC-Bass Source Mod 1.5.0.0 - DirectShow source filter to play TAK-files, amongst many others, in any DirectShow media player (as mentioned above)
  • Mp3tag – universal tag editor with support for TAK
  • shntool (since version 3.0.6)

Linux

  • ffmpeg can demux, decode and parse TAK since commit d7a473926504e2acfa6ae3bead0938e1f4e03441:[1]. First official release that supports TAK decoding is 1.1.

Hardware support

  • None


Recommended Settings

  • 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.)
takc -e [input file]
  • 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.)
takc -e -pMax [input file]
  • 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 FLAC 0.)
takc -e -p0 [input file]

TAK Performance Graph

Graph showing encoding and decoding rate against compression, using data from Synthetic Soul's test on TAK 1.0.4
(see External Links)


Using TAK

TAK with foobar2000

  • Copy the takc.exe to your foobar2000 directory
  • Go to File → Preferences → Tools → Converter
  • Set it up as shown:
Screenshot of foobar 0.9.5 Converter settings for TAK 1.0.3

Note: replace -p2 with the desired compression level.

  • 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:
-e -p2 %s %d
  • Use APEv2 tagging (will be used as internal tagging)


TAK with EAC

Please read the wiki guide, which details how to create TAK files with EAC.


Future Features

  • Unicode support
  • MD5 audio checksums for verification and identification
  • A German version
  • Embedded cue sheets
  • Embedded cover art
  • Multichannel audio


Frequently Asked Questions

Is the codec safe for use?
Yes. To check, convert a WAVE to TAK and back and compare the two (or use foobar's bitcompare tool).
Why should I use TAK?
TAK offers high compression ratios with great decoding rates.
What can I compress with TAK?
TAK 1.0 can compress any integer-format (up to 24 bits per channel) PCM RIFF WAVE file (.wav). Piping support as of v1.0.3 is implemented, so converting lossless files to WAV first is not necessary.
What about hardware support?
None at the moment. Although, -p0, -p1 and -p2 are the candidates for hardware playback.
Will the source be opened?
Yes, TAK will be open-source, as soon as the code is ported to C or C++ and documented. However, Thomas has mentioned that he would like to improve the codec before opening the source.


External Links

Retrieved from "https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=TAK&oldid=23893"